Good News: The Legend of Zelda Could Go in a “Unique” Direction with Monolith Soft’s Involvement
Fans of recent The Legend of Zelda games might not know that Nintendo had help in developing them. Nintendo’s partner company Monolith Soft has been directly involved in Zelda development ever since the days of the Wii. Now, Nintendo wants them to be more involved with whatever the next Zelda title will be.
How Monolith Soft Was Involved with The Legend of Zelda
A translated interview with Daiki Iwamoto, general manager of the Zelda series at Nintendo, and Yasuhiro Fujita from Monolith Soft, best known for their work on the Xenoblade Chronicles series, discussed how Monolith has been involved in the Zelda series. The company began working on the Zelda series with the Wii’s The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Nintendo recruited the help of Monolith Soft’s designers to help with the “distinctive art style” of the game.
Monolith Soft would become more involved with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, along with its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom. The two open-world adventures were massive, and Monolith contributed their creativity to both games, working directly with Nintendo during the entire development.
So What’s Next for The Legend of Zelda?
The most recent Zelda title, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, was an entry in the series’ Hyrule Warriors spin-off series. Fans are still awaiting a new mainline Zelda title on the Nintendo Switch 2. Will the next mainline entry continue in the open-world style of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, or will the series return to its roots?
Well, Nintendo wants Monolith Soft to be more centrally involved in future Zelda titles. Iwamoto stated that “I would like Monolith Soft to play a more and more core role as a strong partner in creating ‘Zelda’ from scratch. Based on the know-how we have cultivated through our work so far, we will further enhance the team strength of Monolith Soft as a whole, and we will continue to create unique series titles together.”
So, Will the Next Zelda be “Unique”?
As much as people loved Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, fans could get tired of the open-world formula if it becomes the standard Zelda formula. Perhaps Monolith Soft will help Nintendo take The Legend of Zelda into another new direction for the Switch 2. A Zelda game that fully realizes the power of the console could be something truly special.
