The Zelda series was in “dire straits” before Breath of the Wild, with a dwindling playerbase and low sales, according to former Nintendo marketing leads.
Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, who both worked at Nintendo for over a decade, made the claims on the latest episode of their podcast (as spotted by GamesRadar+). They refuted the idea that Breath of the Wild ruined the Zelda series with its new formula, and instead argued that it actually saved the franchise from a loss of relevance.
It comes as part of a discussion about “new Zelda” versus “old Zelda” — or essentially, the dungeon format versus a complete open world. While there is clearly a demand for the older Zelda games, as evidenced by the hugely successful Ocarina of Time remake, the pair say there is a good reason why Nintendo took them away from us in the first place.
“There has been some revisionist history out there lately, about how the Zelda team ripped these away from us at the peak of their popularity,” Ellis says. Yang then expresses her disbelief that fans think this way. “That’s ridiculous. This series was in dire straits. They were selling, like, nothing.” Ellis goes into more detail: “I remember, I was going to the focus groups, and it was a really dark moment when the feedback [was that] the fanbase is dwindling, this is not bringing in new players.” Yang agrees again, saying that it was “depressing,” and that the playerbase was shrinking “smaller and smaller” with each new Zelda release.
Before Breath of the Wild came out in 2017, the Zelda series had seen Wii entry Skyward Sword in 2011, A Link Between Worlds in 2013, and various HD and 3D re-releases. Certainly, Breath of the Wild was an enormous hit, selling an incredible 34.28 million copes on the Switch. Its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, came out in 2023 and has sold 22.90 million so far.
The Ocarina of Time remake looks like it continues the positive sales trend, becoming the fastest-selling Switch 2 game so far. The question now is, what will Nintendo do with its inevitable next mainline Zelda game?
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake is out now exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2. You can read our review of the game here, or check out our look at the Biggest Changes from the original 1998 game. Be sure to check out our expanding Ocarina of Time Remake Walkthrough for comprehensive guides on each main quest area and dungeon, plus where to get Early Heart Pieces, Early Gold Skulltulas, and Early Item Bag Expansions. If you’re looking for more, don’t miss our complete guides to All Pieces of Heart, All Gold Skulltulas, and All Empty Bottles!