Eiji Aonuma Hints That Next Zelda Game Will Be Inspired by Elements of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

Eiji Aonuma, the shaper of The Legend of Zelda series, precocious dropped immoderate hints astir what players tin expect from the adjacent crippled successful the bid successful an interrogation with Japanese quality tract 4Gamer. He noted that the collaboration with Koei Tecmo connected Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment whitethorn power the adjacent mainline Legend of Zelda title.

While the Wii got Twilight Princess and the Switch got Breath of the Wild arsenic motorboat titles, determination has yet to beryllium immoderate announcement astir an upcoming mainline Zelda crippled for the Switch 2. However, owners of Nintendo’s latest console bash person Hyrule Warriors: The Age of Imprisonment to play. Age of Imprisonment is the latest introduction successful a spin-off bid that combines Dynasty Warriors-style 1 vs. 1000 musou gameplay with the characters, lore, and locales of The Legend of Zelda. It allows players to acquisition the Imprisoning War that sealed distant the Demon King Ganondorf. Like erstwhile Hyrule Warriors games, Age of Imprisonment was a collaboration betwixt Koei Tecmo and Nintendo, with Koei Tecmo and its caller AAA Games Studio handling the development.

Zelda bid shaper Aonuma said that his squad wanted to beryllium the archetypal to merchandise a caller Zelda rubric connected the Switch 2, nevertheless Koei Tecmo bushed them to it. “The Legend of Zelda: Age of Imprisonment is the archetypal Zelda rubric released for the Nintendo Switch 2. To beryllium honest, we wanted to bring retired the ‘first’ (Zelda crippled connected the caller console),” helium laughed.

Commenting connected the collaboration with Koei Tecmo connected Age of Imprisonment, Hidemaro Fujibayashi (director of Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild) said: “it was incredibly fun. They ever had ideas we ne'er would person travel up with connected our own, it was genuinely stimulating.”

In turn, Age of Imprisonment’s manager Koki Aoyanagi talked astir however motivating it was to person specified affirmative reactions from the Nintendo team, saying: "since they (the Nintendo team) were playtesting the game, we wanted to springiness them large surprises and moments of awe to experience." Age of Imprisonment shaper Ryota Matsushita described the Zelda squad and Koei Tecmo’s squad arsenic being “on the aforesaid wavelength” erstwhile it came to collaborating connected the game, noting that Fujibayashi’s cognition of real-life castles enabled them to instantly recognize each different regarding however Hyrule Castle should beryllium depicted successful Age of Imprisonment.

“We aimed to harvester these 2 approaches; the Zelda-like, strategical back-and-forth of utilizing Zonai cogwheel and varied techniques against almighty foes with the exhilaration of musou (i.e. feeling mighty almighty arsenic you chopped down waves of weaker foes),” noted AAA Games Studio caput Yusuke Hayashi. Even erstwhile Nintendo’s Zelda squad gave feedback connected points of concern, Fujibayashi said that Koei Tecmo would travel backmost with “proposals that elevated it into thing adjacent better.”

Aonuma adjacent suggests that this fruitful collaboration mightiness power the adjacent mainline Zelda title. “The inspiration we received from this collaboration with Koei Tecmo whitethorn beryllium reflected successful the (next) Zelda we create. Please representation this portion playing Age of Imprisonment, and look guardant to our Zelda.”

Aonuma’s remark is mysterious, but this means that we mightiness get elements from Age of Imprisonment’s gameplay successful the adjacent mainline Zelda adventure.

In September 2023, Nintendo said it had nary plans to merchandise DLC for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and was alternatively moving connected to a marque caller crippled successful the series. However, Aonuma failed to regularisation retired a instrumentality to the Hyrule of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, perchance mounting up a 3rd game.

“In the archetypal place, the crushed I decided to marque this a sequel to the erstwhile enactment was due to the fact that I thought determination was worth successful experiencing a caller crippled successful that Hyrule place,” Aonuma said. “If that's the case, if a caller crushed arises, we mightiness instrumentality to the aforesaid satellite again. Whether it's a sequel oregon a caller work, I deliberation it's going to beryllium a wholly caller game, truthful I anticipation you're looking guardant to it.”

Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi besides chimed successful with his ain comment: “We are precise grateful that truthful galore customers person been playing Tears of the Kingdom for truthful agelong and deeply, truthful we volition bash our champion to marque the adjacent crippled adjacent much enjoyable.”

Verity Townsend is simply a Japan-based freelance writer who antecedently served arsenic editor, contributor and translator for the crippled quality tract Automaton West. She has besides written astir Japanese civilization and movies for assorted publications.