Nintendo’s head’s in the McClouds
I am legitimately unsure why Nintendo feels likeStar Foxshould get a nod over a lot of its existing, untouched properties COUGH METROID COUGH COUGH and it seems like I’m not alone.
Last week we saw theStar Fox ZeroandStar Fox Guarddouble pack debut to a 5th place spot in Japanese retail sales with 17,114 units sold. Add the 8,135 soloZerounits and it’s still sitting in 4th, behind twoOne Piecegames (or, the same game on Vita and PS4) andYo-kai Sangokushi. Not great, basically. (Note:Star Fox Gourddata is not available)
And Famitsu data puts it into context with earlier entries in the series (yes,Adventureswas actually a GameCube game).
First week sales of Star Fox Zero in Japan vs others in the series.
It’s clear the game hasn’t performed well.pic.twitter.com/BJ2Yk1eRe2
— ZhugeEX (@ZhugeEX)Jun 01, 2025
Point is, see first week and lifetime sales shrinking? Even the nostalgia hit of aStar Fox 643DS remake didn’t rally the troops. I don’t even rememberStar Fox Command. With the Wii U a lame duck console ahead of Nintendo’s new effort (and Wii U sales low as is), I doubt there’s going to be a slow and steady lifetime trickle upwards, either. More likely, dedicated Wii U owners picked it and that’s that. No approaching a million and a half, likeSplatoon. European and US sales are not available yet, but I don’t expect it to fare all that much better.
Outside of Fox’s popularity inSmash, I don’t know why Nintendo keeps having a go atStar Fox, especially given the series’ general lack of a cohesive identity when it’s not relying on just remaking the first game again.
