Breath of the Wild has Surpassed Twilight Princess in Total Sales in Japan

As of this week, sales figures in the Japanese gaming market show Breath of the Wild overtaking Twilight Princess in total sales to become the 5th highest selling Zelda title in the country. The figures, from data corporation Media Create, include Breath of the Wild’s sales on both the Wii U and Switch, and Twilight Princess’ sales on the GameCube and Wii. Breath of the Wild now sits at 709,091 units sold, edging out Twilight Princess’ 642,607 units.

Game popularity always varies by region, but the Japanese market often shows the greatest amount of deviation from that of the West. The Zelda series, while wildly popular in the US, does not normally sell as well in Japan, making Breath of the Wild’s sales climb all the more impressive. It now takes the number five spot in total sales, trailing Ocarina of Time, Phantom Hourglass, Majora’s Mask, and The Wind Waker.

It doesn’t look like the Twilight Princess total takes into account Twilight Princess HD’s sales, which sit at 98,192 units sold in Japan according to VGChartz. This may not matter in the long run as it has been awhile since Media Create updated Breath of the Wild’s Wii U sales numbers, and it is still early in the game’s shelf life. Given that Breath of the Wild’s sales may continue to increase, it’s feasible the game could surpass The Wind Waker’s 837,391 copy sales total– and possibly climb even higher than that.

What do you think about Breath of the Wild beating out Twilight Princess in Japanese sales? Why do you think Breath of the Wild is selling so well in Japan? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Source: Nintendo Everything

Alexis S. Anderson

Alexis S. Anderson is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon who joined the writing team in November, 2014. She has a JD from the UCLA School of Law and is pursuing a career in Entertainment and Intellectual Property Law. She grew up in the New Jersey suburbs with her parents, twin brother, and family shih-tzu.