The Legend of Zelda and its protagonist, Hyperlink, reached new heights this 12 months — actually. The hero soared via the skies and plunged into the deepest depths of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The sport’s builders took their dangers, too: This time round, gamers wouldn’t simply discover but additionally assemble gadgets with Hyperlink’s new set of powers.
As quickly as gamers had Tears of the Kingdom in hand, they tinkered with Hyperlink’s newfound constructing powers to pleasant and chaotic outcomes. Followers constructed mega bridges and skateboards and, in the event that they have been expert sufficient, even Godzilla-like kaijus. Exterior the world of the sport, followers dove into Hyrule and its historical past; they theorized about what would occur and lamented misplaced romance. If Breath of the Wild set a brand new gold customary for open-world exploration in video games, Tears of the Kingdom proved once more that the workforce might discover new methods to thrill gamers. For these, and numerous different causes, Polygon named Tears of the Kingdom our high recreation of 2023.
Collectively, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom served as the right bookends for one in all Nintendo’s hottest and beloved consoles, the Nintendo Change. Roughly seven months after its launch, Polygon was in a position to sit down with longtime Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma and recreation director Hidemaro Fujibayashi to mirror on the way in which social media influences growth, the way forward for Zelda, and what it’s wish to say goodbye to the Nintendo Change.
[Ed. note: This interview was conducted through interpreters. The transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.]
Polygon: As a author, a big a part of my work is protecting what individuals do within video video games. For Tears of the Kingdom, I wrote about how individuals have been making super-long bridges to resolve all their issues within the recreation. Did the workforce see this, and what are your reactions to this manner of taking part in?
Eiji Aonuma: I used to be stunned to see what individuals have gotten as much as within the recreation. For instance, linking collectively tree trunks to attempt to attain the Sky Islands which might be up within the sky from the floor. It’s one thing that sort of blew my thoughts. I imply, there are limits to what number of objects you may put collectively. However individuals actually rushed to search out out what these limits have been, and that was shocking to me.
A giant a part of Breath of the Wild, and likewise now Tears of the Kingdom, is that each permit gamers to specific their creativity within the video games after which share it with the world. How do you think about creativity and shareability will play into future Zelda video games?
Hidemaro Fujibayashi: If you take a look at individuals posting on social media, I feel there’s an enormous overlap of a normal viewers after which additionally Zelda followers that [express their creativity]. Breath of the Wild was the primary time that, as a growth workforce, we noticed this new, added layer of enjoyment that individuals have in with the ability to share and speak about, Look what I used to be in a position to do, look what I used to be in a position to make. I feel that’s definitely one thing that was high of thoughts or one thing that we thought of when shifting into Tears of the Kingdom. This concept of with the ability to create and share is definitely a really attention-grabbing idea. If there is a chance to do one thing sooner or later, that’s one thing we’ll a minimum of be contemplating.
![An image of Link pulling a horse-drawn carriage in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KlbZmUBy8wHHs5oDvov2U2tFTjE=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25162941/TotK_3rd_33_png_jpgcopy.jpg)
Picture: Nintendo EPD
Is there ever a world the place you may think about a Zelda recreation that enables individuals to make their very own dungeons, virtually like Tremendous Mario Maker?
Aonuma: Once we’re creating video games like Tears of the Kingdom, I feel it’s vital that we don’t make creativity a requirement. As a substitute we put issues into the sport that encourage individuals to be inventive, and provides them the chance to be inventive, with out forcing them to. There are individuals who need the flexibility to create from scratch, however that’s not everybody. However I feel everybody delights within the discovery of discovering your personal means via a recreation, and that’s one thing we tried to verify was included in Tears of the Kingdom; there isn’t one proper method to play. If you’re a inventive particular person, you could have the flexibility to go down that path. However that’s not what it’s a must to do; you’re additionally in a position to proceed to the sport in lots of different other ways. And so I don’t assume that it will be a great match for The Legend of Zelda to essentially require individuals to construct issues from scratch and drive them to be inventive.
Simply to observe up on this inventive facet, is there any means that followers have performed the sport that has stunned you? Is there something that you just’ve seen constructed that has shocked you?
Aonuma: I imply, one factor for me is Godzilla. Gotta name that out. [laughs]
To proceed on that a bit bit. After I first noticed this Godzilla video, at a look, I didn’t notice that this was Tears of the Kingdom. I imply, Hyperlink isn’t even current. So it didn’t strike me like, Oh, that appears like one thing that’s just like Tears of the Kingdom. However you recognize, then watching the entire thing, I believed, That is unimaginable. You may really feel the eagerness of the one who created [this] sort of coming via the display screen. , they sort of completely recreated Godzilla in a really recognizable style. The modifying and cuts that they put in have been actually unimaginable — after which all the way in which down till the top, when Godzilla sort of disappears off into the night solar. I used to be simply stunned [to see] this sort of full bundle they’ve made out of a video like that.
![An image of Link riding a stone vehicle constructed by a player in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0bhtcKkWuU73j2dCGVXzdCqs_JQ=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25162948/TotK_3rd_40_png_jpgcopy.jpg)
Picture: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
This 12 months was particular for Zelda but additionally for the Nintendo Change. The Change opened up the chance for Nintendo to make an enormous, open, seamless world. I do know we don’t have an announcement for a brand new console but, however the Change was launched in 2017 and is probably going nearing the top of its cycle. What’s it been wish to say goodbye to this explicit console?
Aonuma: I feel this doesn’t simply apply to the Change’s life cycle, however I’m somebody who has labored at Nintendo lengthy sufficient to have been current in the course of the altering of console generations a number of instances. When one thing like that occurs, we’re all the time wanting ahead to, What can we try this’s new? What’s going to we be capable to do? What sort of new themes will we be capable to discover? And so I feel, fairly than specializing in the previous, once we’ve modified from one console to a different, it’s greater than a sense of claiming goodbye. It’s a sense of pleasure. It’s about what would be the new issues that we’ll be capable to do.
What excites you most concerning the future proper now, then?
Aonuma: As a producer who’s been concerned with the collection for a very long time, I feel it’s a miracle of kinds that this franchise I’ve labored on has continued for all these years. However that’s not one thing that I credit score myself with, however as a substitute with being surrounded by a workforce of actually proficient individuals. Attending to work with them and discussing our concepts concerning the recreation is one thing that has been chargeable for the continuance of the collection. I don’t know what the long run holds precisely, however I’m excited concerning the adjustments that we’ll be capable to accomplish collectively. And so I’m wanting ahead to persevering with this strategy of working with the workforce, and I’m positive that it’s going to proceed.
Trying again on Tears of the Kingdom, and likewise Breath of the Wild, it looks like these two video games have actually captured a brand new period of Zelda, and in a means Zelda has develop into — you recognize, no digs to Mario, I really like Mario — however in a way Zelda has develop into a particularly revered collection. I’m questioning in case you might speak about what it feels wish to work on such a treasured collection and why you assume it’s develop into so revered now.
![an image of zelda looking into the distance in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9RNID1T9nqrpdYn8puyO8Zx66Qw=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25162946/TotK_3rd_62_png_jpgcopy.jpg)
Picture: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
Fujibayashi: Clearly, the primary Legend of Zelda title was created by Mr. [Shigeru] Miyamoto. However having had the pleasure of engaged on this franchise, I feel it boils all the way down to, and it’s due to, the reactions, ideas, suggestions, and sharing of the gamers which have performed this franchise. This instantly connects to our motivation to consider, OK, what’s subsequent? What sort of gameplay expertise? What sort of expertise will we need to present the gamers?
You talked about in a earlier query, “What’s thrilling concerning the future?” And I feel this kind of ties in [with] that. The Zelda workforce is full of individuals who love to truly really feel the thrill, the enjoyment that gamers are having after they’re taking part in their video games. And on the earth of social media, that feeling of pleasure that gamers are feeding, there’s virtually a direct pipeline in that atmosphere to have that direct feed of gamers’ reactions. That atmosphere exists now. And I feel that additionally actually helps help and, once more, instantly feeds into the motivation we’ve got for making an attempt to determine what our subsequent step is. What will we need to do subsequent? And so, once we’re speaking about, you recognize, “How did this franchise develop into what it’s?” I feel a part of it’s the sort of unimaginable motivation that we’ve got to create the following step, and that’s all once more due to seeing individuals really play it, really expertise it, and really take pleasure in it.
What sorts of values do you hope to embody as you develop future installments of Zelda?
Aonuma: I feel Mr. Fujibayashi hit on one thing by saying that our motivation is derived from seeing the enjoyment that individuals get from taking part in these video games and seeing [what] they clued in on and what makes them so blissful. And I feel we want to repeat that course of, to get that feeling once more, and to take our ideas for no matter we need to make going ahead and attempt to get that response from the followers once more, to please them. Like Mr. Fujibayashi talked about, having social media now’s an effective way to have the ability to see that instantly. That mentioned, it may be intimidating at instances, as a result of understanding what the expectations are and having happy followers previously, we need to ensure that we don’t undercut these expectations. We don’t need to disappoint them. So, you recognize, I’d say that there’s a little bit of rigidity; we preserve ourselves motivated and motivated to not disappoint followers, however we additionally actually take pleasure in — and I feel this is applicable to every member of our growth workforce — [that team] actually enjoys the work of making an attempt to satisfy fan expectations and please them. And I feel we’ve actually landed on a great cycle of that now with our latest video games, and I’m actually wanting ahead to carrying that sort of course of ahead as we proceed working sooner or later.