Nintendo has explained why it chose to develop another The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake.
Franchise producer Eiji Aonuma was asked what sparked the team’s desire to return to one of the most treasured stories in gaming history during the first installment in a series of Ask the Developer Q&A posts. It’s an in-depth chat about what it was like to revisit a classic game for Nintendo Switch 2, and how it came about in the first place.
The reimagining set to launch in just a few short days will mark the second time Nintendo has remade The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (the first launched for the Nintendo 3DS in 2011). Aonuma explained that there were a number of factors Entertainment Planning & Development (EDP) Production Group No. 3 had in mind, with its 40th anniversary being one of the most important.
“This year marks the 40th anniversary of the very first Legend of Zelda game,” Aonuma said. “With that in mind, I was thinking about what I should create as the producer of the series. Many of the team members who work alongside me on Legend of Zelda games today have only experienced developing the more recent titles. That led me to wonder, ‘Do they truly understand just how significant The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was to the series as a whole?'”
Aonuma makes a good point. Although he worked on the original Nintendo 64 game when it launched in 1998 and has carried that experience through subsequent entries in the series in the decades since, there are plenty of team members who don’t have that same familiarity with its past.
Sure, there are those with a passing familiarity with the original The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or those who have at least played it, but Aonuma started to wonder how they’d interpret the game “as they go about developing future Legend of Zelda games.” Allowing them to not only revisit that original story but also leave their own stamp on it, he believes, could help bolster whatever new The Legend of Zelda games come next.
“By learning the game structure and development style behind the original The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and by actually rebuilding it as a full remake,” he added, “it may trigger new insights that they can carry forward into future development. If we could achieve that, I thought it would be incredibly valuable. That’s what led us to the conclusion that now is the right time to revisit The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time once again.”
Aonuma elaborated, saying that there were many elements considered when choosing to develop a The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for Switch 2. The team wanted players who had grown used to the open structure of games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom to enjoy the fun of “progressing through a carefully paced adventure and story” that is “gradually building up the player’s growth and their understanding of the narrative along the way.”
Nintendo’s latest The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launches for Switch 2 November 5. Despite having decades of experience and solid reasoning backing the decision to do a remake, Aonuma recently said he’s still “nervous” to see what players think. While we wait to get our hands on the launch build, you can see what IGN thought in our hands-on preview.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
