Do you think you could ever get burnt out on new Zelda games?

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

Not long ago on the ZD SB...

[5:01 PM] Spiritual Mask Salesman: Maybe
[5:00 PM] BlackWolf//WhiteAngel: What a lovely world that would be if we could get a new zelda every year
[4:59 PM] Spiritual Mask Salesman: Ports of Zelda games are going to have to be done because I doubt they are going to fufill that goal of 1 zelda game for switch each year by making a new game ever year.

And then there was inspiration!

The gap between new three dimensional home console Zelda games can sometimes feel long. Normally we'll wait about 5-6 years between the releases. We usually get 1 or 2 new 2D, or handheld games inbetween, but the majority of material is ports or remakes of old Zelda games.

The question I propose, what if we started to get new Zelda games each year in a succession? It seems like it'd be great, but it could end up becoming a bad thing too. Fans could end up getting burnt out on the series. I was never very invested into Assassin's Creed, but it got to where there was a new release each year, and from what I heard fans started to get bored with the series. Any series is at a similar risk when it is putting out new games annually, because it could be hard to make new games that really stand out compared to the previous games, I suppose.

Maybe a new Zelda game annually could be a great thing, but it could also end up being a bad thing, and I almost feel like the outcome could only turn out bad.

Do you think you'd get burnt out with Zelda if this actually happened?

 

[Spirit]

Zelda is my favourite series so I always look foward to another game.

I don't think I'd get burned out on annual releases of original titles.

My problem is every annual series begins to suffer in quality eventually.

"A rushed game is forever bad...."

 

[Dio]

A game every five years has turned out to be a bad thing seeing as I haven't seen a good new Zelda release in 12 years. Maybe with a greater frequency there would be more opportunities for a good one.

Still the series would get burned out eventually like COD and Ass Creed. I don't even pay attention to new releases anymore for those because there is always a new one every year and I actually used to like those franchises. Now I don't care because there doesn't seem to be as much effort put in to each new release.

A big game every 2-3 years seems better.

 

[beste-spellen]

Please, not a new Zelda game every year. Creating good games costs time, and we can see at other developers (EA, Activision, etc.) that yearly releases generally do not deliver quality. Besides, other developers also show that taking your time for a game can deliver some epic results (e.g. Rockstar).

I do not think that it is even possible to create a good Zelda game from te ground up every year. If Nintendo really wanted to do this, they would have to set up two separate teams that can work individually on each Zelda title for 2 years.

 

[Cfrock]

The big problem with annual releases is that each sequel tends to be an iterative one rather than an innovative one. One of the things I like about the Zelda franchise is that each new game feels somewhat fresh and distinct. I don't always like them. Like @Deus, every game released since Twilight Princess has been a big let down (the only exception for me being A Link Between Worlds). But even though I didn't like these games I didn't like them for entirely different reasons. I know I sound like I'm going crazy, but what I mean is that by having these long gaps between releases I know each new Zelda game will be unlike the others, it'll be unique amongst its peers. That does carry the risk of not liking any Zelda games for over a decade, but I'd take that over spending £400 to play the same game ten times in a row and like it less each time. I think I'd get sick of annual Zelda games pretty fast.

 

[Vanessa28]

Personally I would never get burned out with the series. But as others already said, it could become a problem. If Nintendo was to rush to make a new zelda game every year, I count on it to be a massive disappointment. Maybe I'm wrong and maybe they do surprise me here but I doubt it. Or maybe it could work the opposite way and they actually make decent games but april fools day is still 4 months away

 

[HeroOfTime]

Probably. The 5-6 year wait time really adds to the magic I feel when a new one comes out. If I got one every year, I know I'd certainly lose some interest. I like what Nintendo's been doing, a big home console game every 4-6 years, and having one on their portable consoles a bit more frequently. They seemed to stagger pretty well that way. I'm actually a little annoyed that the Switch may be replacing the main handhold consoles, as it may ruin that trend.

Spoiler

The Legend of Zelda - 1986
The Legend of Zelda II - 1987
A Link to the Past - 1991
Link's Awakening - 1993
Ocarina of Time - 1998
Majora's Mask - 2000
Oracle of Seasons - 2001
Oracle of Ages - 2001
The Wind Waker - 2002
The Minish Cap - 2004
Twilight Princess - 2006
Phantom Hourglass - 2007
Spirit Tracks - 2009
Skyward Sword - 2011
A Link Between Worlds - 2013
Tri Force Heroes - 2015 (If you agree that it's a real Zelda game...)
Breath of the Wild - 2017

Since the 2000s, we've gotten one every two years, and the only ones I've had a real issue with are SS and BotW. Now that I think about it though, my favorite game so far, Majora's Mask, was developed as a challenge within a year, and I use every excuse I can think of to play it. On the contrary, Breath of the Wild has taken 6 years, the longest one so far, and it's easily my least favorite AAA game. Maybe I could still enjoy games released at that pace, but I think Majora's Mask was a once-in-a-lifetime miracle...

My dream scenario would be if they were to make a new handheld console and continue what they've been doing, but if the Switch really replaces these, there's not much of any chance for that to happen. Whatever the future, though, I'm going to continue enjoying the past Zelda library on my superior Wii U virtual console.

 

[Sheikah_Witch]

I remember when Mario was annual for a bit

2009 - New Super Mario Bros. Wii
2010 - Super Mario Galaxy 2
2011 - Super Mario 3D Land
2012 - New Super Mario Bros. 2 (and u)
2013 - Super Mario 3D world

... And 3 of those games are abosolutely fantastic! (SMG2 is a classic Imo) I guess it's different with Mario since they're kinda shorter and sweeter and lend themselves to a more annual feel. Zelda I think wouldn't really work that way.

unless it was something , like really switching up. Like;


2020 - New, big mainline 3D
2021- Spinoff in the BotW world.
2022 - Hyrule Warriors 2.
2023- New, big mainline 3D
2024 - Oracle games reimagining

 

[NoRush]

I gotta say, I know I'm going directly against Nintendo's quotes here (maybe it's from Eiji Aonuma or Miyamoto himself) when I say that storyline should be the focus of a Zelda game.
- Any - Zelda game.

I know that the 2 persons mentioned above stated that story only comes in 2nd to exploration (which I am not against), but when it comes to the op's question, story needs to be the #1 consideration. There is so so much possibility for depth and breadth with a Zelda game that there literally need not be ANY dissapointing game in the entire series. Yet...there are. And that's because games tend to focus on innovation that is created & supported by the console the game was released on. But even this key feature of Nintendo - innovation - needs to take a back seat to Story when it comes to the Zelda series.

Take the time to make a Zelda game - whether its 2D, 3D on a handheld or any home console - where an encyclopedia-sized guide can be written for it and you've got yourself an entire new lore and fandom to explore that lore. The only real consideration here is money. Nintendo is a company and it's in the business of making money. If they can get by with making money by seeling sub-par games frequently, with only "full" or "whole" "super Zelda" titles every few years....that's exactly what they're gonna do. They already found the key to success so why change it?

But as a fan, where my imaginations can come true free of economic limitations and business/consumer realities...yes, a new Zelda game every few years, and yes to the op's question. As someone who has nearly no interest in playing manyof the Zelda titles, yet who started out with AoL and AlttP, I feel that that speaks volumes to the fact that quality over quantity is they way Nintendo should work the Zelda series and the Zelda world.

 

[Castle]

Already happened to me a loooooooooong time ago

It has nothing to do with timing - Lord knows ninty takes their good ol' sweet time releasing new Zelda installments - but rather the near total lack of quality.