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. Yang described the franchise’s position at the time as being in “dire straits,” challenging the argument that Nintendo abandoned its traditional formula when the series was performing at its peak.
Their comments offer additional context for Nintendo’s decision to overhaul the franchise with Breath of the Wild, which went on to become one of the company’s biggest commercial successes.
Former Employees Recall Zelda’s Declining Popularity
During the podcast, Ellis pushed back against claims that Nintendo abandoned traditional 3D Zelda games when the franchise was at the height of its popularity.
Yang described the situation bluntly, saying the series was “in dire straits.” Ellis agreed, recalling the audience research he encountered while working at Nintendo.
He explained:
“The fan base is dwindling, this is not bringing in new players. We had so much data of like every game, it was fewer, the interest from the audience was getting smaller and smaller.”
According to Ellis, the declining interest made a dramatic change necessary. Nintendo ultimately reworked the established formula instead of continuing to release traditional entries that were struggling to attract new audiences.
Breath of the Wild Transformed Zelda’s Commercial Performance
Nintendo’s decision to reinvent the franchise proved successful with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Released in 2017 for Nintendo Switch and Wii U, the open-world adventure introduced a different approach to exploration and player freedom.
According to Nintendo’s official sales data, Breath of the Wild had sold 34.28 million copies on Nintendo Switch alone as of September 30, 2026.
Nintendo’s own investor materials also highlighted the dramatic growth in Zelda software sales during the Switch generation compared with earlier entries.
The figures help explain why Nintendo’s decision to change the formula became such an important turning point for the franchise.
