Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto has said that the original Legend of Zelda drew inspiration from Western role-playing games, as the company sought to broaden the appeal of its output beyond its existing catalogue. The remark sheds light on the thinking behind one of gaming's most influential franchises, suggesting that Nintendo deliberately looked outside Japan and outside its own established genres when shaping the series.

According to Miyamoto, the goal was to reach a wider range of players, prompting the studio to move beyond familiar formulas. He is quoted as saying "we had to create new types of games," indicating that Zelda was conceived partly as an experiment in expanding Nintendo's audience rather than simply extending existing hits.