The latest Switch gem
One of the most highly anticipated games of the year, alongside Starfield, was The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for the Nintendo Switch. Released on May 12th, this game, which serves as a direct continuation of Breath of the Wild, exceeded all expectations. With a darker and more mature tone than its predecessor, Tears of the Kingdom takes players on a legendary adventure in Hyrule, exploring the land, the sky, and even the depths of the map. It builds upon the success of Breath of the Wild with unmatched skill, making its predecessor seem like a mere draft. The game has received immense praise from both critics and players, surpassing all worries that it would be merely a 1.5 version of Breath of the Wild. Tears of the Kingdom has set an exceptional record for the Zelda franchise.
Nintendo’s tears (of joy)
It is no surprise that Tears of the Kingdom has become a massive success for both Nintendo and the Zelda franchise. In its recent financial statement for the first quarter of the fiscal year, Nintendo revealed the sales figures for the game. After just a month and a half since its release, Tears of the Kingdom has sold a staggering 18.5 million copies worldwide, including digital downloads. This sales record makes it the most successful launch in the history of the franchise by a wide margin.
Well, we’re going to start straight away with Zelda TOTK, distributed in 18.5 million copies worldwide (demat included) at the end of June (i.e. in ~1 month and a half), which is the best start to the series. From afar. From far away. pic.twitter.com/fhvbG3rhYK
—Oscar Lemaire (@oscarlemaire) August 3, 2023
These sales figures position Tears of the Kingdom far ahead of its predecessors, which rarely sold more than 2 million copies at launch. The success of Tears of the Kingdom is not only massive for the Zelda franchise, but also for the gaming industry as a whole. It is the second best launch in Nintendo’s history, only surpassed by Pokemon Scarlet/Purple, and ranks as the ninth best-selling game on the Switch platform. In Japan, the game has already secured a spot in the top 50 best-selling games in the country. Link’s latest adventure has broken records and is poised to achieve even greater success by the end of the year, with a potential Game of the Year title within reach.