Nintendo Sells 5.2 Million Zelda Ocarina of Time Copies in 4 Days

Q: Despite record sales and a 96 Metacritic score, why are hardcore fans furious about the new Ocarina of Time remake?

Hardcore fans are angry not because the remake is bad, but because many think Nintendo played it too safe while charging a premium price. The main complaint is that the Switch 2 version is seen as too faithful to the 1998 game. Longtime players expected a bigger reimagining or substantial bonus content, but instead got what many describe as an almost “1:1” remake with modern graphics, smoother controls, voice acting, and quality-of-life upgrades rather than major new ideas. A bigger source of frustration is difficulty and content cuts. Veteran fans say some dungeons, puzzles, enemy behaviors, hazards, and navigation challenges were simplified, making the game easier and more hand-holding than the original. The missing Master Quest mode — the harder remixed version many expected — has become a flashpoint, especially because datamined files suggest Nintendo may add it later as DLC rather than including it at launch. Some purists also dislike specific design choices, including the new camera and control feel, inventory and item management changes, added voice acting, expanded cutscenes, and what they see as a softened tone compared with the darker mood of the N64 original. So the backlash is largely from die-hard fans who believe the remake is polished but overly cautious: excellent for newcomers, but not ambitious or demanding enough for players who wanted the definitive hardcore edition.

3 articles · Updated · Nintendo · Nov 11

More than 5.2 million copies of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Switch 2 sold worldwide in the four days after its Nov. 5 launch, Nintendo said.
That made the remake Nintendo’s fastest-selling first-party Switch 2 game globally and in the U.S., Canada and Latin America, based on the company’s internal digital and physical sales data.
The release revives the 1998 Nintendo 64 game with reworked visuals, orchestral music, voice acting, expanded cutscenes and updated camera and movement controls.
Nintendo tied the launch to the Zelda franchise’s 40th anniversary, a broader campaign that also includes a 2027 concert tour and a live-action film due April 30, 2027.