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Zelda: Ocarina of Time Producer Doesn’t Want Nintendo’s Next Generation To Rely on BotW’s Ideas
Zelda producer Hidemaro Fujibayashi says the series should keep reinventing itself rather than rely on ideas from earlier games. As Nintendo develops a new generation of Zelda, he encourages younger staff to focus on what they find fun, leaving room for the next game to depart from Breath of the Wild’s open-world approach.
Fujibayashi described Zelda’s past shifts, from moving into 3D on Nintendo 64 to gesture controls in Skyward Sword and the wide freedom of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The article says fresh developers worked on the Ocarina of Time remake, some with little familiarity with the original; Fujibayashi uses discussions with them to challenge reliance on the series’ existing pool of ideas. The next game’s direction remains unknown.
In short
- Fujibayashi wants Zelda developers to pursue fresh ideas.
- The next game may move beyond Breath of the Wild’s formula.
- Zelda has reinvented itself across four decades.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Zelda’s longevity has come from reinvention, and the series risks becoming predictable if its next generation simply repeats Breath of the Wild’s open-world formula. Giving younger developers room to follow what they find fun could bring fresh ideas and keep the series creatively alive, as earlier shifts into 3D and new control styles did.
The case against
Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have become defining successes, so building on their open-world design could honour what players value while allowing meaningful improvements. A sharp departure may discard proven strengths or make the series feel less coherent; continuity can provide a foundation for innovation rather than prevent it.