Nintendo has confirmed that the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake was developed internally, with a first-time director leading a younger generation of creators. The revelation came through an 'Ask the Developer' interview published on Nintendo's website, which also detailed how series producer Eiji Aonuma deliberately stepped back to let the new team take the initiative.
Internal Development and Young Leadership
Aonuma, who directed the original Ocarina of Time, oversaw the remake alongside Hidemaro Fujibayashi, who has directed multiple Zelda games since 2001, including Tears of the Kingdom. However, according to the interview, they purposefully allowed younger developers to lead the project.
'If the producers say, ‘This is how it should be’, the team would naturally feel obligated to do it that way,' explained Aonuma. 'So I basically let the developers make whatever changes they genuinely felt were necessary. I wanted the team to make The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time their own, and to follow through on their own ideas about what the game should be.'
One such change involved Aonuma initially suggesting warp points for faster travel, but the team realised 'we were missing out on the moments of discovery that came from stopping along the way' and opted not to include them.
Key Staff and Directorial Debut
Although Nintendo did not name the development studio, the interview revealed that the team is part of Nintendo EPD, the company's primary development division. The following staff members were interviewed:
- Director HokWai Ng, who has been with Nintendo since 2009 and was a designer on Tears of the Kingdom
- Art director Aya Shida, who provided artwork for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom
- Program director Hiroki Taguchi, who joined Nintendo as a programmer on Breath of the Wild
- Music lead and sound director Masato Ohashi, who contributed music to Tears of the Kingdom and Echoes of Wisdom
For Ng, the Ocarina of Time remake marks his directorial debut. This suggests Nintendo is nurturing a new generation of developers to take over its biggest franchises as the old guard approaches retirement, a trend seen with Bowser's Fury and Donkey Kong Bananza.
External Support and Release
It remains unclear whether Monolith Soft or Grezzo have contributed to the remake, although Nintendo has likely received outside assistance. Monolith Soft has been a key support studio for Nintendo, contributing to Zelda games, Splatoon, Animal Crossing, and Mario Kart World. Grezzo's involvement is less certain, but it may be working on another top-down Zelda game following Echoes of Wisdom.
The Ocarina of Time remake is set for release this week, with Nintendo holding a midnight launch event in London.
