Zelda director Hidemaro Fujibayashi would like to further explore design ideas used in Breath of the Wild
In a recent interview with Gamerant, Hidemaro Fujibayashi commented that he would like to further explore the game design that was used to create The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. As the director of said game, he would likely be in a position to do such a thing in future installments. His full answer to the question of whether open-world design will be the new standard for the Zelda series going forward, is as follows:
We can’t really say much at the moment but there are lots of things in this current game design we still want to explore. If, as a result of that exploration, we feel positive we can provide our audience with new experiences it’s possible this design could become the standard.”
While Breath of the Wild is a huge phenomena, it would still be quite a departure for the series to stray away from the design philosophy it’s adhered to so closely since Ocarina of Time. Only time will tell what the future holds for the Legend of Zelda now.