‘Legend Of Zelda’ Producer Says Open-World Gameplay Might Be The New Standard

“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” sets itself apart from the rest of the franchise thanks to its open-world gameplay. Nintendo’s new creative strategy for the game has proven to be a hit among critics and fans, and it looks like the developer might be hinting at an open-world future for the franchise.

In a recent interview with Japanese publication Famitsu, “Breath of the Wild” producer Eiji Aonuma suggested that open-world gameplay might be the new standard for the whole franchise. “I think that, in the future, open air games will be the standard for ‘Zelda,’” Aonuma said, as per Esuteru.

The style of gameplay of “The Legend of Zelda” hasn’t really changed all that much since 1998’s “Ocarina of Time.” The 2013 Nintendo 3DS exclusive, “A Link Between Worlds,” kind of played around with the idea of an open-world environment, but “Breath of the Wild” is where Nintendo fully embraced that type of gameplay.

“Breath of the Wild” has received positive reviews left and right ever since it launch alongside the Nintendo Switch last month. The game has received perfect 10/10 scores from the likes of IGN, GameSpot and Polygon despite some technical hiccups.

The open-world gameplay of “Breath of the Wild” has allowed millions of fans to go on hours upon hours of quests giving them a vast and expansive look at the World of “The Legend of Zelda.” It’s no big surprise that producer Aonuma, as well as Nintendo, are considering to fully move forward with another open-world entry into the franchise.

It looks like “The Legend of Zelda” developers are going to have a difficult time creating a follow-up to “Breath of the Wild” that can match or surpass its achievements. That said, it’s going to be another long wait for the fans of the franchise.

As Slash Gear pointed out, there was more than a five-year gap between “Skyward Sword” and “Breath of the Wild.” The wait for a sequel could take up the equal amount of time or even more.