Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Surpasses Milestone in Search Rankings

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has already achieved remarkable success, topping the most wishlisted games of the summer showcase season. This new Zelda title has even outpaced major contenders like Doom: The Dark Ages, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and fellow Nintendo powerhouse Metroid Prime 4.

The recent Nintendo Direct announcement generated immense excitement among Zelda fans. While the Switch 2 remained absent, the Direct delivered eagerly awaited reveals, including Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and the surprising unveiling of a Zelda-centric title. For years, Zelda fans have clamored for a main series game featuring a playable Zelda, a request seemingly ignored by Nintendo until now. The new Switch game fulfills this long-held desire, and the anticipation is palpable.

GamesIndustry.Biz reports that Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has dominated other major summer 2024 reveals on the IGN Playlist, a game tracking service. Based on data from May 30th to June 23rd, and focusing solely on showcase-revealed titles, Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom secured the #1 spot. Doom: The Dark Ages followed in second, with Astro Bot in third. Rounding out the top five were Gears of War: E-Day and Perfect Dark.

Top Wishlisted Games (May 30th – June 23rd, 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., playable Zelda has been largely absent from main series titles, typically relegated to a damsel-in-distress role. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom offered more involvement, but still didn't fully satisfy fans wanting to play as Zelda and save Hyrule.

Whether Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom can meet the high expectations remains to be seen. However, its rapid ascent to the top of the wishlist indicates substantial fan confidence. Its success surpasses not only remasters and remakes (e.g., Metal Gear Solid Delta, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake), but also new entries in established franchises (e.g., Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Dragon Age: The Veilguard). The coming months will be crucial in observing how these games perform relative to this initial wishlist popularity.