Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Expected to Sell 20 Million Copies in Less Time Than Its Predecessor

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to surpass Breath of the Wild sales in record-breaking time? The current projections hint at the strong possibility. Following the success of Breath of the Wild, fans were looking forward to how the next project under the banner keeps up with the hype. Fortunately, Nintendo didn’t disappoint with Tears of the Kingdom. But is the predecessor’s 20 million sales record under threat? 

The Legend of Zelda remains one of the most celebrated video game banners worldwide. For over three decades now, the action-adventure world of Zelda has been a symbol of Nintendo’s gaming legacy. However, with Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the Japanese gaming giants set some new standards in the open world. This made the challenge tougher for the follow-up Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. However, the 2023 sequel is set to dethrone Breath of the Wild in business! 

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom moves a step closer to reach the 20 million sales mark 

According to Nintendo’s official sales reports The Legend of Zelda’s latest installment has recorded sales of 19.50 million units as of 30 September 2023. Meanwhile, its predecessor is still running hot in the charts with over 31 million units being sold. However, TOTK’s performance in the latest charts has sparked an interesting speculation around its sales. 

Breath of the Wild was released in March 2017 and it reached the 20 million sales mark by August 6, 2020. Comparing these numbers to Tears of the Kingdom, which was released in May 2023 and has already reached a mark of over 19.5 million units by September, speaks to the game’s success as well as Nintendo’s. Moreover, taking the current numbers into consideration, it wouldn’t be surprising if the sequel reaches the 20 million mark well before the year’s end. 

There are a lot of factors that might help the case of TOTK in breaking its predecessor’s record. The upcoming Black Friday gaming sale is expected to be a huge contributor to the spike in the gaming business. Further, the fact that Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a solid contender for GOTY only aligns with the chances of the title surpassing the 20 million mark in record-breaking time. 

Can TOTK still win the ‘Game of the Year’? 

The critical reception to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom had taken the gaming world by storm. The highly awaited sequel became the sixth game in thirty years to score a perfect 40 on Famitsu. Its Metacritic score is a staggering 96, with many critics giving it a full score. Take IGN for example. IGN gave it a full 10, praising its open-world, scope for exploration and storytelling as well.

A part of the review read, “a masterclass in open-world design and a watershed game that reinvents a 30-year-old franchise. It presents a wonderful sandbox full of mystery, dangling dozens upon dozens of tantalizing things in front of you that just beg to be explored. I’ve had so many adventures in Breath of the Wild, and each one has a unique story behind what led me to them, making them stories on top of stories. And even after I’ve spent more than 50 hours searching the far reaches of Hyrule, I still manage to come across things I haven’t seen before.”

Read More: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Loses Top Ten Spot First Time Since Release

While the game is a strong GOTY contender, the competition is stiff. Baldur’s Gate 3, Starfield, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 are some of the standouts that have made a strong case for this year’s GOTY. Alan Wake 2 is also being tipped for the award so it will be interesting to what happens at the Game Awards.

No matter what happens, 2023 is a big win for  gamers. And Tears of the Kingdom has played its part. However, whether it wins GOTY remains to be seen. Meanwhile, crossing the 20 million mark, is surely just a matter of time.

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