Nintendo's masterpiece, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, has remained in the spotlight since its release in 2017. The game shook up the traditional Zelda formula by allowing players more freedom to explore and reducing the number of traditional dungeons. It has its detractors, but with fan theories for Breath of the Wild 2 swirling, it is clear that fans are excited for more to take place in this particular Zelda timeline. That sustained excitement has meant sustained sales, as the game has been on an unreal streak on Nintendo's sales charts.
With the surprise announcement of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Breath of the Wild is once again back in the news cycle. Age of Calamity will act as a prequel to Breath of the Wild, filling in a great deal of lore that is teased, but never fully explained in that game. With the unexpected reveal, people are again looking at Breath of the Wild and its place in gaming history.
As gamers and games media move from one AAA title to the next, each big name game, regardless of how critically acclaimed it may be, fades from the spotlight in no time. Breath of the Wild is a rare case where there has been no fade. In a tweet from The NPD Group's Mat Piscatella, Breath of the Wild charted at #6 in August for Switch games. Impressive. Piscatella reveals more, however, by throwing out the factoid that Breath of the Wild has never been outside the top 7 in sales since its release: a streak of 42 consecutive months. With Eiji Aonuma letting fans know that Breath of the Wild 2's release is a ways out, there is still time for those who haven't played the original to keep that sales streak alive.
The game has also now cracked the top 10 for best-selling games on all Nintendo platforms in US history. With a total north of 20 million units sold, Breath of the Wild is the leader in sales for a franchise that has always been an excellent seller.
It really should come as no surprise that the game remains so popular, as fans continue to pay homage to BOTW with crafty projects like custom Guardian Amiibo.
Breath of the Wild is likely to remain in the top 10, at the very least, by piggybacking off of the hype surrounding Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. This title, a collaboration between Nintendo and Koei Tecmo, is unique in that it is the first explicit prequel to an existing Zelda game. Age of Calamity will give fans a chance to revisit the world of Breath of the Wild, a prospect many are looking forward to.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available now for Nintendo Switch and Wii U.
Source: Mat Piscatella/Twitter