Interest in The Legend of Zelda was "getting smaller and smaller" before Breath of the Wild, according to former Nintendo marketing leads

Before the release of Breath of the Wild, the Legend of Zelda series was struggling, according to former Nintendo marketing leads Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang. The beloved franchise had seen a decline in interest, with each new entry selling fewer copies than its predecessor. Ocarina of Time's recent remake was a massive success, becoming the fastest-selling Switch game, but it also sparked debate about the direction the series should take.

Ellis and Yang explained that the Zelda team was facing a dark moment in focus groups, with feedback indicating that the fan base was dwindling and the series was not attracting new players. They had to make a significant change, and the release of Breath of the Wild marked that turning point. The game's success was unprecedented, selling over 34 million copies just one console generation after its release.

This success spawned a sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, and influenced the latest 2D Zelda game, Echoes of Wisdom. Despite the series' resurgence, Ellis expressed hope that Nintendo would incorporate Zelda's curated dungeons into future mainline games.