Zelda: Wisdom Echoes Surges to New Heights

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom's meteoric rise to the top of summer's most wishlisted games is a significant achievement. It's surpassed major titles including Doom: The Dark Ages, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and even fellow Nintendo powerhouse Metroid Prime 4.

The recent Nintendo Direct announcement ignited a frenzy among Zelda fans. While the Switch 2 was absent, the Direct delivered highly anticipated reveals like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and the surprise unveiling of a Zelda-centric title. For years, fans have clamored for a main series game where Zelda is playable, a request seemingly ignored by Nintendo until now. The new Switch title fulfills this long-held desire, generating considerable excitement.

Data from GamesIndustry.Biz, referencing IGN Playlist's activity tracker (May 30th - June 23rd, focusing solely on showcase reveals), confirms Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom's top spot. Doom: The Dark Ages follows in second, with Astro Bot in third. Gears of War: E-Day and Perfect Dark round out the top five.

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 player interest. Beyond side titles like Hyrule Warriors and Super Smash Bros., Zelda has primarily been a non-playable character, often relegated to a damsel-in-distress role. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom offered increased involvement, but still fell short for fans wanting to play as the Princess saving Hyrule.

Whether Echoes of Wisdom lives up to the hype remains to be seen, but its early popularity is undeniable. Its success in surpassing remasters (Metal Gear Solid Delta, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake) and new entries in established franchises (Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Dragon Age: The Veilguard) is noteworthy. The coming months will reveal how these games perform compared to their wishlist positions.