Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Achieves Major Popularity Milestone

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has achieved a remarkable feat, topping the most wishlisted games of the summer showcase season. This achievement surpasses major titles such as Doom: The Dark Ages, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and even fellow Nintendo heavyweight Metroid Prime 4.

The recent Nintendo Direct generated significant excitement among Zelda fans. While the Switch 2 was absent, the Direct unveiled anticipated titles like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, along with the surprising announcement of the player-controlled Zelda game. For years, Zelda fans have clamored for a main series entry where Zelda is playable, a request seemingly ignored by Nintendo until now. The upcoming Switch title fulfills this long-held desire, and the anticipation is palpable.

GamesIndustry.Biz reports that Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom outperformed all other major summer 2024 reveals on IGN Playlist, a game tracking platform. Data from May 30th to June 23rd, focusing solely on showcase reveals, places Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom at #1, followed by Doom: The Dark Ages and Astro Bot. Gears of War: E-Day and Perfect Dark round out the top five.

Top Wishlisted Games May 30 – June 23 (via IGN Playlist)

1. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Nintendo)
2. Doom: The Dark Ages (Bethesda)
3. Astro Bot (Sony)
4. Gears of War: E-Day (Xbox)
5. Perfect Dark (Xbox)
6. Mario & Luigi: Brothership (Nintendo)
7. Assassin's Creed Shadows (Ubisoft)
8. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Kepler Interactive)
9. Fable (Xbox)
10. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (Nintendo)
11. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Activision Blizzard)
12. Dragon Age: The Veilguard (EA)
13. South of Midnight (Xbox)
14. Lego Horizon Adventures (Sony)
15. Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Square Enix)
16. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Bethesda)
17. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (Konami)
18. Star Wars Outlaws (Ubisoft)
19. Super Mario Party Jamboree (Nintendo)
20. Mixtape (Annapurna Interactive)
21. Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
22. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake (Square Enix)
23. Dragon Quest 1&2 HD-2D Remake (Square Enix)
24. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (Nintendo)
25. Avowed (Xbox)

While this wishlist ranking doesn't guarantee commercial success, it strongly suggests significant fan interest. Beyond spin-offs like Hyrule Warriors and Super Smash Bros., Zelda has historically played a limited role, often requiring rescue. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom offered increased involvement, but still fell short of fans' desire to play as Zelda saving Hyrule.

Whether Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will meet expectations remains to be seen. However, its rapid ascent to the top of the wishlist is a testament to fan anticipation. The game's success in surpassing titles ranging from remakes like Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake to new entries in established franchises such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, makes its future performance particularly intriguing.