Nintendo’s latest financial results have been posted, and the publisher has shown another excellent quarter.
In the first quarter, Nintendo says The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom sold 18.51 million units since launching in May. Given how hotly anticipated the follow-up to Breath of the Wild was, the sales figures do not come as a surprise. By comparison, Tears of the Kingdom has sold more than half of its predecessor’s lifetime sales in just two months, at 30.65 million units. Nintendo confirmed that Tears of the Kingdom contributed to nearly half of its first-party sales this year.
“Consumers who played the previous entry, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, have been the primary driver, but as the weeks have passed, we have seen that a growing percentage of purchases are being made by consumers who have not yet played that title,” Nintendo said.
The April release of the Super Mario Bros. Movie also positively impacted sales of Mario-related titles. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which began its theatrical release in various markets around the world on April 5, has now been viewed by 168.10 million people worldwide,” Nintendo confirmed.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe recorded another 1.67 million sales, adding to 55.46 million units total.
Additionally, the Nintendo Switch sales increased by 13.9 percent year-on-year to 3.91 million units. Software increased by 25.1 percent to 52.21 million units, and digital sales rose by 35.9 percent year-on-year.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie has helped build a “lasting affection for the Super Mario IP.”
“By expanding Nintendo IP in areas outside the dedicated video game platform we create new opportunities for consumers to encounter Nintendo IP, and this invigorates our overall business. Based on the various effects that we have confirmed through the release of this movie, we will continue our efforts towards visual content-related initiatives,” Nintendo iterated.
