eShop versions 3-10 percent of sales for dual-release games

The digitally distributed versions of retail 3DS software accounted for somewhere between three and ten percent of total sales worldwide, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said in an investor briefing. He noted that this was done "without any advertisements in the mass media," which is sort of like admitting Nintendo didn't try very hard.

Iwata also mentioned US customers were "particularly active" in buying New Super Mario Bros. 2 digitally, more so than European, Australian, or Japanese customers. In Japan, download rates are highest for Brain Age: Concentration Training and Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone, games which lend themselves to repeated short sessions, and thus are nice to have loaded on the 3DS at all times.

Iwata believes that Animal Crossing is particularly well-suited to this kind of play, and accordingly, Nintendo will promote the download version in advertisements in Japan, including the narrated phrase "Download version available, always with you, never lost." The 3DS XL bundle, as well, will include the game pre-loaded on the system.