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Nintendo Sold More Copies of Zelda Than Switch Consoles

Zelda achieved an attach rate of 102% for the Switch in March, which demonstrates just how important the IP is for Nintendo.

 & Matthew Humphries Former Senior Editor

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It is often repeated that while games hardware needs to be good, it's great games that sell it. Nintendo is proving that very point with the Switch. The hybrid console is selling extremely well, so well in fact, it now counts as the fastest-selling Nintendo video game system ever. But what's more impressive is the popularity of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

According to Kotaku, Nintendo sold 906,000 Switch consoles during March in the US. For the same period, 925,000 copies of Zelda: Breath of the Wild were sold for the Switch. That's an attach rate of 102%, which doesn't make much sense.

First let's acknowledge how important Zelda is here as a launch game. Pretty much everyone who bought a Switch got Zelda. That's incredible. But why are there more copies of Zelda sold than Switch? As thesixthaxis points out, it's most likely because Nintendo released standard and collector's editions of the game. Some owners are buying two copies so as to keep the collector's edition in mint condition and playing the standard edition. Some copies may also have sold to people intending to eBay them for profit.

It seems likely that if Nintendo wasn't planning on doing another Zelda game for Switch they more than certainly are now. It may even be prioritized internally so as to appear earlier and give Switch sales another major boost.

For now, Nintendo's next big sales hope is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which is unlikely to sell anywhere near as well as Zelda simply because it's a game that already exists on the Wii U. Even so, Nintendo will be expecting millions of sales, and I wouldn't bet against that happening, especially considering there's no real competition on Switch right now. Those who have completed Zelda will be more than ready to pick up Mario Kart later this month.

About Our Expert

Matthew Humphries

Matthew Humphries

Former Senior Editor

My Experience

I started working at PCMag in November 2016, covering all areas of technology and video game news. Before that I spent nearly 15 years working at Geek.com as a writer and editor. I also spent the first six years after leaving university as a professional game designer working with Disney, Games Workshop, 20th Century Fox, and Vivendi.

I hold two degrees: a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Games Development. My first book, Make Your Own Pixel Art, is available from all good book shops.

My Areas of Expertise

  • PC components and system building
  • Raspberry Pi
  • Software development
  • Storage technology
  • Video games and gaming hardware

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