Zelda Producer Says The Series Will Continue To Use The Open World Format Going Forward

The Legend of Zelda series Producer Eiji Aonuma says that the franchise will continue to use the open-world format first introduced in Breath of The Wild in future installments.

Speaking to Game Informer, Aonuma said that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild set a new precedence for the series going forward with its open-world gameplay much like Ocarina of Time did in the late 90s which would go on the influence Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword.

“With Ocarina of Time, I think it’s correct to say that it did kind of create a format for a number of titles in the franchise that came after it. But in some ways, that was a little bit restricting for us. While we always aim to give the player freedoms of certain kinds, there were certain things that format didn’t really afford in giving people freedom”.

“Of course, the series continued to evolve after Ocarina of Time, but I think it’s also fair to say now that we’ve arrived at Breath of the Wild and the new type of more open play and freedom that it affords. Yeah, I think it’s correct to say that it has created a new kind of format for the series to proceed from”.

It’s a decision that makes sense when you look at the great success of Zelda: Breath of The Wild and its recently released sequel Tears of The Kingdom. The former has sold almost 30 million units, making it the best-selling Zelda game and the 4th best-selling game on the Switch.

While we don’t know the sales numbers of Tears of The Kingdom just yet, it is confirmed to be the fastest-selling game in the UK of 2023, topping the country’s chart in its launch week.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild and Tears of The Kingdom are both available on Nintendo Switch.

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