Zelda: Ocarina of Time Producer Doesn’t Want Nintendo’s Next Generation To Rely on BotW’s Ideas

Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series has remained relevant for 40 years, a streak that the Switch 2’s new Ocarina of Time remake is already set to continue. If you’re looking to understand how a game series stays fresh for four decades, part of that answer can be found in the series’ constant reinvention. The Zelda series has a long history of evolving with each new installment, sometimes making radical left turns that upend an established formula. For the series’ producers, that’s very much by design.

In an interview with Polygon, producer Hidemaro Fujibayashi explained why Zelda games tend to change rather than stick to one formula. For the series’ producers, a lot of it comes down to the creative freedom that gives the series a natural "malleability," according to Fujibayashi.

“Take, for example, on the Nintendo 64, the game went from 2D to 3D or the addition of a control stick to really be able to navigate a 3D world,” Fujibayashi told Polygon. “When it came to the Wii with Skyward Sword, you were able to use gesture controls to swing the sword. And when it came to titles like Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, you have this vast freedom that really breaks away from traditional, course-charted paths. All of that to say that these are all ideas or nuggets of ideas that developers at that time feel like, okay, this is going to be fun. This has potential. And I feel like Zelda creates this foundation, this arena where developers can bring those ideas and actually bring them to life and realize that.”

That philosophy is currently top of mind for Fujibayashi as the Zelda series enters a new era. For Ocarina of Time, the series’ long-time producers worked with many fresh developers, some of whom weren’t very familiar with the original game. When working with those developers, Fujibayashi said that he encourages the team not to simply take notes from previous games.

“A lot of times, the question I have when I talk to younger staff is like, ‘Is that going to be fun?’” Fujibayashi said. “Or I would say sometimes, ‘Well, I think we did that in Breath of the Wild. I think we touched that on Tears of Kingdom. I feel like I saw it in Ocarina of Time.’ These are just examples, I don't actually directly say that. But this is the kind of probing and discussion that we do with the team such that they don't feel like they need to pull from an already existing pool of ideas that Zelda has plotted.”

It’s an interesting comment, considering that the future of Zelda is currently a mystery. Many fans assume that the series will continue Breath of the Wild’s open-world design, just as Tears of the Kingdom did. But Fujibayashi’s comments suggest that the next Zelda game could be another radical departure if that’s what inspires the young developers working on the project. Whatever the next installment looks like, it’s same to assume that it won’t be exactly what you’re expecting.

You can read our full interview with Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi, where the producers also discussed the Ocarina of Time remake’s bold art style, the timeless joy of Hyrule Field, and the Zelda games that mean the most to them.