Zelda Producer Eiji Aonuma Talks About The Benefits Of “Long-Term-Tenured Staff” At Nintendo

Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma says experienced staff help Nintendo’s teams move between projects and discuss new ideas more efficiently. He credits a stable core team with contributing to the continuity players feel across games in the franchise.

Aonuma says new staff need time and discussion to understand how and why the team works as it does, rather than simply following established routines. Nintendo balances that investment with retaining core staff from one project to the next, a practice he says has roots in the company’s earlier development work.