When Hyrule Warriors released on Wii U in 2014, it marked a rare spin-off for Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda franchise. Combining the style of Dynasty Warriors with characters and locations from games like Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess, Hyrule Warriors was unlike anything that had ever been done with Zelda. The Koei Tecmo game apparently caused a lot of concern for Nintendo of America at the time, with many worried that it could damage one of the company’s strongest brands. In an episode of the Kit and Krysta podcast, former Nintendo of America public relations manager Kit Ellis discussed some of the “hand-wringing” that surrounded the game.
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“Within NoA there was a lot of worry of like ‘this game’s not gonna be good’ or ‘this is going to drop the status of Zelda. Maybe we should just tell Japan we’re not gonna put it out, and just keep it in Japan’ to keep the pristine image,” said Ellis.
Keeping Zelda “Pristine”
Obviously, Hyrule Warriors did end up releasing in North America, and that decision proved to be a smart one. The game ended up releasing not only on Wii U, but eventually on 3DS and Nintendo Switch! The partnership between Nintendo and Koei Tecmo would result in a 2020 follow-up, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. Nintendo would even partner with Koei Tecmo on two Fire Emblem spin-offs: Fire Emblem Warriors and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes.
While it might be surprising in retrospect, Nintendo has always been very cautious when it comes to protecting its intellectual property. Zelda has endured for decades thanks in large part to the level of quality that’s associated with games like Breath of the Wild and Ocarina of Time. Meanwhile, the Dynasty Warriors franchise has gotten more mixed reviews. It’s easy to see why there might have been concern in that regard, especially during the Wii U era, when Nintendo was desperately struggling to compete.
The Future of Hyrule Warriors
With a new Nintendo system set to be revealed within the next year, it will be interesting to see if Hyrule Warriors continues on as a series. While the games don’t have the same level of status as traditional Zelda titles, they’ve definitely helped fill the void between games. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity sold more than 4 million copies on Switch, so it’s hard to imagine we won’t see more of the series in the future!
Are you a fan of the Hyrule Warriors games? Are you happy Nintendo made the decision to bring the games to North America? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
