All Articles: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Destiny 2 tops September 2017’s list of best-selling games
Activision has been rather quiet on the Destiny 2 front since the game’s launch, but The NPD Group confirmed this morning that it was the best-selling game during the month of September. It’s doing so well at retail that the tracking firm has also declared Destiny 2 the best-selling game in all of 2017… so far.
Aside from Destiny 2, sports games dominated the sales chart in September, including the debuts of NBA 2K18 (#2), FIFA 18 (#4), and NHL 18 (#8). It was also a good month for games with long tails as Grand Theft Auto V (#7), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#9), and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege (#10) continue to hold onto their slots in the top ten.
You can read more about last month’s best-sellers and view the monthly Top Ten after the break. (more…)
Nintendo has sold 2 million Switch consoles in US… Switch update adds game clip recording and save data transfer
Extra! Extra! The Nintendo Switch is a massive hit!
OK, that’s not exactly news. But Nintendo did announce sales figures for their latest console today, as well as unveiled a brand new system update.
You can read all about both stories after the break. (more…)
No surprise there… Madden NFL 18 was the best-selling game in August 2017
It gets harder and harder every year to interpret the NFL rulebook, but one thing is always certain… the latest entry in the Madden NFL series will be the best-selling game in August.
That axiom held true once again this year, as The NPD Group declared that Madden NFL 18 was the best-selling game of last month. August 2017’s other big sellers include Grand Theft Auto V (#2), Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (#3), Splatoon 2 (#4), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#5), and the newly-launched Agents of Mayhem (#16).
You can read more about last month’s best-sellers and view the monthly Top 20 after the break. (more…)
Splatoon 2 is swimming in green ink as the best-selling game from July 2017
The first year for Nintendo’s Switch continues to go swimmingly, and another exclusive release for the console has claimed the top spot in The NPD Group’s monthly tally of best-selling games.
Splatoon 2 was the top-selling game in July, beating out Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (#2) and a resurgent Grand Theft Auto V (#3). Three other Switch games managed to crack the Top 20, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#5), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (#7), and Arms (#17).
According to GamesIndustry.biz, the Switch was also the best-selling console in July. Nintendo’s new device is so popular that it helped push monthly sales to $588 million, a 19% increase over July 2016.
The remainder of the Top 20 was made up of the usual suspects, including Tom Clancy games (Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege at #9 and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands at #11) and three Call of Duty games (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered at #12, Call of Duty: Black Ops III at #13, and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare at #15).
The NPD’s complete “Top 20 Best-Selling Games” from July 2017 can be found after the break. (more…)
After four months Nintendo has sold 4.7 million Switch consoles
Nintendo launched their Switch console a little over four months ago, and earlier today, the company revealed sales figures for the system’s second quarter of availability.
According to Nintendo, they sold 1.97 million Switch consoles between April 1 and June 30, bringing the worldwide install base for the console to 4.7 million. These new Switch owners are also buying a lot of games, and Nintendo reported sales of more than a million copies during the quarter for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (1.16 million), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (3.54 million), and Arms (1.18 million).
For comparison, Nintendo sold 13.56 miilion Wii U consoles over the life of the system. It’s very possible the Switch will surpass that total before the end of its first year.
The 1-2 punch of Tekken 7 and Injustice 2 sit atop the best-selling games list for June 2017
Fighting game fans have proven, once again, that the genre is alive and well. According to the NPD Group’s recounting of the best-selling games in June, Tekken 7 (#1) and Injustice 2 (#2) took the top two spots. Nintendo’s bizarro take on the genre, Arms, also made a strong debut in the #5 spot.
Speaking of the Switch, Nintendo’s newest console continued to push the game industry to new heights in June, as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#6) and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (#7) stayed in the top ten.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, NPD Analyst Mat Piscatella said: “The Nintendo Switch has been the catalyst for year-to-date growth. Year-to-date, hardware spending has grown 19% versus 2016 to $1.4 billion.”
However, older titles also performed well in June, including Grand Theft Auto V (#3), Overwatch (#9), and Minecraft (#17). 2015’s Call of Duty: Black Ops III (#12) even managed to outsell 2016’s Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (#15).
A complete look at the Top 20 for June 2017 can be found after the break. (more…)
Nintendo’s Eiji Aonuma is “gathering ideas” for next Legend of Zelda game but it will require a “long period” of development
Forgive me for stating the obvious, but The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been a massive hit for Nintendo. It’s garnered rave reviews from critics and fans alike, and it instantly solidified the Switch as piece of must-have tech for a consolemaker in desperate need of a win. But if you were hoping that Nintendo was secretly working on the next game in franchise, I’ve got some bad news for you.
Franchise Producer Eiji Aonuma recently sat down with Gamereactor, and he confirmed that Nintendo is currently in the “gathering ideas” phase for a new entry in the Zelda series, but he also said that the game is still “far” off and will require a “long period” of development:
Gamereactor: Regarding the next Zelda, is there a schedule settled on yet? Could you give us any exclusive insights into that?
Eiji Aonuma: No, you will not get a scoop! Sorry, my dear friend [laughs]. We have no plans for a future Zelda, we are still far from all this unfortunately for you. Today, I’m at a stage where I’m trying to gather a number of ideas for a sequel, but I cannot do it alone. It’s a lot of work that will have to be done over a long period of time, and we’re still far from having planned anything. Leave us a little time…
For now, it looks like Zelda fans will have to make do with Breath of the Wild’s Expansion Pass. The first add-on, The Master Trials, was released two weeks ago. The second, The Champion’s Ballad, will be available this Fall.
The Master Trials expansion for Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is now available
The Master Trials, the first expansion for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is now available to download through the Nintendo eShop for the Switch and Wii U.
Players who purchase the Expansion Pass will be able to participate in the “Trial of the Sword” challenge, a wave-based dungeon that will “awaken” the Master Sword when completed. New armor pieces, a more challenging Master Mode, and other additions to the game will also be included in The Master Trials:
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Expansion Pass: The Master Trials
More adventures await in the Master Trials pack. By completing the Trial of the Sword challenge, Link will prove that he has grown worthy, and the Master Sword will be awakened to always be in its glowing, powered-up state while usable. Master Mode ups the challenge, Hero’s Path mode tracks 200 hours of footsteps on the map, the Travel Medallion creates a warp point, eight new armor items offer unique effects, and the Korok Mask helps locate Koroks.
The Master Trials is available as of Breath of the Wild’s Expansion Pass ($19.99), and cannot be purchased on its own. But players who own it will also receive access to a second downloadable expansion, The Champion’s Ballad, that’ll be available this Fall.
And in case you missed it, the Nintendo Treehouse team recorded an in-depth look at The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Expansion Pass: The Master Trials during this year’s E3 Expo. You can find the video after the break. (more…)