A Surprising Nintendo Switch Game Has Now Outsold Zelda: Breath of the Wild in the UK
Since the launch of the Nintendo Switch, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been one of the system's biggest sellers. In the UK, the game was the fourth best-selling game on the platform, but it has now been dethroned by a very unlikely game: Minecraft. According to GamesIndustry.biz's Christopher Dring, boxed sales for Minecraft have now overtaken Breath of the Wild, and are quickly closing in on Super Mario Odyssey. If it does manage to overtake Odyssey, it will become the third best-selling game on the system, behind just Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
The Tweet from Dring can be found embedded below.
Little fun thing, Minecraft on Switch has overtaken Breath of the Wild in the UK (boxed sales), and is closing in on Odyssey. When it beats Mario, it'll be the No.3 Switch game in the UK overall (behind Mario Kart and Animal Crossing).
— Christopher Dring (@Chris_Dring) November 28, 2021
These sales figures only account for physical units, and not digital downloads. Unfortunately, we don't know how Minecraft and Breath of the Wild stack up in that regard, though it's hard to imagine there would be much of a difference. Given how popular Minecraft is on Switch, it makes even more sense why Nintendo would elect to put Steve and Alex in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate!
It's worth noting that Minecraft is the best-selling overall video game ever, but its success on Switch is a testament to how well the game continues to perform after all these years. It also speaks to how well games are specifically selling on the system. According to recent numbers from VGChartz, the Switch platform is just 6.92 million units away from overtaking the lifetime sales of the Nintendo Wii. One of the key differences between the Switch and Wii, however, is the fact that so many games are selling well on Nintendo's platform. During the Wii era, very few games managed to find success outside of those that appealed to the most casual of gamers. In the Switch era, it seems like every good game has a chance at selling well, regardless of how long it might have been available on other platforms. With Switch nearing its sixth year on the market, it will be interesting to see how long that pattern might continue!
Are you surprised Minecraft was able to overtake Breath of the Wild? What's your favorite game on the system? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!