By far the best start of the year 2023 as far as physical sales are concerned, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom exceeded 200,000 copies sold in 48 hours across the Channel, as can be deduced from the statistics shared by Chris Dring on Games Industry. In the history of the Switch, only the duo Pokemon Scarlet And Pokemon Purple did better in volume (around 235,000 sales). However, the latest Zelda outsold other Nintendo games, not to mention the collector’s item sold over £100, earning it the biggest launch in Switch history in terms of revenue. (+8% compared to Pokemon).
Consecration by the general public
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is, naturally, the biggest launch of the Zelda franchise in the UK ahead of Breath of the Wild (Switch and Wii U, 2017), The Wind Waker (GameCube, 2003), Twilight Princess (Wii, 2006) and Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64, 1998). It also instantly takes 8th place in the Zelda best-selling chart, already surpassing the total sales of Skyward Sword on Wii and The Wind Waker on GameCube. Need I specify, it’s Breath of the Wild which is (far) ahead of everyone.
Such a start in a territory where Nintendo is not particularly strong historically in any case suggests even more spectacular performances in Nintendophile markets such as France, the United States and Japan. With luck, Nintendo will soon gratify us with a press release triumphantly brandishing a first world figure, because it is indeed a craze worthy of Pokémon that has carried this Zelda from the start.
- Also Read | The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom review by Kelma