The Legend of Zelda series has been Nintendo’s most cherished IP for decades now. Typically selling like hot cakes, it’s hard to imagine there was ever a period where the series was on life support or struggling to sell copies. That apparently is the case, though, according to former Nintendo employees Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang.
In the latest episode of the duo’s podcast discussing the success of Ocarina of Time’s remake, the two discuss why Nintendo felt the need to shift away from series traditions with the release of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It wasn’t simply to give staff a new challenge, but because sales numbers were dwindling, and new fans weren’t coming into the series. “The series was in like dire straits,” Krysta says. “They were selling like nothing.”
Kit recalls how he was attending focus groups to get feedback about the direction Nintendo should take. With many feeling the old formula was stale, and no new players coming into the series, Nintendo needed to make a change. “We had so much data of like every game, it was fewer,” Kit says, “the interest from the audience was getting smaller and smaller. They had to do something dramatic like that.”
While I’m not sure if I believe the series was failing, it’s hard to deny Nintendo’s gambit paid off. Breath of the Wild is far and away the best-selling game in the series, and its immediate sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, is the second best-selling. That success has somewhat passed onto other releases on Switch, with both Link’s Awakening’s remake and even Skyward Sword HD selling more than their original releases. If it’s true Zelda was once flailing, that certainly isn’t the case anymore.
Check out more Zelda content
Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake tops physical Japanese sales chart during launch week
Guide – Are there difficulty options in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time?
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
