The latest game in the Legend of Zelda series has smashed sales records, truly living up to the hype as one of the most anticipated games in years.
Tears of the Kingdom on the Nintendo Switch has become the fastest-selling Nintendo videogame of all time.
It hit the shelves on 12 May and sold 10 million copies in its first three days to snatch the record title previously held by Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in 2018.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, for the Nintendo Switch, held the record shortly after its release in December of that year by selling 12.08 million copies in 24 days.
Before that, the fastest-selling game from Nintendo was New Super Mario Bros. for Wii in 2009.
That one sold 1.4 million copies in its first week of sales and 10.5 million by the eighth week.
With more than 100 hours of gameplay, Zelda fans have reportedly been taking annual leave from work so they can fully immerse themselves in Tears of the Kingdom.
This new record also makes Tears of the Kingdom the fastest-selling Legend of Zelda videogame in the franchise’s 37-year history.
The title was previously held by 2011’s Skyward Sword.
And those who love the game might be interested to know that we have many, many record titles dedicated to it here at Guinness World Records.
The most valuable The Legend of Zelda videogame is the Zelda Test Cartridge NES, which was reported to be selling for around $2,000 (£1,569) in 2018.
The rare cartridge, coloured a distinctive yellow, was used by Nintendo Authorized Repair Centers to test Nintendo hardware and it was never released commercially.
The cartridge, complete with a full working copy of The Legend of Zelda (1986) has been sold on auction sites numerous times over the years, fetching as much as $2,599 (£2,039) in one instance.
It’s a testament to the popularity of the Zelda games that even the worst-rated The Legend of Zelda videogame has a respectable overall score.
Tri Force Heroes, released for the 3DS in 2015, scored 70.01% on GameRankings.
The most equippable weapons in a Legend of Zelda videogame record belongs to 2017’s The Breath of the Wild, which featured 153 different weapons.
Players have a choice of 127 hand weapons, 26 bows and seven weapons that can only be accessed with specific Zelda amiibos.
Superfan Anne Martha Harnes (Norway) is the proud owner of the largest collection of The Legend of Zelda memorabilia with 1,816 items to her name.
She’s held the record since 2016 and began her collection back in 2008. She said at the time that her favourite game in the series was Majora’s Mask, but maybe that’s changed now that Tears of the Kingdom is out.
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