Sharp said:
I'm confused by some of the assertions in this thread. Is Zelda:TP suddenly not a megaseller? Not in Japan, but worldwide it did (and is still doing!) pretty incredible numbers.
Actually, it's an above-average seller that sells primarily to the same exact people for the since LttP. While many Nintendo fans (and nintendo trolls) point to it as the saving grace of Nintendo, the series itself rarely represents the high-water mark in anything, be it graphics, gameplay, or especially, sales.
A million units is great for ANY series, even Zelda.
(in Japan)
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JJ:
You make an EXCELLENT point about tie-ratio and SMG sales that I hadn't even considered. Good stuff.
mclem:
Good point. Your numbers are off (400,000/2,500,000=15%), but still. 1/5 of 2.6 mil would be 520k (half a million!).
Basically, Nintendo will discover with the Wii what they've already discovered with the DS, and what Sony's third parties already discovered on the previous PS systems--if you hit critical mass (20 million) before your competition...even shovelware can sell millions.
Imagine, if 50% of the PS2 sales (lets say 50 million) were even remotely legitimate (not replacements or 2nd systems) and still buying games, and only 5% of them bought your product...that's 2.5 million in sales.
Now imagine getting 50% of your userbase to buy one of your products on your market dominate hardware. It's disgusting how much money you could make on a compelling but not necessarily high-budget entry. (Tetris, Sims, MySpace, etc.)