The video game space is never above having irony drop on gamers in unique moments. Right now, the irony in question is about The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild. The game was the main launch title for the Nintendo Switch, and it helped kickstart the console’s success and redefined what this beloved series could be. It brought things into the open world and helped gamers see the true potential of having an open-ended Hyrule that you could take on at your own pace. So why are we talking about the game, given that its sequel is out? Well, it’s been doing well on the sales charts.
As noted by certain insiders, Breath of the Wild has been in the top 10 of multiple sales charts ever since its successor, Tears of the Kingdom, came out. Plus, it’s not just the digital sales market that has been seeing a surge with the game. The physical market has been seeing it in the top ten, too, in places like the UK:
As for the digital side of things, the launch title is the No.3 game on the Nintendo eShop. So in both forms, the game is doing incredible.
But why is there a surge going on six years after its release? Simply put, the sequel’s launch has renewed people’s interest in it. If nothing else, it’s possible that people only got the sequel and then wanted to see what the original was like, so they bought it. In addition, the game has been one of the many “evergreen” titles for the Nintendo Switch, meaning that it’s a consistent seller for people who are only just getting their Switch systems.
That means we’ll likely see a surge in sales once the next quarterly numbers after June ends. But, of course, that says nothing about the sales of the sequel, which tied Nintendo’s biggest launch ever and continues to dominate the sales charts.
Without a doubt, the biggest winner in all of this is Nintendo. They took their time with both games to ensure quality, and both released to huge numbers, and they will continue to sell well for a while. Even the rumors of the next Switch coming out next year won’t stop these two games from doing well.
Plus, Tears of the Kingdom has many saying it’ll be Game of the Year. While it’s a little premature to state that, it shows how much people love the game.