The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Has Sold More Than 18 Million Copies

Since releasing on May 12th, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has sold an incredible 18.51 million copies on Nintendo Switch. That figure was revealed from new financial results for the first quarter of the fiscal year, which were published by Nintendo this morning. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild currently remains the best-selling Zelda game of all-time, sitting at 30.65 million copies since 2017. According to Nintendo, people that played Breath of the Wild have been the primary reason Tears of the Kingdom has sold so well. However, the company states the game is also attracting newcomers.

"Consumers who played the previous entry, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, have been the primary driver, but as the weeks have passed, we have seen that a growing percentage of purchases are being made by consumers who have not yet played that title," the financial results read.

It might seem odd that people that didn't play Breath of the Wild have been picking up Tears of the Kingdom, but Nintendo's new statement is supported by recent reports. Shortly after Tears of the Kingdom released, it was reported that Breath of the Wild sales had been increasing in the UK, with physical copies of the game jumping into the weekly top 10. Clearly Tears of the Kingdom is not only attracting those new to the series, but it's also helping to bolster sales of the previous game!

Following today's report, Tears of the Kingdom has now officially cracked the list of top 10 sellers on Nintendo Switch. Nintendo went on to state that sales of the game represented "approximately half of the first-party software sold this fiscal year." With the holiday shopping season swiftly approaching, it will be interesting to see how sales for Tears of the Kingdom grow, and if the game will ever manage to surpass Breath of the Wild. Given the fact that Tears of the Kingdom is already more than halfway there, it certainly seems like a possibility!

Have you bought Tears of the Kingdom yet? Do you think it will ever topple Breath of the Wild? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!