Zelda Director and Producer Discuss Future of Game Series

In a recent interview with Game Informer, Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma and director Hidemaro Fujibayashi shared their thoughts on the future of the Legend of Zelda series, stating that the next game is unlikely to be a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Instead, the team is looking to “create something new.”

During the interview, Aonuma and Fujibayashi addressed the potential return of TOTK’s iconic Ultrahand in future games, indicating that they would rather focus on creating new elements for the series.

When asked about the possibility of a sequel to Tears of the Kingdom, Aonuma expressed doubt, stating, “Well, that would be a sequel to a sequel, which is getting a little bit wild when you think about it! With Tears of the Kingdom, we were seeking to build on top of the world we created with Breath of the Wild and really exhaust the possibilities of what we could put into that world.”

Reflecting on the development process for Tears of the Kingdom, Aonuma explained, “You know, first putting all of our ideas in and then being very selective about what we wanted to remain, removing all of the parts that didn’t make sense or didn’t fit perfectly. This game, then, is the result of that selection process.”

As for the Zelda timeline, the developers acknowledged the fans’ enjoyment of theorizing about where each game fits into the timeline but emphasized that they do not want to feel restricted or constrained by detailed placement within the timeline during the development process.

With the conclusion of Tears of the Kingdom, fans are left wondering what the future holds for the Zelda universe. Aonuma and Fujibayashi’s comments have shed light on their intentions to continue innovating and creating new experiences for players in the upcoming Zelda titles.