Metroid Dread and Breath of the Wild 2 dominated post-E3 purchases and online discussion.
GameStop has released its list of the most pre-ordered games following the biggest gaming event of the year, and it shows Nintendo had a hell of a show. The top 5 pre-orders are all from the Japanese gaming giant, with Metroid Dread topping the list, beating out Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword HD.
The full list reads:
- Metroid Dread
- Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword HD
- Mario Golf Switch
- Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Shiny Pearl
- Mario Party Superstars
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
- Far Cry 6
- Dungeons & Dragons Dark Alliance
- Madden NFL 22
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus
There are some caveats here. Many of the biggest games shown at E3 are not on this list because they are not close to being out or don't have a release date. Games like Elden Ring and Starfield are not shown here, because their pre-orders are not open yet.
Also, many of these games didn't have a huge presence at E3 itself. Dungeons & Dragons Dark Alliance may have appeared on the list due to its imminent release, while hype around Madden 22 might have been fuelled by both the series' perennial popularity and the recent announcement of its cover stars. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl appear alongside Pokemon Legends: Arceus, likely due to the franchise's long history, and in spite of its lack of presence during Nintendo's Direct.
However, even with that in mind, Nintendo is also dominating the war of words. Twitter has also released metrics around E3 and revealed the top 5 games talked about during the event. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 came out on top here, beating out Elden Ring to the title of most talked-about game.
It's a less dominant command by Nintendo here despite having the top pick, with Microsoft being the only company with two games in the most tweeted about list. Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 are collectively 4th and 5th, while Battlefield 2042 also appeared 3rd.
Still, Nintendo has had an undeniably huge splash at E3, winning out the minds and wallets of gamers. The company's slate of upcoming games looks very impressive indeed.
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