Is it time to retire The Legend of Zelda?
This conversation actually happened at Epcot in the Japanese Pavilion:
Woman 1: Oh look, Legend of Zelda…
Woman 2: Wait, is Zelda still even a thing?
Me (interrupting): Zelda is ALWAYS a thing!
(The women laugh and move on, leaving me with a dejected, disappointed look because I had to defend the great franchise that gave us Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and Majora’s Mask)
I have to defend a franchise that used to create THIS kind of reaction!?!?!?!
Seriously, I am seriously asking this question: Is it time to retire Zelda? Is there anything left for this franchise to give? The gamers are not as invested as they used to be, the sales are not as strong as they used to be, the brand has gone from legendary to nostalgic, and worst of all with the “timeline” actually being fully explained it doesn’t leave much room at all for more installments before more chronological controversy. Link to the Past 2 should have been a glorious, massive event that would move 3DS hardware like nothing else. Link Between Worlds should have launched the franchise into the sales stratosphere as it’s the sequel to one of the greatest video games of all-time. It should have gotten the same amount of anticipated hype as Grand Theft Auto V or even Smash Brothers U. Back in the heyday, it would have been a massive deal. Now, it’s just another sequel---which is a shame because Zelda isn’t just another game series. The luster is fading, so is the interest:
GTA Series (Playstation Sales):
GTA: San Andreas: 20.81 million (13% hardware share)
GTA IV: 10.33 million (12% hardware share)
GTA V: 19.35 million (23% hardware share)
Average: 16% Hardware Share
Super Mario Series:
Super Mario Galaxy: 11.21 million (11% hardware share)
Super Mario Galaxy 2: 7.38 million (7% hardware share)
Super Mario 3D Land: 10 million (20% hardware share)
Super Mario 3D World: 2.90 million (33% hardware share)
Average: 18% hardware share
Mario Kart Series:
Mario Kart Wii: 35.04 million (34.5% hardware share)
Mario Kart 7: 10.48 million (26% hardware share)
Mario Kart 8: 4.03 million (46% hardware share)
Average: 35% hardware share
Pokemon Series:
Pokemon Black/White: 15.03 (10% hardware share)
Pokemon Black/White 2: 7.83 million (5% hardware share)
Pokemon X/Y: 12.56 million (31% hardware share)
Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire Remake: 7.11 million—and climbing (18% hardware share)
Average: 16% hardware share
And now Zelda:
Skyward Sword: 3.86 million (4% market share)
Ocarina of Time 3D: 3.56 million (9% market share)
Wind Waker HD: 1.25 million (14% market share)
Link Between Worlds: 2.37 million (6% market share)
Average: 8% hardware share
8% of owners of the consoles own a Zelda game on average within the past 7 years. Although the number is decent, it’s still an extreme far cry from the numbers manufactured in the late 90s:
Ocarina of Time: 23%
Majora’s Mask: 10% (Released right before Gamecube launch)
Wind Waker: 21%
The worst part is while the gaming industry as a whole has expanded to great financial, quality lengths, the Zelda franchise has been stuck in neutral. Blame it on whatever you want; rising competition, the rise of the Western Hemisphere RPGs, Nintendo’s ill-fated decisions about the franchise (I am leaning more towards this reason), The Legend of Zelda’s status as the top-notch gaming name in the industry has pretty much faded.
Really, really doesn't help that Link to the Past 2: A Link Between Worlds was not a WiiU title but instead released on the more hardware-restricting 3DS handheld.
Once upon a time, it was right underneath Mario as the biggest franchise in all of Nintendo. Nowadays, Smash Bros. does better, Mario Kart does better, Pokemon does better, and even Japanese favorite Monster Hunter has been doing better. So what should Nintendo do to bring back the love, mystique, intrigue, and interest to the Legend of Zelda franchise?
End it.
The worst thing Nintendo ever did was create and announce an official timeline to the Zelda series. What that did was eliminate all debates, all theories, and all conversations as to what game fits where. Can you imagine what would have happened if they had explained what was in the briefcase in Pulp Fiction? The movie wouldn’t carry the independent classic flavor that it carries today. Sometimes a little mystery adds spice to the production. Look at what happened to Lost when it started giving away all the answers—the show stopped being the satisfactory gem that it was in Season 1 and 3 (2 was a Writer’s Guild-created mess). But with the Hyrule Historia pretty much eliminating all clouts of doubt and confusion, Zelda condensed itself into another franchise with a storyline (albeit still a great storyline, but with no wiggle room for personal theories). Now, Majora’s Mask despite all the evidence pointing that it might be about Link’s death---is part of a not-so-accepted canon timeline in the Child Link Timeline. The mystery is all gone. The mystique isn't as engaging.
Sidebar: Of course, many of you can argue that if we not take the overdramatic and drastic route and simply give Zelda to another company to work on it, it might give us a fresh take on the series and might rejuvenate it similar to how Pokemon X/Y revived the Pokemon brand with its very different look. There is a chance that all we need is a Link to the Past-like quality and image level-up to fix its placement in the gaming world. But that’s an argument I have made before, and I don’t see Nintendo handing the reigns to someone else…
But we can shove Zelda back into the limelight with a Hail Mary idea: give it a trilogy, its final three games for the WiiU or the Future Nintendo System. Give the gamers one last rousing, massive Link-led adventure that will span multiple games, multiple worlds, and maybe even multiple storylines. End all the timelines, end all the canon, and put the final chapter into the legendary hero’s saga. Sometimes knowing where the finish line is allows for the creators to throw everything left in the tank to create a memorable finale. It will shove Zelda right back into the gaming conversation knowing that the end is definitely near.
The Final Zelda Games can tie up all loose ends, can wrap up the entire tale in a nice package, and can give us one final showdown between Link and Ganon. It can give gamers one final chance to say good-bye to all the worlds they had visited over the years, far beyond the regions of Hyrule. All the memorable characters and villains can make one final appearance. And finally, it would give closure to the interesting and complex relationship Link and Zelda have. This final trilogy will allow for the Legend of Zelda to end on its own terms, instead of just dragging along its legacy through the dirt like Capcom’s Mega Man or Rareware’s Banjo-Kazzoie (Both used to be huge and successful, now has-beens).
Of course, this idea will never be accepted. A good percentage of you will disagree with me. Extremely sure Nintendo will continue to create Zelda games for as long as they don’t flop like Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Even though it does not sell anywhere near as much as Pokemon, it still does make money...just not 90s Zelda money.
Financially, it may not be the best move. But in terms of quality, I think it’s time to end Zelda, give it a final (epic) bow, and place it into Nintendo’s vault, where it can someday rise again and start from scratch.
Because of course, we will have to reboot and restart The Legend of Zelda a decade later….
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