Tears of the Kingdom sales in the Zelda game’s opening weekend soared past any other game in the series – and even Taylor Swift’s Eras concert. Nintendo announced on Twitter that Tears of the Kingdom sold over 10 million copies in its first three days, a milestone only Pokemon Scarlet and Violet managed to match in November 2023.
That makes Tears of the Kingdom the best-selling game of 2023 so far. Hogwarts Legacy sold 12 million copies across multiple platforms, but it took two weeks to reach that point.
For comparison, Breath of the Wild sold 1.3 million copies on Switch and Wii U – in 28 days. The key difference there is the Switch’s install base. Nintendo’s hybrid handheld sold fewer than a million units in its first month. As of the end of Nintendo’s previous fiscal year, the company has sold over 130 million Switch consoles.
The Legend of #Zelda: #TearsOfTheKingdom has sold over 10 million copies worldwide in its first three days, becoming the fastest-selling game in the history of the Legend of Zelda series.
Thanks to those already enjoying Link’s latest adventure! pic.twitter.com/XxRSLaiWrO
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) May 17, 2023
If you take the 10 million copies at the new, higher price of $70, then Tears of the Kingdom brought in at least $700 million. That’s not taking into account collector’s editions, though, so the number could be higher. As Axios pointed out, those earnings are higher than Taylor Swift’s current concert tour, which is expected to bring in roughly $620 million.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
