Daily Debate: Should Nintendo Invest In Smaller Scale Zelda Projects to Bridge The Gaps Between Major Releases?
Posted on October 15 2023 by Sean Gadus
The six year wait between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom was an extremely challenging time period for many longtime Zelda fans. While the first two to three years after the release of Breath of the Wild saw the release of Zelda titles like Cadence of Hyrule (2019), Link’s Awakening (2019), and Age of Calamity (2020), the only major Zelda project released after 2020 was Skyward Sword HD. From 2020 to 2022, fans waited with anticipation for Zelda announcements or updates, only to receive scant updates or radio silence on the sequel to Breath of the Wild.
Over the past two decades, the gap between major 3D Zelda releases has grown significantly, and the 2D side of the series has been largely ignored on Nintendo Switch. Reflecting on the gap between major Zelda games, should Nintendo invest in more small scale Zelda projects to bridge the gap between major Zelda games?
Overall, I think that Nintendo should be doing more in order to reduce the time between Zelda projects, and to give fans more things to look forward to. If the time gaps between Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom will be the standard going forward (five to six years), then Nintendo needs to do more to tide fans over between major releases. Whether it could be small projects on Nintendo Switch Online (perhaps a Zelda-themed game in the vein of Super Mario Bros. 35 and F-Zero 99) or Nintendo partnering with smaller studios (like they did with Brace Yourself Games for Cadence of Hyrule), I think all Zelda fans would appreciate more content related to the series. The 2D side of the franchise is particularly ripe for revival or rebirth since 2013’s A Link Between Worlds was arguably the last great 2D Zelda game.
What do you think? Should Nintendo invest in creating more small scale Zelda projects to bridge the gap between big Zelda games? If so, what type of game do you want to see?
Sean Gadus is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. His first Zelda game was Ocarina of Time, and he loves all of the 3D Zelda games from 1998-2011. The final battle of Tears of the Kingdom is one of his favorite final battles in the entire series. He wants to help build a kinder, more compassionate world. You can check out his other written work at The-Artifice.com.
