Former Nintendo Employees Say Zelda Was “In Dire Straits” Before Breath of the Wild, With Declining Sales and Fan Interest Forcing a Major Change

Former Nintendo of America employees Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang have explained why Nintendo moved away from the traditional 3D The Legend of Zelda formula before releasing Breath of the Wild. According to the pair, the franchise was struggling to attract new players, with audience interest and sales declining before the 2017 release. Speaking during their November 12 podcast, Ellis recalled attending Nintendo focus groups where the company’s research showed that fewer people were interested in each new Zelda release.…