# The Legend of Zelda was in “dire straits” before Breath of the Wild, ex-Nintendo marketing leads say

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-legend-of-zelda-was-in-dire-straits-before-breath-of-the-wild-ex-nintendo-marketing-leads-say/
- Published: 2026-11-13T12:57:18+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-13T13:27:39+00:00
- Original publisher: GamesRadar+
- Original article: https://www.gamesradar.com/games/the-legend-of-zelda/the-legend-of-zelda-was-in-dire-straits-before-breath-of-the-wild-former-nintendo-marketing-leads-say-they-were-selling-like-nothing/
- Topics: Entertainment, Gaming

## Key points

- Former Nintendo marketers say Zelda was losing players before Breath of the Wild.
- Breath of the Wild sold 34.28 million copies on Switch.
- Ocarina of Time’s remake sold 5.2 million copies in four days.

## Summary

Former Nintendo of America marketing leads Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang say the Zelda series was struggling before Breath of the Wild prompted a major shift towards open-world play. Ellis recalls focus groups and audience data showing that the fan base was shrinking and the games were failing to attract new players, making a dramatic change necessary.

Breath of the Wild has sold 34.28 million copies on Switch, while Tears of the Kingdom has sold 22.9 million. The article says a recent Ocarina of Time remake sold 5.2 million copies in its first four days, suggesting continued demand for traditional Zelda games; other recent releases have also included top-down and 3D titles outside the open-world format.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.