The first Hyrule Warriors was originally releasedfor the Nintendo Wii U in August of 2014. An enhanced version of the game was then released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2016, and got one last revision in the form of Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition for the Nintendo Switch, which released in 2018.
While both titles share the same name, however, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is not a sequel to the Nintendo Wii U title, but it does follow the same hack and slash formula, while serving as a prequel to the story seen in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Players could consider Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja's Hyrule Warriors a series of hack and slash games that are based on The Legend of Zelda series, and they wouldn't be objectively wrong, but some of the higher ups at Nintendo don't really think this is the case; nor that it will be in the future.
In a recent interview with IGN, The Legend of Zelda Series Producer Eiji Aonuma mentioned that Nintendo isn't really planning on making Hyrule Warriors an ongoing series, and that the recently released Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a little bit more of a fluke.
"I do think circumstances could align like this again," revealed Aonuma when referring to Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, "but I don't think we're expecting this to become a series. We'd make that decision based on its creative merits, just like we did this time."
Koei Tecmo's Yosuke Hayashi adds that "I think it depends on whether we get an idea that'll make all the fans happy!", leaving the door open for future collaborations, but making no promises.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity isn't a traditional The Legend of Zelda game by any means, but fans are still enjoying every second of it regardless.
Hopefully sales will properly reflect that hack and slash titles based on The Legend of Zelda are more than profitable, especially when they piggyback off best-selling titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, while still adding something new to the lore.
Join the struggle that brought Hyrule to its knees. Learn more about Zelda, the four Champions, the King of Hyrule, and more through dramatic cutscenes as they try to save the kingdom from Calamity. Play the Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity game to see firsthand what happened 100 years ago.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is currently available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.