The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake hasn't officially launched yet, but it has already caused a sensation in Brazil: physical copies sold out within just a few hours, and pre-orders were completely exhausted. IGN interviewed Ricardo Vieira, Business Director at Gamer Hut, one of Brazil's largest physical game retailers, to understand the scale of this buying frenzy.
According to Vieira, Gamer Hut had been preparing for nearly four months since the game's announcement and placed a large order. "Ocarina of Time was our main bet. We joked internally that if we had to choose between GTA and Ocarina of Time, we'd pick Ocarina of Time. We have a very strong connection with the Nintendo audience, and the team itself consists of fans."
Even with experience handling major launches, the team didn't expect this batch to sell out so quickly. "For us, this result deserves attention from the entire market. It shows that we still need to better understand the scale of demand for physical media."
Vieira pointed out that the vast majority of buyers purchased only one copy. He believes the rush was also influenced by this year's overall trend: more and more players are starting to value their collections and worry that certain physical games may become unavailable in the future. "They want to ensure major titles make it into their collections, and Ocarina of Time is proof of that."
When asked if the rapid sell-out was related to limited production, Vieira replied that when Gamer Hut made its forecasts, it didn't yet know the game would have limited foil packaging. Upon learning this, the retailer requested to double its already large order, but it was too late for production to catch up.
He also highlighted an issue in the Brazilian market: some merchants only stock games at launch and do not maintain inventory afterward. As a result, games quickly disappear from shelves and remain out of stock for long periods. According to Vieira, Gamer Hut strives to give players options and seeks import opportunities, but it isn't always able to procure the required quantities in time. He believes the Ocarina of Time incident is an important signal for the entire industry—an opportunity for producers, distributors, stores, and players to come together to better understand demand and plan supply.