The way of Metroid Dread it’s been quite long. The game was originally considered to be a sequel to Metroid Fusion for the Nintendo DS in the early 2000s, and became the epitome of projects that were considered hell during development, only rumored and never officially announced for over one of each.
After multiple cancellations and a hidden announcement in 2007’s Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Dread was gone again, with many worrying about its possible future considering the controversy Metroid: Other M created upon its release. Somehow, Nintendo managed to keep its development with MercurySteam under wraps until its reveal last year, reigniting the fanbase thanks to the classic side-scrolling style of Metroid Dread.
Set after the events of Metroid Fusion, dread It is a conclusion to the classic 2D story, bringing back the exploration style of gameplay and mixing moments of stealth against almost indestructible robots known as EMMI. It’s clear that the gameplay has caught on with gamers and critics alike, as the game has not only received a lot of positive reviews, but has sold incredibly well.
After breaking sales records at its launch, Metroid Dread it continued to climb the charts, outperforming all but one other game in the franchise. As of February 2022, Metroid Dread was in second place, behind GameCube’s Metroid Prime. Thanks in large part to strong word of mouth, as well as continual content updates with small DLCs like Boss Rush and Dread Mode, fans have continued to support the title and drive its sales even further.
Now that the fiscal year is over, Nintendo has confirmed that Metroid Dread has sold over 2.9 million copies since its release. in October 2021. This makes it the best-selling Metroid game in the franchise worldwide. Interestingly, most of those sales have occurred outside of Nintendo’s home market of Japan. According to the data, Metroid Dread has only sold about 270,000 copies, with the rest of the 2.63 million coming from the rest of the world.