Nintendo certainly took its sweet time to announce the release date for the last undated major console release of the year, but our long wait is finally over. The game officially known as Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will be coming to North America on November 21, just in time for the holiday sales rush to start on Black Friday, November 27. Europe will be getting the game on December 5, followed by Australia and Japan on December 6.

For the record, only four of the 58 Nintendo-published games on the Wii or Wii U had their release dates announced less than 46 days before their eventual release (there are currently 45 days until November 21), meaning Nintendo waited almost as long as possible to confirm the release date. On its release,fans will have waited 1,263 days sincewas first publicly announced on June 7, 2011, by far the largest such gap in Nintendo history.

The release date announcement follows the release of the 3DS version of the game over the weekend in Europe and North America, and that first portable Smash is already a huge success. Nintendo announced sales of more than 2.8 million copies worldwide. To put that number in context, Nintendo had sold just over three million Wii U hardware units in the Americas as of June 30, and best-seller Mario Kart 8 hit two million worldwide sales on the Wii U after about a month on sale.

Nintendo didn't break down how Smash Bros.' 3DS sales shook out by region, but Japanese tracking firm Media Create notes that the game has sold 1.37 million copies in Japan during its first three weeks on sale, suggesting healthy weekend launch numbers in the West.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will launch alongside the first set of 12 Amiibo figures, which allow players to store and transfer character data through near-field communications technology. Those $12.99 figures will work with only Smash Bros. at launch, but they will eventually work with Mario Kart 8 and future Nintendo titles like Mario Party 10 and Yoshi's Woolly World. Six more Amiibo figures are planned for a December release.

The previously announced Gamecube controller adapter for the Wii U will also hit North American stores on November 21 for $19.99 or as part of a bundle with the game and a Smash-logo-sporting Gamecube controller for $99.99 (the controller alone will be available for $29.99). Nintendo also announced that 3D puzzle platform title Captain Toad's Treasure Tracker will hit North American stores on December 5.