Zelda: Breath of the Wild Makes UK Debut in Second, Three Top 10 Switch Titles in Total

Also it should be pointed it out Horizon had a base of over 40 million potential buyers (depending on how many in the UK own a PS4) and Zelda had however many Switches were sold in the UK that weekend and Less than 3.5 million Wii U owners.

I'd say for 2nd place alone on that is very impressive

that seems pretty decent and great placing for 1-2 switch

UK week one Switch sales hit 80k

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/uk-week-one-switch-sales-hit-80k/0179704

That's not a great start. Zelda performed excellently. Would have been nice for it to get top spot.

Wow...!

@Grandpa_Pixel

Not 40 million in the UK though, I know UK is Playstation territory but it isn't quite that popular

Highly respectable for Zelda though. It never had a chance against Horizon with such an established user base and the well deserved hype that game has got.

I read elsewhere Switch had sold 80 thousand consoles which is twice as many as the Wii U but below 3DS and probably the Wii. Great start for Ninty.

As for Zelda, a magical game and I have barely scratched the surface of it. Love it!

While second sounds impressive, it doesn't really mean much without solid figures. It's also disappointing that Nintendo's flagship game couldn't make number one. Zelda is one of their most popular and successful franchises, so sales will only be downhill from here on out.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE It was never going to be a good start. Nintendo has a lot of making up to do. But starting it's lifespan off with a critically acclaimed game is going to be a great start.

Also, 80,000 is the rough benchmark for a a Nintendo console launch so it's great in Nintendo terms.

@SBandy - Of course not but I'd say a good chunk of them do. All the PS4 players in my work place have bought the game.

@Dakt Ya, selling twice as many units as Nintendo's worst ever selling console by a country mile is truly impressive. And you ignored what it didn't outsell, which is quite a lot.

Really surprised Twilight Princess Wii had better launch numbers as with the Wii, a lot of people would have been happy with just Wii Sports... but who is the market that is buying a Switch and NOT Zelda?

Also people saying that 80k is not a good number... it's probably exactly the number that Nintendo shipped. NeoGAF are analyzing console launch numbers but it's irrelevant because pretty much everything sells out at launch, so it always comes down to how many could they ship.

Horizon Zero Dawn is in first place because the PS4 has a higher install base!

Switch system sold worse than Wii, 3DS, PS4, Xbox 1 and more at launch. But it sold better than Wii U. What a laugh.

@Peach64 Switch has lower sales than Wii did at launch. Even if there is the same proportion of system buyers buying BotW as did Twilight Princess, that alone would give Twilight Princess higher sales.

@Peach64 People tend to attribute the Wii's success to Wii Sports alone, but that's not true. The system initially appealed to both casual and hardcore players, Twilight Princess was the other pillar that propped up the system at launch. The hype around that game was insane, from it's initial reveal right through to launch.

What surprises me more is that WW takes the top spot...

@Mogster Wind Waker also had massive hype. It was Gamecube's first Zelda, but it was a mid-generation game, with an existing GC install base already out there. It was the next Zelda after Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask! Surely it would have to be great? The disappointment in Wind Waker only started mounting after people had bought it and started playing the game, and they realized that the base gameplay and world design just wasn't what they had wanted and expected.

Did better than I expected given this is the biggest Nintendophobic region on the planet where they actively stock produce.

80k isn't a scratch to the big guys who launched at Xmas 3 years ago when disposable income was higher. But its impressive none the less.

And Zelda hitting 2nd is as I expected. Zelda wont outsell Horizon, due to install bases.

Good for Nintendo, but I really want to see the results in the US and Japan.

@Mahe Not too sure about that, WW got a lot of hate on it's initial reveal (from myself included) and I don't think it really died down til after launch, although I guess the figures say otherwise.

TP had fans raving right from it's initial reveal (remembering THAT trailer) so I've very surprised by WW selling stronger at the start. I believe TP overtook it eventually, though.

What I am noticing is that people are liking it's cool tech status. People want one through tech envy. Which bodes well. So basically the console is selling itself regardless of games based on its look, design and the whole I can play in the coffee shop thing. Like the wii did with motion. Where as the Wii U looked and people only brought one for the games. And there were no games for a year

Switch sold out that means i wouldn't be able to buy one anywhere yes? but if i take a 5 minute walk to my local Asda i can pick one up right now, thats not quite sold out.

Zelda coming in second is very good for Nintendo.

It will be good to see interest in Switch keep up it is far and away an all around better console than Wii U and I really liked the Wii U but the Switch is just awesome.

I reckon they sold a lot of download codes, I know Amazon had download codes for both Switch & Wii U BOTW riding high in their charts over the weekend, and physical copies on both machines unavailable.

I'd like to see the numbers spread across Japan, Europe and North America. I'd imagine NA & JP numbers will be higher. I'd want to see NA will have the highest but being a console with portability, it may have renewed interest in Japan.

Heck i'd like to see the European numbers split up across the countries.

The sales race is not a sprint but a marathon.
If Nintendo can keep the flow of consoles coming then Zelda could have solid sales for the next couple of months.
Time will tell.

Let's hope Switch can keep the momentum rolling.

Asda has a lot of stock

You'd bet Zelda would've been top if the Switch launched a year ago. Pretty strong sales for a game on two systems hardly anyone owns (by comparison to PS4 owners)

Switch should of come out 2014

@Mogster Zelda is one of there most successful franchise but you have to remember this still came second spot when its facing a console which has a behemoth league advantage already set in sales, HZD might sell well now but should I be in need to remind you of the story about the tortoise and the hare?.

Plus we have games which sell a lot like Mario Kart 8 and splat00n 2 still to come, plus who knows how good arms will do cause it is made by the mario kart devs. : )

In UK, still trying to find one. I notice that Game, Amazon and the official store are sold out.

Heading out to try Asda...

@JamesR best to reserve it online and click and collect

When I picked up my WiiU copy of BOTW Friday morning, I met a guy who had been at the midnight launch, and he said everyone who bought a Switch also bought BOTW. All Switches and corresponding copies of BOTW were sold out. I snagged one of the last three remaining WiiU copies. I got there just after they opened. That's just my experience at one Best Buy in one mid-size US city, but I'm excited to see US numbers.

@Mahe Where are you getting your numbers from? Just curious.

Any success for Nintendo in the UK seems slightly amazing to me, honestly. It's an interesting study in the lingering effects of a successful past since the NES wasn't nearly as revered there, right?

All indicators are positive here in the US that I've seen (what little there is) with the usual internet stories about issues surfacing and the usual complete satisfaction and bliss at home with a Nintendo hardware launch for my family. Seriously great times... again.

I actually think the launch morning of the Switch was pretty tame in the UK. I managed to Switch my grey Switch pre order for a Red n Blue, got all the controllers and games I wanted without a single queue or squabble.

Then since then everyone else apparently figured out they wanted one and subsequently went mad. Out of curious it's today I went into Game and saw all they had to sell was Just Dance and some screen protectors. Lots of customers angry they couldn't just walk in and buy one, and 3 employees all saying they were waiting for new stock for themselves.

Game employees excited for a Nintendo system? The end is nigh!

I think while every Nintendo fan would have liked to wake up to headlines screaming "SWITCH SELLS TWO MILLION CONSOLES, ZELDA #1!!" we should all know that was never going to happen. Nintendo have an uphill battle to recover the ground they lost with the WiiU, and launching against the PS4's most anticipated game this year made it even tougher. Hardly anybody but the most fanatical collectors is going to pick up HZD and BOTW on the same weekend, and PS4's install base is gargantuan. In movie terms, this would be like releasing a reboot of Hellboy on the same weekend as a new Star Wars movie. First place isn't an attainable goal. What you hope for is to do better than the last Hellboy movie did.

Horizon Dawn also had a few days head start and many stores sold out of their Zelda: BOTW shipment. SmythsToys being another example. Though it seems more of the Wii U version rather than the Switch.

I think next weeks figures will be just as fascinating.

Looks like I was right, I predicted that Horizon Zero Dawn would beat BotW but surprised that 1-2-Switch and Super Bomberman R did well.

80k is pretty good considering the time of year. Some other UK launches for comparison....

Game Boy Advance - 67,000
Nintendo GameCube - 69,000
Nintendo DS - 87,000
Nintendo Wii - 105,000
Nintendo 3DS - 113,000
Nintendo Wii U - 40,000
250k - PS4
165k - PS3
150k - XB1
70k - 360

@Grumblevolcano

Horizon was always going to beat BOTW given the hype, quality of the game, and the size of the PS4 userbase. The only way it wouldn't have is if every copy caught on fire somewhere before anybody could buy one.

Certainly a solid start but can it keep momentum that's the main thing.

1-2 Switch beating out For Honor? Wow...

Good to see launch titles doing well though I'm not getting a Switch until later on.

Surprised that 1-2 switch is at 4

Bomberman's relatively steep price didn't deter people from buying it. The launch of a console is the best time to pedal out cheap cash ins for top dollar. Well done Konami.
Let's now see what other franchises they're gonna resurrect, as promised

@Mogster Yeah. You gotta remember, Twilight Princess was also a launch game for Wii. Gamecube release didn't even arrive at the same time like Breath of the Wild's Wii U version did. So with Wii launch sales only, Twilight Princess is up there, fighting against WW's mid-gen launch and BotW's combined Wii U + NS launch.

And then Twilight Princess delivered on the hype, netting a lot more sales in the months and years to come.

@JasmineDragon For what it's worth, I picked up BotW on Wii U. No Gamepad features! http://gonintendo.com/stories/275458-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-director-on-cutting-the-wii-u-s-touchsc

Horizon is maybe later for me, and even that is only a "maybe".

This game has some Satanic/spiritualistic undertones for example Demon ruler, Goddes you pray to, resurrection etc. You have all been warned.

In this generation 80k in the U.K is a good launch for Nintendo. It would have been a disaster for Sony and disappointing for MS but that is a solid number for Nintendo.

BTW they were Switches to be had in Tesco and some Argos stores outside of the big cities a couple hours ago if anyone interested.

Once all the fanboys have bought the console early the true test is how appealing it is to the casuals.

The sales I am interested in are the ones two months from now.
Also the negatives now surrounding the console must be overcome.

Pretty good launch.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE but did availability play a factor or can you just go out and buy one off the shelves right now?

@SLIGEACH_EIRE you are joking of course when you say that the Switch didn't have a great start (and a bad joke at that)

@EternalDragonX You can buy one right now. They haven't sold out in a lot of places.

Individual format charts show BOTW WiiU in 3rd, 1,2 Switch still in 4th and Bomberman in 6th.
Not too shabby but 2nd and 3rd combined (individual formats) couldn't beat Horizon.
Will pick up Horizon one day but it will probably be really cheap by the time I want a change from BOTW. Amazing game.

@Cosats It's not awful but it's not great either.

@Grandpa_Pixel and that is without factoring the limited stock of Switches which makes second spot even more impressive.

Nintendo hardware launches in the UK have never been "great". In fact, outside of the Wii and DS, Nintendo has never been very strong in the UK in general.

I think the Switch has the potential to sell 3DS/GBA numbers in the UK (4 million-ish lifetime), which is good, but that would still be well behind PS4 and Xbox One, and a far cry from the Wii and DS.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE u know whats funny? You ignoring this sentence from the article you are linking: "To what extent Switch’s numbers were limited by stock levels is unclear."

Nintendo has said that stock for Switch was 2m world wide because they thought March is an odd month for a console launch and therefor they were not producing that much so stock wouldn't stay on stores. With stores like Game and in the US Gamestop reporting selling out I think stock limitation was a big factor in Switch selling lower.

Launch weekend figures don't tell you much about the future, talk to me when next year arrives since by that point it will be clearer if Swicth will be just fine or if it will be another WiiU.

@Jessica286 It's not 2 million anymore as they increased production.

@BLP_Software
Sorry mate but that's BS,UK does prefer Sony but the UK is the 2nd biggest country in Europe for buying Ninty products,only France buys more than UK.. Just for the record Germany is 3Rd..

@SLIGEACH_EIRE They announced a production increase at the end of January, maybe started actually gearing up in the first week of February. Chinese New Year was on January 28th and the Chinese factories probably didn't get back to running at full capacity until mid-February. Those extra units are not in the wild yet. They might not even be on the boats yet.

This is the thing that a lot of people underestimate. Producing extra units doesn't mean you flip a switch and shazam, extra units are on the shelves. It's a long process with a lot of steps, and a big planet to traverse before you see that Switch box in your local game shop.

No weekly download update yet?

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Not to be pedantic, but the Switch has only been out for 3 days - not a week. So, we've gotten 80k sales in a half a week (basically) - which, in itself, is decent (not far behind DS and Wii, beats Wii U and Xbox 360 launch week).

@buildz It had 3 days like all other systems. They all release on a Friday. We'll see what the future brings.

What the H, UK? New Super Mario Bros. 2 ain't that good!

UK, You are so lame.

@Switched Is this your first Zelda? The series has a pretty robust mythos and always has. Praise Hylia.

@Mahe https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/03/opening_sales_for_nintendo_switch_in_north_america_set_a_new_high#reply

Maybe just a UK thing? Waiting for monthly numbers and end-of-year sales. Pretty good March for Nintendo though, it seems.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE and? Do u know it set a new high in US right? And that in Japan will be the new thing since is portable right?

"Its status as a Switch launch title helped account for 78% of those sales, but a highly creditable 22% of sales went to the Wii U iteration."

lol at those who believed the Wii U version would sell more.

Wished more of those sales where of the Wii u version. Real men play it on U!!

@westman98 How could it when Nintendo gave it zero promotion, limited stock release, no Special Editions and removed all of its unique selling points? Nintendo wouldn't want Zelda selling more on its old system, it would create so much negative press. Also, the Wii U has been as good as dead for well over the last year if not 2 years so a lot of its owners have either put it away or sold it on.

I chose to spend on Zelda for Wii U. I'll grt Horizon Zero Dawn later, maybe for the E3 discounts.

That game looks awesome too.

@aaronsullivan Yeah, any system will sell some amount in launch. In US, the comparison isn't exactly fair, since the closest competition, Wii, was released on a Sunday, and had limited stock. Switch had more stock, and a Friday launch, but it's the following months rather than a couple of days at launch which will tell how soft the sales will be.

@Peach64 Whilst unlikely to be entirely representative of the exact market for it, I do happen to one of those people who purchased a Nintendo Switch but did not purchase The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I'm not a fan of open world games, and the direction of this latest Zelda game has little to appeal to me.

I stuck with getting Super Bomberman R, along with downloading I Am Setsuna. I'm waiting to play the former alongside my brother, but I've had a blast with the latter so far.