The legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto believes that Nintendo will be fine as long as it releases a big hit every 3-5 years. He often shares this with new employees to shape their work attitude.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
According to Miyamoto, a game can be considered a big hit when it sells over 30 million copies.
For Nintendo, this is an achievable milestone. As of March 31, 2024, four Nintendo Switch games have reached such high sales:
1. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — 61.97 million copies;
2. Animal Crossing: New Horizons — 45.36 million copies;
3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate — 34.22 million copies;
4. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — 31.85 million copies.
Miyamoto added that it's hard to create a big hit if the company focuses primarily on increasing profits. Such an approach harms creativity and has a negative impact on the games. According to him, Nintendo strives to see potential in every project, and that is why it succeeds.