One of the biggest questions that The Legend Of Zelda Tears Of The Kingdom had right before launch wasn’t about its quality, which had already been proven to be good, but about its potential sales figures. The franchise has sold millions in the past, but perhaps not as many millions as you would expect, especially when compared to titles with characters like Mario or the Pokemon generations. But with this new title, there was a chance to really make a mark on the record books, and it did just that at launch by selling over ten million units worldwide in only its first three days.
It was equally impressive that it wasn’t just the “main three areas” of game sales delivering huge numbers. Countries like France sold 500,000 units on their own in that period, which is unheard of for the country. But let’s focus our attention on Japan, which has a very curious recent history with console titles and their sales. Typically, sales numbers in the country aren’t the best outside of specific titles. A certain ink-based game comes to mind as they ate up the chance to play that.
So how is Tears Of The Kingdom doing there? As noted by one Nintendo insider, when you combine the physical and digital sales of the game, it’s over 2 million copies sold there. That’s not too shabby at all, and that number will undoubtedly grow over time. Selling millions in a single country is always a big deal, and this is no different.
Plus, as the tweet notes, the game also helped set a certain kind of “record” for Japan, as the Top 10 games sold in the country last week were all on the Nintendo Switch.
But wait! There’s more! The thread for the tweet also revealed that the Nintendo Switch itself is almost at a record in Japan. They’ve sold 29 million units there so far, and if things were to continue as they are, they could pass the 33 million units the Nintendo DS sold in the country, putting it as the No.1 gaming system sold there all time.
So even in its “waning years,” the Nintendo Switch and its games are still making an impact worldwide. It’ll be interesting to see what Nintendo brings out next since their “Game of the Year Contender” is now out and making waves. No matter what it is or isn’t, it’ll be something that people watch with a vested interest.
