Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Outsells Tears Of The Kingdom in Q1 FY2025
Surprising news has emerged from Nintendo’s latest financial report: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a launch title from 2017, outsold its direct sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, in the first quarter of fiscal year 2025.
It’s not uncommon for a sequel to sell fewer copies than its predecessor over time, but for the original game to outsell the sequel in just three months in 2024 is quite remarkable.
Comparing Sales Figures
Let’s take a look at the numbers:
| Game | Q4 FY24 (millions) | Q1 25 (millions) | Difference (milions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zelda: Breath of the Wild | 31.85 | 32.05 | 0.20 |
| Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | 20.61 | 20.80 | 0.19 |
While the difference may seem minimal, it amounts to approximately 10,000 copies. The reason behind this unexpected outcome is unclear. One possibility is that new Switch owners preferred to start with the original game before moving on to Tears of the Kingdom.
This information from the financial report may be a small anomaly, but it’s noteworthy nonetheless. Another point to consider is that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is currently outselling Pokémon Sword and Shield, which is not entirely unexpected.
What do you make of Breath of the Wild’s bizarre success over its sequel this quarter? Let us know in the comments below.
[source nintendo.co.jp, via x.com]