When Eric Kozlowsky was hired by Retro Studios, it resulted in rumors that the team was developing a new Zelda game. The artist had previously worked on PlayStation’s Uncharted series, and for some reason, that led fans to make a connection. However, Kozlowsky and Retro Studios were actually working on Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and when the game was officially unveiled, many Zelda fans trashed it because they were hoping for something else. In a new interview with the Kiwi Talkz podcast, Kozlowsky revealed how that rumor caused frustration for the development team.
“Sometimes it’s frustrating because it creates [false expectations]. And I think that happened when we announced Tropical Freeze. You know, everyone was like ‘they’re working on a Zelda game, they’re working on a Zelda game,’ but like nope. And we announced Tropical Freeze and it looks phenomenal and it’s gorgeous looking and then people are like ‘oh but it’s another Donkey Kong.’ And then you know people are s**ting on it on Neogaf or whatever and you’re like ‘oh man well because everyone yeah, thought we were doing a Zelda game and it’s like no, that’s not what we do.’ So yeah it’s a bit both: sometimes we laugh at it, sometimes it gets frustrating when it kind of carries on for a little bit too long,” said Kozlowsky.
Kozlowsky’s comments are an interesting window into how rumors spread, and how that can negatively impact a game’s reception. While Tropical Freeze might not have been the game many fans were hoping to see revealed, it received strong critical praise upon its release. It has to be frustrating to put hard work into something, only for the internet to react with disappointment based on inaccurate rumors. It’s impossible to control how fans will react to a game’s announcement, but hopefully that situation taught some fans the importance of keeping their expectations in check!
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is available on Wii U and Nintendo Switch.
Are you a fan of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze? Have internet rumors gotten your expectations too high for games? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk about all things gaming!