Legend of Zelda lead Eiji Aonuma wanted to launch the first Zelda game on the Switch 2, but working with Koei Tecmo on Age of Imprisonment at least offered "some inspiration"

The Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma says that he wanted a Nintendo-made Zelda game to be the first released on the Switch 2 before Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment launched. However, the collaboration between his studio and Koei Tecmo has given the team inspiration for the next game in the series.

In an interview with 4gamer, spotted by The Gamer and translated by GamesRadar+, Aonuma jokes that he wishes the team at Nintendo had the honor of launching the first game in the series on Nintendo's newest hardware. "Age of Imprisonment is the first Zelda game to be released on Nintendo Switch 2," Aonuma says. "If I'm being honest, we wanted to launch the 'first' one."

During the development of Age of Imprisonment, the team at Nintendo shared all their story notes, including ideas the writers discussed about the world that never made it into the final game. The team worked together, sharing ideas and ensuring everything included aligned with Nintendo's overall vision.

Sharing notes with Koei Tecmo meant that Nintendo dove back into Zelda's lore, and the in-house Zelda team's juices started flowing with ideas for the next game. "The collaboration with Koei Tecmo has given us some inspiration," Aonuma says. "Maybe that will be reflected in our next Zelda game. When you play Age of Imprisonment, I urge you to consider that as you eagerly await our Zelda game."

Nintendo hasn't announced that a new The Legend of Zelda game is in development, but with Nintendo's cornerstone series like Zelda, Mario, and Pokémon, we can always assume that something is likely in development.

Zelda and Link shippers are in shambles after Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment describes them as just friends, but after 39 years we can read between the lines.