The Legend of Zelda is Beloved by Canada, Apparently

Nintendo might be a Japanese company, but they sell their games all around the world. In other words, it's not surprising that the company might have a few regions they like more than others, at least in terms of sales. And Mr. Nintendo of America himself, Reggie Fils-Aime, recently told the Toronto Star in an interview that Canada is one of Nintendo’s favorite places… at least, when concerning the Legend of Zelda. Oh, and Pokemon.

“There are certain franchises that overperform in the Canadian market. Legend of Zelda is one. I can’t tell you why but the Canadian consumer loves it. Every single game in the series has done better with the Canadian audience than the U.S. audience, and the U.S. audience does better than Europe or Japan. Another phenomenon, and this is a recent trend, over the last 10 years is Pokémon. Pokémon games do exceptionally well [in Canada].”

Reggie didn’t specify what data he was pulling that conclusion from, but as President of Nintendo of America, I don’t think it’s unfair to say he’s the guy who’d be the expert. As for why Zelda might be so much more popular in Canada, well… that’s a bit harder, isn’t it? Is it because Canada just really likes that kind of puzzle-action-adventure game? Are they bigger into RPG’s (Which Pokemon is, in theory, and Zelda could be with an aggressive imagination)? Or maybe it’s just something about the snow? We may never know.

He also talked about how grateful he is that his company seems to be the only triple-A game company with a massive focus on child gamers (because they grow up and become gaming freaks), and talked about how optimistic – but cautious – he is regarding the success of the Switch, especially compared to the Wii U.

It’s a short little interview, so it’s worth your time even if you’re not Canadian.