Simple process really. Just be one of if not the first to do something and also be interesting enough for people to remember your face/look. Back that up by a company that’s already making some decent money and you’ll be golden
And once you build the brand, just keep releasing high quality installments that each have a unique mechanic. Don’t change too much at once, just enough to keep it fresh. Keep some lore, but don’t commit to any kind of actual ongoing story. Also, ideally don’t make direct sequels since that comes with the expectation of consistent lore (that’s TotK’s main mistake imo, but it didn’t hurt them).
As long as Nintendo keeps delivering quality Zelda games, I’ll keep buying them. BotW was my least favorite so far (haven’t played TotK), but I still enjoyed myself and appreciate the attempt to try something new. I’ve played many of the prior games and have enjoyed each one, and if they port the games I missed, I’d buy them. I bought Skyward Sword and Link’s Awakening on Switch, and I’ll buy more if they make them. I can’t say the same about most other franchises.
I really think the polish that goes into each game is incredible. Getting two objects to adhere to one another in a way that physics still works and they don’t immediately jiggle into another realm is a huge challenge, yet TotK put out a system that works almost flawlessly to do that very thing.
Yeah, it looks cool and I’ll probably get it eventually, but I was kind of disappointed with BotW (expected more dungeons, got exploration instead), so I’ll give it some time. I don’t really want BotW + new mechanic right now, I want traditional Zelda + new mechanic, so I bought Skyward Sword instead and absolutely love it (more than BotW BTW). If they released Windwaker and Twilight Princess for Switch, I’d buy those as well, but I’ll sit on TotK for a couple years until I’m in the mood.
