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May 2023 saw the release of one of the most praisedZeldatitles ever to reach Nintendo consoles.Tears of the Kingdomsingle-handedly inflated last year’s sales figures, which is shown in new data that reveals a harsh reality of 2024’s gaming industry decline.
The sales have hit a massive slump this year in Europe compared to last year, and it seems that the legendary franchise has something to do with it. According to reports, last year’s release sold more copies on its own than the entirety of this year’s May top ten combined.
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To put everything in context, European game sales for May 2024 took a nosedive of 17% in comparison to the same period last year. According to recent data,Zelda’s last year’s sales outsold the entirety of this year’s May top ten combined.
Across Europe, game sales for May are down 17% compared with the same period last year. This is mostly due to the fact Zelda came out last year. To put it into context, Zelda in May 2023 sold more than the entire Top Ten in May 2024
This year’s first spot belongs to the September 2023 releaseEA Sports FC 24, followed by the veteran classicGrand Theft Auto 5, andF1 2024, which heavily underperformed compared to last year’sF1 2023with sales down 35%.
In the top five are also:Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut,Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door,Helldivers 2,Hogwarts Legacy,Red Dead Redemption 2,Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,andCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
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This list paints a bleak picture for new releases. Other thanHelldivers 2and a few other titles, all of these games are years into existence. This makesTears of the Kingdom, not just the most successful game, but somewhat of an outlier compared to other titles in the market.
Tears of the Kingdom was the Fastest-Selling Nintendo Game
Tears of the Kingdompassed the 10 million mark in the first three days alone. This is a staggering feat as data shows that the game sold over four million copies in the USA in those three days alone. Only time will tell if the next title,Echoes of Wisdom, will be able to compete in the same way.
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Thelatest adventure in the franchise,Tears of the Kingdom, remains one of the best-selling gameswith global figures reaching over 20 million units since March 2024.
AsEchoes of Wisdomawaits release, the sales of the Switch platform have also taken a nosedive. While there is no precise information, the platform saw a significant drop in May 2024 due to high sales figures from the previous year, which included a specialZeldaedition Switch model.
Tears of the Kingdomisn’t just a video game. Its success story makes it a global phenomenon and the only question is, whether another title will reach such heights.
What are your thoughts on these sales figures? Will the next game in the franchise have the same sales magic? Let us know in the comments.
Nikola Pajtic
Articles Published :120
Nikola is an avid gamer and a pop culture buff. When he is not writing, he is either playing Final Fantasy, thinking about what Lovecraft stories can be adapted into film or video game, and watching new Doctor Who episodes.
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NintendoThe Legend of ZeldaThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
