The Legend of Zelda’s Next Entry Will Benefit From Nintendo-Koei Tecmo Collaboration

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Nintendo usually releases a major Legend of Zelda game with each new console, but the Switch 2 hasn’t had one announced yet. The closest it’s gotten is Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, a spin-off similar to the Dynasty Warriors series. In a recent interview with 4Gamer, Legend of Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma discussed Nintendo’s collaboration with Koei Tecmo on Age of Imprisonment, and how this partnership could influence the development of the next main Zelda game.

When asked about Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, Eiji Aonuma playfully suggested the spin-off game had surprisingly released before the team’s main Zelda title on the Nintendo Switch 2. He joked that The Legend of Zelda: Age of Imprisonment was the first Zelda game available on the new console, admitting they’d hoped to be the ones to launch the first Zelda game on it, according to IGN.

Hidemaro Fujibayashi, the director of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, discussed collaborating with Koei Tecmo on the action-packed game. He described the partnership as “incredibly fun,” explaining that Koei Tecmo brought fresh ideas to the project that the Zelda team wouldn’t have considered on their own.

I was really interested to hear what the game’s director, Yusuke Hayashi, had to say about how they approached the design. He explained that they and Nintendo wanted to blend the classic Zelda experience with the fun of ‘musou’ games – you know, those where you feel super powerful mowing down tons of enemies. They really wanted that feeling of being mighty and taking on wave after wave of foes!

According to Hayashi, the team wanted to blend two distinct gameplay styles: the strategic, back-and-forth combat of using Zonai devices and different techniques against tough enemies, with the satisfying feeling of power from fighting large groups of weaker enemies, similar to ‘musou’ games. Fujibayashi added that their collaborative process resulted in ideas that made Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment even more impressive.

According to Aonuma, this teamwork could even shape the next major Zelda game. While Nintendo hasn’t officially announced anything, he says the ideas and lessons learned from developing Age of Imprisonment will definitely appear in the next The Legend of Zelda title.

Aonuma hinted that the upcoming Zelda game might show the influence of their work with Koei Tecmo. He encouraged players to keep this in mind while enjoying Age of Imprisonment and to anticipate the next Zelda title.

Recently, Nintendo discussed the next Zelda game in an interview with developer Monolith Soft. During the interview, Zelda franchise general manager Daiki Iwamoto explained that Nintendo hopes Monolith Soft will leverage their collaborative experience to create a new and distinctive Zelda title.

While you wait, you can read our review of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, which is only available on the Nintendo Switch 2.

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2025-12-22 16:41