Zelda producer considers Breath of the Wild to be a “new kind of format for the series to proceed from”

The Legend of Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma believes that Breath of the Wild is a “new kind of format for the series to proceed from”, which has continued with Tears of the Kingdom.

Ocarina of Time kicked off the 3D approach to the series which essentially stayed the same through Skyward Sword in terms of approach and how players experience the adventure. Then with Breath of the Wild, Nintendo went in a different direction by offering a much higher degree of freedom. Aonuma now says that type of experience “has created a new kind of format for the series to proceed from.”

Aonuma told Game Informer in a recent interview:

“With Ocarina of Time, I think it’s correct to say that it did kind of create a format for a number of titles in the franchise that came after it. But in some ways, that was a little bit restricting for us. While we always aim to give the player freedoms of certain kinds, there were certain things that format didn’t really afford in giving people freedom. Of course, the series continued to evolve after Ocarina of Time, but I think it’s also fair to say now that we’ve arrived at Breath of the Wild and the new type of more open play and freedom that it affords. Yeah, I think it’s correct to say that it has created a new kind of format for the series to proceed from.”