Japanese electronics firm Nintendo has posted its best monthly sales in the U.S. this year, boosted by the simultaneous launch of the handheld console Nintendo 2DS and games Pokémon X and Pokémon Y in August.
Sales of the role-playing video games Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, the sixth generation of the original Pokémon game, were the top two titles in October, selling over 1.7 million units combined in the U.S, Nintendo said in a press release published Thursday.
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Total Nintendo 3DS first-party software sales hit more than 2 million units, the highest since December 2011.
Hardware sales also thrived for Nintendo, as it enjoyed its sixth consecutive month as the best-selling video game hardware maker in the U.S.
U.S. consumers bought over 452,000 Nintendo 3DS video game hardware systems in October, double the previous month's sales and the most units any portable video game system or home console has sold in a single month in 2013. That figure included the 3DS, the 3DS XL and the recently launched 2DS, which is a new 2D-only version of the 3DS handheld aimed at younger children.
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The bumper sales should come as welcome news to CEO Satoru Iwata, who has received flack for the poor sales of one of its latest products the Wii U –the successor to the hugely popular Wii.
After its launch in November 2012, the Wii U sold 1.1 million units in its first five months of sales – compared to 2.1 million sales in the first five months of the Wii's release in November 2006.
Iwata told CNBC in June that the reason for the Wii U's disappointing sales was down the firm relaxing its marketing efforts and failing to properly communicate the strengths and uniqueness of the product.
The U.S. holiday season, spanning over the months running up to Thanksgiving on November 28 and Christmas 25, is an crucial time for video game and console makers, and historically these firms see their highest sales over this period.
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Nintendo's strong sales come as one of the firm's competitors in the video gaming space - Sony - gears up to launch its latest console, the PlayStation 4, on Friday.
Sony's PlayStation 4 is set to compete directly with Microsoft's latest game console, the Xbox One, which is set to hit the shops in a week's time.
Nintendo, which created blockbusters like Super Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong in the 1980s, has struggled to adapt to a consumer shift to smartphones and tablet computers.
— By CNBC's Katie Holliday: Follow her on Twitter @hollidaykatie