The Legend of Zelda Switch Editions Propel Franchise to New Heights

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have significantly propelled the franchise, with the Switch versions making up 40% of the saga's total sales. The beloved franchise, which has been thriving for nearly four decades, continues to exhibit strong momentum, particularly with its impressive sales on the Nintendo Switch platform.

Nintendo's recent financial report unveiled impressive figures, including the Nintendo Switch's sales reaching 141.32 million units, along with robust sales from its game portfolio. Notably, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has achieved over 33.5 million sales (considering both Switch and Wii U), and its successor, Tears of the Kingdom, boasts 20.60 million copies sold in under a year.

These two expansive adventures top the sales chart in the franchise's 38-year history. Adding the sales from Link's Awakening remake and Skyward Sword HD remaster, more than 40% of total Zelda franchise sales have come from the Switch platform.

Nintendo titles tend to be evergreen, with other franchises like Pokemon and Mario maintaining their popularity over decades. Zelda's recent surge is particularly remarkable because the series has not always been a top seller.

A graph compiled by Twitter user Pierre485 showcases this shift, illustrating how previous entries in the series typically achieved less than half the sales of BotW and Tears of the Kingdom.

This triumph may be the result of years of refined game design, Nintendo's successful venture into open-world concepts, and engaging physics. This narrative exemplifies a crucial insight for fellow publishers: sustained success stems from long-term investments in creativity and developer support. Perhaps, years from now, other franchises will see their versions of a matured Zelda still captivating audiences.