Zelda creators on the ideas behind Tears of the Kingdom

Since the 1980s the Legend of Zelda series has acted as Nintendo’s experimental testing ground. Ocarina of Time introduced lock-on aiming, Twilight Princess added motion controls, and Breath of the Wild finally aligned the series’ sales with its blockbuster ambitions.

Keza MacDonald’s book Super Nintendo traces that evolution and follows the journey from Skyward Sword to Tears of the Kingdom in conversations with Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi. Despite their influence, Zelda games were not huge bestsellers in the 1990s and 2000s.

Ocarina of Time sold just over 7 million, Super Mario 64 sold 12 million, Final Fantasy VII sold 11 million and Lemmings reached 20 million; Wind Waker managed 4.5 million and Twilight Princess 7.5 million. For many years Zelda remained a connoisseur’s choice within Nintendo’s catalogue until Breath of the Wild changed that picture.

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