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

The recent Nintendo Direct announcement generated considerable excitement among Zelda fans. While the Switch 2 was absent, the Direct included highly anticipated reveals like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and the surprising announcement of a Zelda-led 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 title fulfills this long-standing 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 analyzing data from May 30th to June 23rd, focusing solely on showcase-revealed titles. Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom secured the #1 spot, 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 relegated to damsel-in-distress scenarios. 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 lives up to the hype remains to be seen, but its early popularity is undeniable. Its success in surpassing remasters (like Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake) and new entries in established franchises (Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Dragon Age: The Veilguard) is noteworthy. The coming months will reveal how these games ultimately perform against this initial wishlist momentum.