Eiji Aonuma: I Wanted Nintendo’s Own Zelda to Be the Switch 2 Debut, But This Collaboration Sparked New Inspiration
For Nintendo, having The Legend of Zelda stand at the very forefront of a new console launch is almost a tradition. However, this time the situation is a bit different.
In a recent interview with Japanese media outlet 4Gamer, series producer Eiji Aonuma admitted that he originally hoped a mainline Zelda title, developed internally by Nintendo, would serve as the "first Zelda game" on the Switch 2.
Reality, however, had other plans. That spot has been claimed by Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, developed in collaboration with Koei Tecmo.
" Age of Imprisonment is indeed the first Zelda series title to land on the Switch 2," Aonuma said half-jokingly. "Honestly, we originally wanted the one made by Nintendo itself to be the 'first' one."
His tone was lighthearted, but a hint of regret was audible.
An Unexpected Harvest
However, this feeling of "missing out on the debut" didn't turn into disappointment. Quite the opposite—this collaboration brought an unexpected harvest to the internal Nintendo team.
During the development of Age of Imprisonment, Nintendo shared a vast amount of material regarding the Zeldaworldview with Koei Tecmo. This included not only established lore but also many world concepts and narrative ideas that had been discussed internally but never made it into a mainline title. The two parties constantly exchanged opinions to ensure that all content aligned with Nintendo's overall direction for The Legend of Zelda.
It was through this process that Nintendo's development team was forced—and inspired—to deeply comb through the Zelda lore system once again.
"In the process of working with Koei Tecmo, we revisited many Zelda settings and ideas," Aonuma stated. "This collaboration really gave us some new inspiration. Perhaps these things will be reflected in the next Zelda title."
A Hidden Tease
He even issued a rather meaningful invitation to players:
While waiting for Nintendo’s next mainline Zelda, try playing Age of Imprisonment with this in mind—you might catch a glimpse of the future shadows within it.
As of now, Nintendo has not officially announced development plans for a new Legend of Zelda. However, considering Zelda, Mario, and Pokémon remain Nintendo's core pillars, it is all but certain that a new project is quietly moving forward internally.
To what extent will it absorb the experience and inspiration from this "Warriors" collaboration?
Perhaps, as Eiji Aonuma hinted, the answer is already appearing before players' eyes—we haven't fully realized it yet.
The above content is compiled by ModeZone, a fashion and entertainment magazine.
