The problem of Zelda in Japan

[puffy]

Khuutra said:

puffy said:

Khuutra said:

I guess that's true, but it doesn't really explain why the whole series is on a downward trend there while it's up everywhere else. Wind Waker performed badly too, and even Phantom Hourglass didn't do great.

Wind Waker had a better percentage than Ocarina of Time and 900k going by the numbers above which I would say isn't really 'performing badly.' You have to remember that it is much more rare for a game to hit 1 million in Japan than it is in the west. 

On to why Zelda has lost sales over time.. I'm guessing it's simply lost relevance in the Japanese market.. The gameplay has changed over the years as has gamers taste in gaming. Nintendo may be able to increase interest with Wii MotionPlus but if not then it's clearly a core gameplay problem.

That it's losing relevance is apparent, but change being too radical or not radical enough isn't apparent as muc in this series. Is the quality that makes it more and more enticing in the West over time exclusive of the quality that used to make i appealing in Japan, or is it down to something else more problematic?

It's certainly an interesting topic to delve into but I'd like to wait another year until we can see for Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time 3D fare in Japan before I develop a proper theory. Remember that Nintendo focused very much on the West with Twilight Princess after the cold reception to Wind Waker and that could very well have had a large effect on the Japanese market. It may also be that the Japanese feel that Zelda has simply been a rehash of Ocarina and unlike the West, don't buy the game because of that.

Who knows.. I guess you'd actually have to ask the Japanese or wait until we can see the reception they give the two Zelda titles next year to get a good idea of what's gone wrong.