I'unno if it's fair to say "only a handful of people" played Skyward Sword. It sold like 4 million copies. "Back in my day" that was still a lot.
I don't know what counts for "a lot" nowadays, though, I admit. I just still very vividly remember the days when a game needed either Mario on the cover or a rocket up its ass to even hope to sell 4 million.
((Shrug))