Curmudgeon
default setting: sarcastic prick
I prefer to deal in copies sold for a few reasons. Mostly because it's the criterion that Nintendo (and most every other publicly traded company in the world) cares about the most. Secondly, it removes personal tastes and biases that are rife in threads like these. Companies don't want to innovate. It costs money, resource, and time - the investment of which does not guarantee success. What is certain? Turning out a derivative sequel of a popular games sells. The faster you come to terms with the fact that virtually everyone who sells you something is only going to cater to you enough to get your money, the less delusional you'll be about the world.
On to the original question. Zelda's sales numbers have stayed relatively stable (though in broader terms of total software sold across all platforms, it's a downward sloping paradigm).. OoT was one of the best selling games (~top 10) of its generation on any platform. Interestingly enough, TP can be considered an outright success, only being outdone by the most popular contemporary franchises. SS didn't do as well, though its performance was not abysmal (it sold as many copies as Left4Dead 2 and Arkham City on the 360). I was surprised to learn Phantom Hourglass moved 5 million units. Pretty solid. Is Zelda going to move the needle like GTA, CoD, or Halo? No. Has it proven a durable brand worthy of Nintendo's continued investment? Yes.
In millions sold, original system release
OoT: 7.6
MM: 3.36
OoA+OoS: ~1.9 each
WW: 4.6
TMC: 1.42
FSA: .81
TP: 6.74(Wii)+1.59(GC)
PH: 4.95
ST: 3.16
SS: 3.60
On to the original question. Zelda's sales numbers have stayed relatively stable (though in broader terms of total software sold across all platforms, it's a downward sloping paradigm).. OoT was one of the best selling games (~top 10) of its generation on any platform. Interestingly enough, TP can be considered an outright success, only being outdone by the most popular contemporary franchises. SS didn't do as well, though its performance was not abysmal (it sold as many copies as Left4Dead 2 and Arkham City on the 360). I was surprised to learn Phantom Hourglass moved 5 million units. Pretty solid. Is Zelda going to move the needle like GTA, CoD, or Halo? No. Has it proven a durable brand worthy of Nintendo's continued investment? Yes.
In millions sold, original system release
OoT: 7.6
MM: 3.36
OoA+OoS: ~1.9 each
WW: 4.6
TMC: 1.42
FSA: .81
TP: 6.74(Wii)+1.59(GC)
PH: 4.95
ST: 3.16
SS: 3.60