How much did Breath of the Wild sell?

As a longtime Zelda enthusiast, I was blown away seeing Breath of the Wild utterly smash series sales records on its way to over 29 million copies sold. For context, that‘s nearly 10 million more than previous top seller Twilight Princess, and over 20 million ahead of Ocarina of Time in third place!

In this in-depth sales analysis, we‘ll dive into:

• Launch Sales and Month-to-Month Momentum
• Multi-Year Dominance and Lasting Appeal
• Revenue Records and Financial Success
• Factors Driving Tremendous Sales
• Influence on Nintendo, Genre, and Gaming

Let‘s analyze the incredible sales achievement of this open-world masterpiece!

Launch Sales: An Explosive Start Right Out the Gate

Breath of the Wild exploded out the gates in March 2017 as a 1-2 sales punch combo alongside new hot console, the Nintendo Switch:

• Shifted 1.34 million copies globally during launch week
• March 2017 monthly sales hit 2.76 million units

For a major franchise release, these numbers were simply unheard of! To put into perspective vs other flagship Nintendo IP:

Breath of the Wild even quintupled lifetime sales of preceding Zelda titles like Skyward Sword in roughly a month! Strong critical reception fueled momentum, achieving the highest Metacritic score for any console game.

Word of mouth then propelled continuous millions per quarter…

Ongoing Years-Long Dominance and Lasting Power

Five years later in 2024, Breath of the Wild shows zero signs of slowing down, with steady million-seller numbers quarter after quarter:

• Hit 10 million units by end of 2017.
• 14.27m copies sold as of March 2020.
• Over 18 million by March 2021.
• Japanese physical sales hit 1.69 million in April 2022

Nearly 6 years post-launch, Breath of the Wild still charts among Switch‘s top 15 weekly software sales alongside far newer titles.

In Sustained Sales Dominance among Flagship Open World Franchises:

The sheer longevity and consistency makes the 29+ million figure even more incredible!

Revenue Records: Billions in Sales

With a MSRP holding at $59.99 in the Americas since launch, some quick napkin math on net earnings:

• Launch month revenue ~$166 million
• First year sales ~$600+ million
• Lifetime revenue has likely exceeded $1.5 billion USD

For perspective, that dwarfs even box office hauls for the highest grossing entertainment releases like blockbuster films! Among the most profitable pieces of entertainment media ever created.

Perfect Storm of Factors Driving Momentous Sales

This sales phenomenon boils down to perfect timing and widespread mainstream appeal – an innovative, critically acclaimed open world experience revitalizing Zelda for the HD age while validation Switch‘s massive success out the gate.

Key Factors:

☑️ Killer Launch Title cemented Switch‘s early success
☑️ Open-world freedom drew new audiences
☑️ Renewed core fan enthusiasm for bold new direction
☑️ Received widespread perfect review scores
☑️ Maintained strong word of mouth for years

Breath of the Wild didn‘t just sell to diehard series fans – it became a landmark mainstream entertainment experience. New standard for big-budget open world games!

Legacy and Influence on Gaming

It‘s no exaggeration to say Breath of the Wild has defined 2010s gaming, with ripple effects across Nintendo, AAA games, and industry at large:

• Reshaped Zelda franchise and fan expectations for future games
• Catalyst driving Switch past 100m sales
• Cemented prestige of Nintendo first party content
• Set new watermark for critically acclaimed open worlds, influencing upcoming PS5/XSX titles

6 years later, Breath of the Wild remains an evergreen system-seller, while its sequel Tears of the Kingdom is already one of most anticipated upcoming games.

I‘d argue its seismic sales impact places Breath of the Wild among most commercially successfully video games ever – an instant classic!