Next Zelda Game Won’t be a Direct Sequel to Tears of the Kingdom, Series Producer Says

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door just got an ESRB age rating, suggesting that we could get a release date soon. Right now, we only know that the remaster is set to be with us at some point in 2024, but if it's already been slapped with an age rating, then it could come even sooner than expected.

, one of Nintendo's most iconic, flagship series, is almost assuredly going to continue after its most recent outing, 2023's incredibly successful. With no news (or even confirmation of) the next entry, it's impossible to know what it'll look like, whether it iterates on the more recent open-world formula, embraces the series' more traditional trappings once again, or breaks new ground entirely. One thing almost guaranteed, though, is that the next game will feature the series' ever-present hero, Link, and even an innocuous change to the protagonist could pay homage to his past.

There were few moments as iconic, during the birth phase of 3D gaming, as the first time Link stepped onto Hyrule Field in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It was 1998, and games like Virtua Racing, Doom, Descent, and Nintendo’s own Super Mario 64 had already made epochal strides in graphics technology and the possibilities of 3D space. But this was something else.

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

There were many things that Tears of the Kingdom “did right” upon its release. Regarding its story, one of its best acts was bringing Zelda to the past and having her interact with Hyrule’s first king and queen. As players would find out, the first king of Hyrule, Rauru, would have a huge role in the story, including saving Link from Ganondorf’s curse and helping him understand his new abilities. Polygon translated an interview with the game’s director, Hidemaro Fujibayashi, and the game’s producer, Eiji Aonuma, where the two commented on what it was like to make Rauru and the “two sides” of his character via the time periods gamers met him in. Fujibayashi started with:

Before players meet Rauru in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, they see his arm. At the very beginning of the game, Link doesn’t really know what’s going on, but he wakes up with a mysterious appendage that’s not his — and that allows him to harness incredible powers. It’s not much later that Link meets a spirit version of Rauru, the first king of Hyrule and a character who belongs to a race of creatures called the Zonai. In lending Link his arm, Rauru gave the hero the means to go out into the wide world of Hyrule and realize the carefully laid plans of Princess Zelda.

As 2023 comes to a close, many will debate the true “Game of the Year.” We know what The Game Awards thought about the subject, but others aren’t as clear cut. For many others, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom is the best game from this year. Whether it is or not is up to you, but the game’s depth is not to be ignored. It had a vast expanse to explore alongside two new realms above and below you to check out. Plus, the game’s story had plenty to offer, with many secrets and hints buried within.

It is likely that will be the last game to feature its particular version of Link. is a direct sequel to, and because of this, it features and further develops the same incarnation of the famous hero. However, looking towards the future of the franchise, it may soon be time for ’s Link to retire.

In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, players didn’t just play through another story set in Hyrule. The sequel to Breath of the Wild took the previous game’s sandbox elements several steps further, allowing players to use a new set of powers to construct machines, weapons, and tools using items in the world. By introducing this, Tears of the Kingdom encouraged players to be truly creative and push the limits of building in the game.

«It's a feeling of excitement. It's about what will be the new things that we'll be able to do.»

The Legend of Zelda and its protagonist, Link, reached new heights this year — literally. The hero soared through the skies and plunged into the deepest depths of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The game’s developers took their risks, too: This time around, players wouldn’t just explore but also construct devices with Link’s new set of powers.

Nintendo has said the nature of Link and Zelda's relationship in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is open to interpretation, after months of discourse on whether the two characters are dating or not.