Sales Data Updated sales numbers for Switch titles: Tears of the Kingdom (18.51M), and more (UPDATE: new sales numbers for many other games, see threadmarks)

[Mr.Fletcher]

Delighted to see Xenoblade 2 continue its remarkable success story - 2.7m units. Amazing!

260K in 2022, after it released in 2017. Crazy.

It was the first Xeno to pass the 1m mark after Xenogears 20 years earlier (give or take a couple of months).

To see it go on and achieve this success - chuffed. It sells, year after year.

I‘d be surprised of Xenoblade 3 catches up, but I hope it passes 2m. It needs to sell more than a remaster.

 

[Joy-Boy]

It's crazy that NSMB U can be at 16 mil while legacy Zelda like Skyward Sword sits at 4 mil.

It's not a bad number, and maybe Skyward Sword just has a mixed vibe around it... but idk. Hoping for more numbers when TP and WW release.

I think Skyward Sword just came at the wrong time. It was just too soon.

Most people didnt own a Wii U, so they've been hungry for Wind Waker/Twilight Princess HD for years, and Skyward Sword was still the 2nd most recent 3D Zelda game.
I think if they done WW/TP, and let SS marinate for a few more years and gotten people really anxious for it, it would have done much better. People wanted it, but they werent begging for it quite yet

 

[Regulus Tera]

Jesus Christ.

The plumber should be thankful he has his karting pastime, because there’s genuinely a chance mainline Zelda has become a bigger juggernaut than mainline Mario.

Like… I don’t see Wonder outdoing this. It’s going to soar past Odyssey too, we haven’t even hit its first holiday.

You can’t even make the Wonder will outleg it argument, because BotW is an extremely leggy title

NSMBUDX is selling faster than Odyssey, and that’s a game from 2012. Wonder absolutely has a chance to top Zelda. And either way, discounting the Kart subseries feels weird.

 

[Mekanos]

It's crazy that NSMB U can be at 16 mil while legacy Zelda like Skyward Sword sits at 4 mil.

It's not a bad number, and maybe Skyward Sword just has a mixed vibe around it... but idk. Hoping for more numbers when TP and WW release.

Skyward Sword already released on the Wii, which had a huge userbase meaning lots of the Switch audience either already played it or had the chance and passed on it. A 60 dollar remaster didn’t have a lot of room for growth, especially a title as historically polarizing as SS.

I wouldn’t expect much different for TP and WW, 3-4m sounds about right. They’re games that have been available on multiple consoles already.

 

[Jahranimo]

It's crazy that NSMB U can be at 16 mil while legacy Zelda like Skyward Sword sits at 4 mil.

It's not a bad number, and maybe Skyward Sword just has a mixed vibe around it... but idk. Hoping for more numbers when TP and WW release.

I think it's a combination of mixed reception tied to the Wii version + post BOTW classic 3D Zelda doesn't hit quite the same.

 

[BassForever]

I think it's a combination of mixed reception tied to the Wii version + post BOTW classic 3D Zelda doesn't hit quite the same.

The game sold better on Switch then it did on Wii, so I really don't think either is applicable here. The actual analysis is that 2d Mario is far more popular then people give it credit for. People look at NSMBU and NSMB2 and say they "only" sold 5.8 million and 13.4 million units respectively, ignoring the fact they were the 3rd and 5th best selling games on those systems.

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

N

How many copies did DKTF do on WiiU almost 5 million on switch alone is more than I expected

It did 2.02m on the Wii U bring its total to 6.64m combined.

 

[Jahranimo]

The game sold better on Switch then it did on Wii, so I really don't think either is applicable here. The actual analysis is that 2d Mario is far more popular then people give it credit for. People look at NSMBU and NSMB2 and say they "only" sold 5.8 million and 13.4 million units respectively, ignoring the fact they were the 3rd and 5th best selling games on those systems.

Oh, I was talking about Zelda on its own not compared to any Mario series. Of course 2D Mario is super popular, I don't understand where that thinking can come from. Wonder is going to sell like crazy this holiday.

 

[Linkstrikesback]

I think Skyward Sword just came at the wrong time. It was just too soon.

Most people didnt own a Wii U, so they've been hungry for Wind Waker/Twilight Princess HD for years, and Skyward Sword was still the 2nd most recent 3D Zelda game.
I think if they done WW/TP, and let SS marinate for a few more years and gotten people really anxious for it, it would have done much better. People wanted it, but they werent begging for it quite yet

There were 11 years between WW and WWHD, and about 10 years between TP and TPHD. Skyward sword was perfectly in line with the rerelease timing, being a 2011 game on Wii and a 2021 game on Switch.

 

[hologram]

There were 11 years between WW and WWHD, and about 10 years between TP and TPHD. Skyward sword was perfectly in line with the rerelease timing, being a 2011 game on Wii and a 2021 game on Switch.

Oh god, we're gonna see a "BOTW 4K" in 4-5 years aren't we

and I'm totally gonna buy it aren't I

 

[Linkstrikesback]

Oh god, we're gonna see a "BOTW 4K" in 4-5 years aren't we

and I'm totally gonna buy it aren't I

It's certainly going to be playable on every platform Nintendo ever makes from now in some form, but that's been true for every 3D Zelda on every home platform following their original release, either through a new release or BC (sometimes even both, in the case of Twilight Princess on Wii U)

 

[7threst]

Dark Souls Remastered doing 1.15m on Switch sounds pretty high (late port, and other systems had the remaster plus the original already).

 

[byDoS]

Posted this on Era, but I'll repeat myself here:

60 million+ units of mainline Zelda will be sold in a single generation.

60 million. This is 3 decades, at least, of pre-BotW Zelda sales.

 

[MrBones]

Surely you’re just actively trolling about Paper Mario at this point.

(I do actually think they're bad sales legs)

 

[WestEgg]

(I do actually think they're bad sales legs)

I won't dismiss your opinion outright because that's obviously subjective, but compared to what? All the other Mario games on the list are either platformers or multiplayer spinoffs, both of which are much more popular and evergreen than your typical JRPG (or hybrid action-adventure RPG whatever you want to call it). It's already the second best-selling game without the clear launch window benefits that Super Paper Mario had and will continue closing that gap. In its third year since launch, what would you expect it to be selling annually?

 

[Gingerbread Man]

also it's pretty clear at this point, $70 games are here to stay. if people think it's worth it, they'll pay it.

I think Zelda is an exception. BotW and Ultimate were already €70 in Europe.

 

[WestEgg]

I think Zelda is an exception. BotW and Ultimate were already €70 in Europe.

I think Zelda and Smash can get away with it. I'm not sure what else can. You need something with that combination of event release and perceived prestige, at least when testing the waters. Mario seems like the obvious answer, but I think the series values its accessibility, and a higher price could undermine it. Metroid Prime 4 might be able to do it, it has the prestige and the built in fanbase, and the release will be an event at least in online circles. But I don't think it can sustain sales at that price.

 

[Nintenbro]

could kirby star allies beat dreamland by the next CESA report in 2024 or 2025

 

[Gingerbread Man]

I think Zelda and Smash can get away with it. I'm not sure what else can. You need something with that combination of event release and perceived prestige, at least when testing the waters. Mario seems like the obvious answer, but I think the series values its accessibility, and a higher price could undermine it. Metroid Prime 4 might be able to do it, it has the prestige and the built in fanbase, and the release will be an event at least in online circles. But I don't think it can sustain sales at that price.

Mario has a big family / casual audience, so I think it will be $60 / €60. I agree it is the only other game which could maaaaybe afford that price point.

Metroid at $70 / €70 would alienate everybody but the existing fans. It would mean Nintendo doesn't believe the series can growth, and are only making new games for its existing niche audience. Which can be fine in the short terms, but it will spell the death of the series on the long run.

 

[Mekanos]

Mario has a big family / casual audience, so I think it will be $60 / €60. I agree it is the only other game which could maaaaybe afford that price point.

Metroid at $70 / €70 would alienate everybody but the existing fans. It would mean Nintendo doesn't believe the series can growth, and are only making new games for its existing niche audience. Which can be fine in the short terms, but it will spell the death of the series on the long run.

I mean...

As it is, Metroid has a pretty hard ceiling. It will eventually reach a point where Nintendo weighs the options of continuing to produce those games for the returns they get. I don't think we're at that point, or will even hit it next gen, but it will happen eventually. What happens after that, I can't predict. So I don't think Metroid being 60 or 70 makes a difference for that.

 

[Lozjam]

Some takeaways here.

TotK may be behind BotW a bit with 18 million units. But it sold at a huge $70 price point.

In terms of revenue, the two are pretty close. Especially since BotW has been on sale for both retailers and on the eshop too. Tears of the Kingdom has made over 1.2 billion dollars in revenue.

Breath of the Wild is closing around 1.8 billion dollars in revenue. And that's assuming each copy sold for $60, which we know isn't the case.

TotK is a bonafied cash cow.

Also, I gotta say, FE Engage was an absolutely huge flop. I see why they just kicked the DLC out the door, and it seems like Xenoblade 3 underperformed.

I am really glad to see FE engage flop, and Three Houses going strong. And Xenoblade 2 going strong too. It still retains a really good future for both franchises. But Xenoblade 3's underperformance is puzzling considering how universally lauded it is.

FE Engage though. A well deserved flop honestly.

 

[hologram]

Posted this on Era, but I'll repeat myself here:

60 million+ units of mainline Zelda will be sold in a single generation.

60 million. This is 3 decades, at least, of pre-BotW Zelda sales.

Excluding BOTW and TOTK, the Zelda series has sold around 100m units, and all of those games were released within a 30 year time period, so 3 decades isn't quite right. But your point certainly still stands.

 

[OctoSplattack]

and it seems like Xenoblade 3 underperformed.

Did it? XB3 hasn't outsold XB2 yet, but it's been selling much faster. It's at 1.86 million as of March 2023, and that was over the course of eight months. I think it took XB2 twice as long to move that much.

 

[Linkstrikesback]

Some takeaways here.

TotK may be behind BotW a bit with 18 million units. But it sold at a huge $70 price point.

In terms of revenue, the two are pretty close. Especially since BotW has been on sale for both retailers and on the eshop too. Tears of the Kingdom has made over 1.2 billion dollars in revenue.

Breath of the Wild is closing around 1.8 billion dollars in revenue. And that's assuming each copy sold for $60, which we know isn't the case.

TotK is a bonafied cash cow.

Also, I gotta say, FE Engage was an absolutely huge flop. I see why they just kicked the DLC out the door, and it seems like Xenoblade 3 underperformed.

I am really glad to see FE engage flop, and Three Houses going strong. And Xenoblade 2 going strong too. It still retains a really good future for both franchises. But Xenoblade 3's underperformance is puzzling considering how universally lauded it is.

FE Engage though. A well deserved flop honestly.

Uh.

You know that fire emblem engage isn't mentioned anywhere because these numbers from the cesa papers are up to the end of 2022 and Engage launched this year, right?

Or did I miss something else.

 

[hologram]

Did it? XB3 hasn't outsold XB2 yet, but it's been selling much faster. It's at 1.86 million as of March 2023, and that was over the course of eight months. I think it took XB2 twice as long to move that much.

There was a much bigger install when 3 released

 

[Jbone916]

I am really glad to see FE engage flop, and Three Houses going strong. And Xenoblade 2 going strong too. It still retains a really good future for both franchises. But Xenoblade 3's underperformance is puzzling considering how universally lauded it is.

FE Engage though. A well deserved flop honestly.

I definitely prefer Three Houses to Engage, but calling the latter a “flop” after only 3 months of sales data is both premature and unnecessary incendiary.

Also, XC3 is outselling both XC2 and XCDE on a launch-aligned basis FWIW.

 

[Clov]

FE Engage though. A well deserved flop honestly.

Imagine thinking the gayest Fire Emblem to date is "a well deserved flop"

Couldn't be me!

 

[MilkyChance]

So happy for Three Houses that the price cut managed to move up to 4 million. Engage had good gameplay, but the story is completely flat.

 

[OctoSplattack]

There was a much bigger install when 3 released

Yes? And it's selling twice as fast launch-alinged. Engage isn't doing so hot compared to Three Houses, but XB3 seems to be doing just fine compared to that franchise's other Switch releases. A game doesn't have to immediately outsell a previous title's lifetime sales to be deemed successful.

 

[Notsowise]

So happy for Three Houses that the price cut managed to move up to 4 million. Engage had good gameplay, but the story is completely flat.

It had a price cut? Where?

 

[Mandos]

Any advance wars numbers?

 

[hologram]

Yes? And it's selling twice as fast launch-alinged. Engage isn't doing so hot compared to Three Houses, but XB3 seems to be doing just fine compared to that franchise's other Switch releases. A game doesn't have to immediately outsell a previous title's lifetime sales to be deemed successful.

Oh I'm definitely not saying it's not successful. But I think using metrics like speed of sales is misleading when comparing a launch year title with a late release, and I think that's especially the case given many here seemed to expect 3 to be the highest selling the series (which I think seems unlikely now).

 

[Cantaim]

A game flopping because data for a period it hasn’t launched isn’t showing is definitely a new opinion.

 

[WestEgg]

If anyone is interested, I wrote out some pretty lengthy thoughts on Install Base about Xenoblade 2's legs.

Did it? XB3 hasn't outsold XB2 yet, but it's been selling much faster. It's at 1.86 million as of March 2023, and that was over the course of eight months. I think it took XB2 twice as long to move that much.

I definitely prefer Three Houses to Engage, but calling the latter a “flop” after only 3 months of sales data is both premature and unnecessary incendiary.

Also, XC3 is outselling both XC2 and XCDE on a launch-aligned basis FWIW.

Yes? And it's selling twice as fast launch-alinged. Engage isn't doing so hot compared to Three Houses, but XB3 seems to be doing just fine compared to that franchise's other Switch releases. A game doesn't have to immediately outsell a previous title's lifetime sales to be deemed successful.

To talk a bit about this, first of all Xenoblade 3 performed really well, it had the best launch of any Xeno game, and 1.84 M in its first year is nothing to scoff at, many Japanse RPGs would love to end there. The issue is, it has severely slowed down since its explosive launch. It is still technically selling faster than the other games launch aligned, but that is entirely because of its massive launch. The more concerning point is, since it's launch of 1.72 million units, it has only moved 140K more since then as of March 2023. By comparison, Definitive Edition sold 200K in 2022, 2 years after its launch, and Xenoblade 2 sold 260K in 2022, 5 years after its launch. Leaving the launches aside, Xenoblade 3 seems to have already fallen below Xenoblade 2's ongoing sales legs, and it is very unlikely to be able to catch it again if current trends continue.

 

[Galgavias]

Xenoblade 3 was always going to struggle to reach 2 in terms of sales. 2 released early on in the Switch's life when there was much less competition so new owners looking for a game to play were more likely to take a punt on it. Getting them back for the sequel was always going to be a tough ask (anecdotal I know but I know two people who fall into that exact category. Bought 2, played 2, enjoyed 2, just not interested in coming back for 3).

Direct sequels releasing on the same console often have a hard time selling as well as the first game. I think that's basically what's happened here. It's no reflection on the quality of either game, it's more a case that a lot of people had their fill with Xenoblade 2 and aren't ready for a second helping yet. Give it a few years and release Xenoblade 4 on Switch 2 and then we'll see what the numbers are like.

 

[Jbone916]

If anyone is interested, I wrote out some pretty lengthy thoughts on Install Base about Xenoblade 2's legs.







To talk a bit about this, first of all Xenoblade 3 performed really well, it had the best launch of any Xeno game, and 1.84 M in its first year is nothing to scoff at, many Japanse RPGs would love to end there. The issue is, it has severely slowed down since its explosive launch. It is still technically selling faster than the other games launch aligned, but that is entirely because of its massive launch. The more concerning point is, since its launch of 1.72 million units, it has only moved 140K more since then as of March 2023. By comparison, Definitive Edition sold 200K in 2022, 2 years after its launch, and Xenoblade 2 sold 260K in 2022, 5 years after its launch. Leaving the launches aside, Xenoblade 3 seems to have already fallen below Xenoblade 2's ongoing sales legs, and it is very unlikely to be able to catch it again if current trends continue.

Do we actually know if XC3’s sell through rate is lower than XC2 though? Isn’t it plausible that physical over-shipment at launch has somewhat “hidden” the true legs for the following few quarters similarly to what we often see with Pokémon games?

I guess we’ll know if that’s the case this time next year with the 2024 white papers, but it’s gonna be a long wait.

 

[Bowser Sr.]

I don't want to brag but I always knew Xenoblade 3 was going to sell less than 2 because I noticed I was not stumbling upon softcore porn of it on Twitter half as much as I did during XB2's time in the limelight.

 

[Lugia667]

oh so now Engage is a "flop" too? smh

 

[OctoSplattack]

I don't want to brag but I always knew Xenoblade 3 was going to sell less than 2 because I noticed I was not stumbling upon softcore porn of it on Twitter half as much as I did during XB2's time in the limelight.

Unironically the true metric of a weeb game's success.

 

[Kingdra91]

How many copies did DKTF do on WiiU almost 5 million on switch alone is more than I expected

I think it sold a bit over 2 million copies on wiiU

 

[Ab]

Imagine thinking the gayest Fire Emblem to date is "a well deserved flop"

Couldn't be me!

What's that have to do with being good or not lol

 

[hologram]

Xenoblade 3 was always going to struggle to reach 2 in terms of sales. 2 released early on in the Switch's life when there was much less competition so new owners looking for a game to play were more likely to take a punt on it. Getting them back for the sequel was always going to be a tough ask (anecdotal I know but I know two people who fall into that exact category. Bought 2, played 2, enjoyed 2, just not interested in coming back for 3).

Direct sequels releasing on the same console often have a hard time selling as well as the first game. I think that's basically what's happened here. It's no reflection on the quality of either game, it's more a case that a lot of people had their fill with Xenoblade 2 and aren't ready for a second helping yet. Give it a few years and release Xenoblade 4 on Switch 2 and then we'll see what the numbers are like.

Right, exactly. Obviously it had a very impressive launch, but it makes sense why people tend to mostly either be super enthusiastic (i.e. buying it at launch) or not buy it at all - if you're not a hardcore Xenoblade fan, why would you start with the third one when 1 and 2 are also on Switch?

 

[Clov]

What's that have to do with being good or not lol

Literally everything

 

[Tentacle-tropes]

I mean you don’t see the type of legs that XC2 continues to enjoy just because of being a launch title. I think it fair to say that XC2 was able to resonate in a way that XC3 hasn’t. I’d also argue that people brought into the fandom with XC3 are also buying XC2.

If XC2 didn’t have the type of legs it did then XC3 did its job by increasing the fandom by a decent amount.

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

What's that have to do with being good or not lol

 

[Hailinel]

Some takeaways here.

TotK may be behind BotW a bit with 18 million units. But it sold at a huge $70 price point.

In terms of revenue, the two are pretty close. Especially since BotW has been on sale for both retailers and on the eshop too. Tears of the Kingdom has made over 1.2 billion dollars in revenue.

Breath of the Wild is closing around 1.8 billion dollars in revenue. And that's assuming each copy sold for $60, which we know isn't the case.

TotK is a bonafied cash cow.

Also, I gotta say, FE Engage was an absolutely huge flop. I see why they just kicked the DLC out the door, and it seems like Xenoblade 3 underperformed.

I am really glad to see FE engage flop, and Three Houses going strong. And Xenoblade 2 going strong too. It still retains a really good future for both franchises. But Xenoblade 3's underperformance is puzzling considering how universally lauded it is.

FE Engage though. A well deserved flop honestly.

Engage didn't flop, though. Is it going to sell as much as Three Houses lifetime? Likely not. But it's still in the upper range of individual title sales in the franchise.

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

FE Engage though. A well deserved flop honestly.

This post though. A well deserved flop honestly.

 

[AegisField]

I'm thrilled that I live in a world where the FE game, which sold 1.61m, is considered an "absolutely huge flop".

 

[Deleted member 2181]

I don't want to brag but I always knew Xenoblade 3 was going to sell less than 2 because I noticed I was not stumbling upon softcore porn of it on Twitter half as much as I did during XB2's time in the limelight.

Depressing.

But maybe next year's white paper will give a better idea. I doubt the game flatflined.

 

[Lugia667]

Xenoblade 3, Splatoon 3 and Engage are not flops christ