Metroid Prime Remastered Sales Pass Impressive Milestone in Just Two Months

In February 2023, Nintendo surprised fans during a Nintendo Direct with the sudden launch of the remastered version of Metroid Prime on the Nintendo Switch, despite rumors of its existence having circulated for some time. This “shadow-drop” release has since achieved an impressive sales milestone. The game was available to download immediately after the Direct ended.

The news of Metroid Prime Remastered did not take long to reach the ears of fans, who were quick to purchase the remaster. It went on to become one of the best-reviewed games of 2023, and was praised for its faithful recreation of the original game from the GameCube to the Switch, with upgraded presentation. This title was not only met with the same acclaim as the original 2002 version, but also became one of the highest-selling titles on Nintendo’s digital eShop storefront. Even though the digital version was released first, fans were eventually able to get their hands on the physical version a few weeks later. Despite initial supply issues, Nintendo reported that the game had managed to reach an impressive sales milestone in its first few months.

Nintendo’s financial report for the year starting in April 2022 and ending on March 31, 2023 revealed that Metroid Prime Remastered had sold at least one million copies within a span of two months, from February to March. Astonishingly, the majority of these sales were digital downloads, with Metroid Prime Remastered not the only game in the report to have achieved this.

Despite its late release near the end of the fiscal year, Metroid Prime Remastered was able to achieve unprecedented sales success in comparison to other high-selling titles such as Fire Emblem Engage and Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe, which had the advantage of months or even a year of promotion and advertisement. This success speaks to the power of the surprise release strategy that the company employed.

The original Metroid Prime was the best-selling title of the franchise until Metroid Dread surpassed its sales in 2021. It sold 2.8 million copies in its lifetime on the older console. Metroid Prime Remastered has already sold at least a third of the original’s lifetime numbers, so it has the potential to overtake Metroid Dread in the future.

Nintendo Switch now holds the title Metroid Prime Remastered.

It has been suggested that Nintendo should be more generous and revisit the Metroid Prime Trilogy with remakes and make them available, especially with the advent of the Switch Online service.

According to Nintendo, the company is continuing to strive for the realization of a better gaming experience for users through the development of new hardware, software, and services. They are also focusing their efforts to enhance the value of services, such as the Nintendo Switch Online service, by providing content that meets users’ expectations.