Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is one of the big first-party titles coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 later this year, but it was originally being developed for its predecessor. Nintendo and Koei Tecmo announced a sequel to 2020’s Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct in April, and it will once again pit Link and the other heroes of Hyrule against massive waves of enemies in the style of the Dynasty Warriors series. There is currently no release date set for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment aside from a vague Winter 2025 launch window.
While the gaming world waits for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, they might be surprised to learn that it has something in common with another major Switch 2 game that is already out: Mario Kart World. As revealed by producer Kosuke Yabuki, he and his team had started workshopping ideas for another Mario Kart game during the development of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and had originally envisioned Mario Kart World as a game on the original Switch. However, Mario Kart World’s massive 24-player races proved too much for the old Switch’s hardware, and it eventually became the Switch 2 launch title fans are enjoying today.
Related
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Is Already Proof of HW’s Importance as a Sub-Series
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity may seem like little more than a no-frills spin-off, but it plays an important role in the broader Zelda story.
In a new interview with Famitsu (as translated by Nintendo Everything), AAA Studio head Yosuke Hayashi revealed that Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment was also being planned for the original Nintendo Switch in its early development stages. He says that he isn’t sure exactly when the decision was made, but about midway through development, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment was transferred to the Switch 2.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Was Originally Being Developed for the Switch
According to Hayashi, the move to the Nintendo Switch 2 significantly shook up Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, making the game “more fun” than it would have been had it remained on the original Switch. He says that the frame rate and the number of enemies that could appear on screen were dramatically bolstered by the Switch 2’s improved hardware, much to the surprise of Hayashi and his team. Since the main appeal of Dynasty Warriors and its spin-offs is the feeling of tearing through entire armies, one could see how this boost would benefit Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.
As mentioned before, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment doesn’t have an official release date yet, though fans have been theorizing that it could come out in November since Nintendo tends to release a new major first-party title around that time every year. When it does finally launch, players will get to experience the improved scope of combat that Hayashi was talking about when he revealed that Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment was once developed for the original Switch.