ALL product people should play Zelda BOTW and TOTK

Why? To learn how to improve and evolve product features! 100+ hours in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BOTW) and 40+ hours in its heiress, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (TOTK), made me realize that this specific game might be one of the best examples of how product features should evolve year after year. Young startups or mature enterprises, the truth is simple for all: when it comes to a product, growth doesn’t always mean adding more and more features. Sometimes, the smartest move is to just better what already exists. Look at Nintendo and the transition from The Legend of Zelda: BOTW to TOTK. The core abilities of Link, the main character of both games, in BOTW, laid the groundwork for exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat. Still, the team elevated those foundations, offering players new ways to interact with the world in TOTK. The result? Millions of copies of the game sold. And happy fans, of course. Nintendo’s choice to upgrade the main character’s abilities came from a few crucial factors: - Fan engagement: players loved the freedom that BOTW’s core abilities provided, but Nintendo saw room to add more depth and flexibility to these mechanics. - Technological progress: as the Nintendo Switch matured, developers could make use of the hardware in new ways to make the gameplay more expansive. - Creative potential: the development team saw opportunities to give players even more tools for creativity, allowing an even better experience in the sequel. The result of these thoughtful upgrades was huge success for Nintendo. For gamers all over the world, TOTK not only met the expectations set by BOTW but exceeded them by offering deeper gameplay mechanics, a more immersive world, and new tools for player creativity. The game received rave reviews for its innovations, selling millions of copies in its first few weeks of release and solidifying itself as one of the top games in the series. So, what can product teams learn from Nintendo’s approach to evolving Link’s core abilities? ↔️ Expand, don’t replace Focus on refining your product’s most important features. Look for ways to enhance their versatility and functionality rather than simply adding more. 🌱 Nourish creativity Just like Ultrahand in TOTK empowers players to be creators, think about how your product can empower users to explore new possibilities with the tools they already have. ☝️ Upgrade with purpose Each ability upgrade in TOTK was designed to offer more flexibility and engagement. When upgrading your product, make sure the changes provide meaningful benefits to your users. Feel free to let me know what drives your product evolution in the comments below!