Zelda isn't big in Japan. Or is it?

[Salnax]

Short Version:

Zelda in Japan is an upper-middle sized series for Nintendo, comparable to Kirby and Donkey Kong. However, it is simply overshadowed by its success in the west, where it is simply a tier higher on the totem pole.

 

Long Version:

Just over a year ago, I put together a bunch of sales data over the prior 13 years of Nintendo software to see what series were biggest in which of the three major regions. Numbers have changed since then, but not enough to invalidate some of the old data.

 

Summary:

• Nintendo's games for Gen 6 hardware onwards, including both consoles and handhelds, have sold roughly 44% of their copies in North America, 25% in Europe, 25% in Japan, and 6% elsewhere.
• Certain series are big hits in all three regions. These are the Wii Sports, 2D Mario, and Pokemon games you'd expect. Likewise, series like Rhythm Heaven and Art Academy are not huge franchises anywhere.
• However, some series are more or less popular in certain regions even when accounting for their share of Nintendo's sales.
• North America buys 44% of Nintendo's sold games. However, they have bought over 65% of Metroid games this century. They have also bought over 54% of Zelda, Super Smash Bros, Star Fox, and Mario RPG titles. On the flip side, Nintendo has shown disinterest in games that are fairly popular in Japan and Europe in comparison. These include some of the "Touch Generations" series like Art Academy, Brain Age, and Big Brain Academy, as well as Animal Crossing and Nintendogs.
• Europe buys 25% of Nintendo's games. Their favorites included some of the DS-era casual games North America shunned (the trio mentioned above each sold over 40% of copies in Europe), Wii-brand games like Wii Sports, and Mario Kart. Europe is less interested in a lot of the more "traditional" Nintendo series, like Kirby, Super Smash Bros, Mario Party, and Pikmin.
• Japan also accounts for about 25% of sales. Japan-heavy games, with 40% or more of sales in that country, include Kirby, Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem, and Rhythm Heaven. Pokemon main series games are borderline, being huge in the West as opposed to HUGE in Japan. On the other hand, a lot of console-based series, like Wii Sports, Metroid, Endless Ocean, and 3D Super Mario titles, sell 6% to 16% of their copies in Japan. Zelda is toward the upper end of that spectrum, but considering the sheer popularity of the series in America and moderate success in Europe, it is clear where Zelda's base of fans is.