Nintendo shoots down the idea of a Mario Maker-style Zelda game

Nintendo really isn't vibing with the idea of a Legend of Zelda game done in the style of Super Mario Maker.

Speaking to Polygon (thanks, GoNintendo), Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma explained in some detail why he, and by proxy Nintendo, feels the Zelda series simply doesn't lend itself to the limitless creativity of the Mario Maker series.

"When we’re creating games like Tears of the Kingdom, I think it’s important that we don't make creativity a requirement," Aonuma said. "Instead we put things into the game that encourage people to be creative, and give them the opportunity to be creative, without forcing them to.

"There are people who want the ability to create from scratch, but that’s not everyone. But I think everyone delights in the discovery of finding your own way through a game, and that is something we tried to make sure was included in Tears of the Kingdom; there isn’t one right way to play. If you are a creative person, you have the ability to go down that path. But that’s not what you have to do; you’re also able to proceed to the game in many other different ways. And so I don’t think that it would be a good fit for The Legend of Zelda to necessarily require people to build things from scratch and force them to be creative."

In fairness to Nintendo, a Zelda Maker sounds like a whole different beast to Mario Maker. Chiefly, Zelda games don't include the same sort of 2-3 minute self-contained 2D platforming levels that make the classic Mario design such a good fit for a level editor - Zelda dungeons are a lot more complex. It's also hard to imagine how a Zelda Maker would feel like a cohesive experience. Zelda dungeons are often a means to something else; a new mechanic, area of the map, or story development; whereas the whole point of classic Mario is the fast-paced platforming, not to mention co-op multiplayer, which makes the narrative-less experience feel satisfying enough on its own.

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.