The Legend of Zeldahas been one of Nintendo’s flagship franchises essentially since its 1986 debut. Over the last 39 years, there have been 20 mainlineLegend of Zeldareleases spread across at least 10 different Nintendo consoles, accompanied by eight HD remasters or ports. But despite these numbers, fans are often left wanting more fromThe Legend of Zelda.
TheLegend of Zeldafranchise tends to release at least one new game every two years or so, occasionally with a remaster or port coming in between. While some fans enjoy the breathing room betweenZeldareleases, others would prefer the series' releases to be a bit more frequent. Nintendo might be able to strike an even better compromise between these two parties by doubling down onnon-canonLegend of Zeldaspinoffsin a similar vein to titles likeCadence of HyruleandHyrule Warriors.
The Argument for The Legend of Zelda to Receive More Non-Canon Spinoffs
More Spinoffs Would Continue to Cement Zelda as a Flagship Nintendo Franchise
WhileThe Legend of Zeldais very much a flagship franchise for Nintendo, and has been for decades, it’s not quite as prolific asMario. While the gap betweenmainlineMarioentriescan occasionally be upwards of five years, there are so manyMariospinoffs in the works at all time that it’s almost guaranteed that at least one newMariogame of some kind will be released every year.
Whether it’s one ofMario’s multiple different sports series,a newMario Kartentry, a new 2D or 3DMario, or something even more disconnected from the rest of the franchise like aLuigi’s MansionorWarioWare, there’s always a newMariogame on the horizon to look forward to. Though theLegend of Zeldafranchise is very popular and many of its characters are well-known in the gaming world, the series might still benefit from more consistent exposure.
The Legend of Zelda Franchise is Ripe for More Diverse Experiences
TheLegend of Zeldais a sprawling fantasy franchise that’s worn many different faces over the years, being a top-down dungeon-crawler, a 3D action-adventure game, a revolutionary open-world title, and so much more over the years. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg of whatThe Legend of Zeldacould be.
Previously releasedZeldaspinoffs likeCadence of Hyrule,Hyrule Warriors, and evenLink’s Crossbow Traininghave all shown just how diversetheLegend of Zeldafranchisecan be when it’s allowed to explore different gameplay genres, and when its developers don’t need to worry about keeping all of its content 100% canon.
Some ofHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamityis technically considered canon, though its story is generally taken with a pinch of salt by fans.
There’s no shortage of possibilities forZeldaspinoffs. Nintendo could experiment with aZeldafighting game or a side-scrolling beat-em-up. Even aZelda-themed sports game could work if it was given enough in-universe context. There are also plenty of developers under Nintendo’s umbrella that could be given theZeldaIP to experiment with, such as ArtePiazza, the studio behind 2023’sSuper Mario RPGremake, orWarioWare’s Intelligent Systems.
It Would Probably Be Financially Beneficial for Nintendo to Release More Zelda Spinoffs
A surprisingly low number ofZeldaspinoffs have been released over the last few decades. Aside from theinfamously terribleZeldaCD-i gamesand a few Tingle-led DS games, the only spinoffs have been the aforementionedCadence of Hyrule,Link’s Crossbow Training, and the twoHyrule Warriorstitles.
But all of these spinoffs have performed fairly well, at least as far as the gaming public is aware.Link’s Crossbow Trainingis believed to have sold around 5.7 million copies,Hyrule Warriorsand all of its various definitive editions and ports sold almost 2 million copies, and the most recentZeldaspinoff,Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, is confirmed to have sold over 4 million units. These spinoffs aren’t pulling inZelda: Breath of the Wildnumbers (32.29 million as of September 2024), but they’re nothing to scoff at either, being about on par with many ofMario’s sports spinoffs.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
WHERE TO PLAY
Join the struggle that brought Hyrule to its knees. Learn more about Zelda, the four Champions, the King of Hyrule and more through dramatic cutscenes as they attempt to save the kingdom from Calamity. The Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity game is the only way to see firsthand what happened 100 years ago.Battle hordes of Hyrule’s most formidable foes.From barbaric Bokoblins to towering Lynels, menacing monsters have emerged in droves. In addition to Link and Zelda, take control of characters like the four Champions and a young Impa. Use their distinct abilities to carve through hundreds of enemies to save Hyrule from the impending Calamity.
