Wedbush analyst feels that a larger install base will propel the next title further.
Not much is known about Nintendo’s sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. A short teaser debuted last year that saw Link and Zelda seemingly encountering Ganondorf once more but there’s been no gameplay footage or substantial information since then. Nevertheless, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachet feels that Nintendo will have no trouble selling tens of millions of units.
Speaking to GamingBolt, Pachter was asked about the sequel and whether it will maintain the same level of critical and commercial success (especially since Breath of the Wild sold over 20 million units since launch) or see a drop-off. He responded that, “I think it will sell more. Bigger install base, and the brands that everyone buys Nintendo systems for are Zelda and Mario Kart and Smash Bros. And how many Switches will be on the market by the time the next Zelda is out, 75 million? They will probably have no trouble selling 25 million units of the next Zelda game, they will probably sell 35 million, even 40 million.”
These would be pretty good numbers but Pachter notes that, “They’re great games. Zelda is the best thing that Nintendo does, I’m not a big Smash guy, but Mario Kart and Zelda are great.” Interestingly, he also speculated that the reason Nintendo hasn’t done a new Mario Kart title since 2014 is because “They want to have a giant install base to sell it to and set records.”
As for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s sequel, series producer Eiji Aonuma said fans would have to wait “a bit longer” for updates. Nevertheless, Nintendo is working with Omega Force on Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a Musou-style hack and slash title set 100 years before Breath of the Wild. It features Link, the Champions, a younger Impa and even Zelda as playable characters and releases on November 20th for Nintendo Switch.
