Summary

  • It's been a whole year since Tears of the Kingdom came out, which has been a massive hit for the Switch.
  • Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi shared heartfelt messages of gratitutde and hopes for the future of the series.
  • It's no wonder why the game was well received, as the passion by the team is very evident.

It may be hard to believe, but it's been one whole year since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was released on Nintendo Switch. A sequel to the Switch's launch title and Wii U's swan song, Breath of the Wild, TotK immediately resonated with fans and critics alike. The game's level of freedom and creative physics all within a breathtaking world has shaped the art form that is video games.

Now, one year later, its developers are looking back at the impact their game had. In an exclusive interview with Japanese magazine Nintendo Dream, which has since been transcribed and translated by Nintendo Everything, series producers Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi shared more about their journey as well as heartfelt messages for fans.

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Aonuma And Fujibayashi Are Grateful To The Fans

Aonuma, who has been working on The Legend of Zelda series since the Ocarina of Time, shared how happy he was to hear that fans had put hundreds of hours into TotK.

"The other day, I heard about an incident when a kid excitedly said, 'I played Tears of the Kingdom for over 1,000 hours,' and the mother smiled in response, saying, 'I didn’t know about that," he recalled. "Of course, I was shocked that one could play a single game that much, but I was also surprised that the mother accepted that.

"There are a lot of people around me who happily tell me about how they played this game for many hours, and I am really glad to have made a game that people enjoyed like that."

Having already had a hand in entries like Skyward Sword, Twilight Princess and Majora's Mask, Aonuma hopes to build off his experience with TotK into the next Legend of Zelda title. That next title may be a remaster of Twilight Princess, though it has not been confirmed.

"Zelda is a longstanding series, and I would like to utilize the experience from this title to create more games that everyone can enjoy in the future, so please look forward to it," he added. "To all those who have played The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, thank you very much."

Fujibayashi, who's had a hand in the franchise since Oracle of Seasons, shared his pleasure with how the Ultrahand mechanic turned out. That particular feature was a difficult part of development, and according to physics programmer Takahiro Takayama, it caused a lot of chaos.

"This has made me feel that we succeeded in implementing one of the core concepts we had been aiming for, which was to make a game that embodies 'Can you do it? Yes you can,' and so I am also pleased with that," Fujibayashi said.

The director closed out his message by encouraging fans to continue to explore the world of TotK as it's a game full of replayability. More so, there's a potential for new discoveries and understandings.

"Replaying the game while already knowing the truth allows you to realize things you did not notice on your first playthrough, and the same scenes or dialogue could seem completely different," he added. "So please enjoy finding new discoveries and experiences on a second playthrough."

Tears of the Kingdom remains one of the Switch's best and most graphically impressive games. And it's no wonder when the people working on it are so passionate about the things they do.

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