Summary
Hyrule Warriorswas a uniqueZeldarelease. Rather than following the traditional formula, this spin-off let players control a range of characters from the series and even sported hack-and-slash gameplay, just likeDynasty Warriors.
Now, it turns out thatNintendoof America was fearful it was too much of a departure from the usual Zelda games, and thought it would hurt the series. That’s at least according to Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, two podcasters who used to work at Nintendo of America.
Hyrule Warriors Could Have Been Japanese-Exclusive
As reported byNintendo Everything, Ellis and Yang brought up this story on the latest episode of their podcast, sharing what they saw at Nintendo when Hyrule Warriors was being localised for release outside of Japan.
“The original Hyrule Warriors … it was definitely eye-opening at the time,” says Ellis. “Like, oh wait what? You’re combining Zelda with Dynasty Warriors?
“Within NOA [Nintendo of America] there was a lot of worry [that] this game’s not going to be good or this is going to drop the status of Zelda. Like maybe we should just tell Japan we’re not going to put it out and just keep it in Japan.”
Ellis and Yang add that whoever had these hang-ups at Nintendo of America eventually “got over it”, clearing the path for Hyrule Warriors to launch internationally.
It’s safe to say that this was a good move on Nintendo of America’s part, as the game certainly found its fans. It spawned a couple of ports to both theNintendo 3DSandSwitchafter itsWii Udebut. We even got another Hyrule Warriors title in 2020 calledHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, although this one was based on theBreath of the Wild-era incarnations of the characters.
If this story is true, then it’s possible that Hyrule Warriors' success in the West has warmed Nintendo of America to other departures from traditional Zelda games. Of course, Breath of the Wild andTears of the Kingdomare unique enough in their own right, but it remains to be seen if the series ever dips its toe back into Dynasty Warriors-like gameplay again, or any other kind of spin-off.
