Hidemaro Fujibayashi

While the lore revealed in does seem to clash with the established timeline, there is an intriguing possibility that the Zonai may not have founded the original Hyrule as the game suggests. Instead, there is a suggestion that the Hyrule ruled over by Rauru and Sonia may actually be a successor to another, even older kingdom. If true, this has the potential to explain some of ’s more puzzling details and has enormous implications for the entire series.

Nintendo has announced new The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom merchandise to coincide with the game’s first anniversary this week.

A new range of officially licensed t-shirts based on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is coming to Uniqlo soon.

Nintendo‘s next console will reportedly feature a custom Nvidia chip when it launches later this year.

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.

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.

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.

It’s not very often that a new mainline Zelda title is a direct follow-up to a previous instalment, with Majora’s Mask having been the last one (not counting the handheld titles) to do so until Tears of the Kingdom launched earlier this year. And whenever the next Zelda title arrives, it is going to be an entirely new thing once again, as per series producer Eiji Aonuma.

Nintendo loves experimenting with the Legend of Zelda franchise, and it’s not rare to see new instalments focusing on completely new mechanics and ideas, only for the series to move on to the next thing with the next game. And it seems that’s a trend that’s set to continue.

The Legend Of Zelda’s next outing probably won’t be a direct follow-up to Tears of the Kingdom, according to Nintendo.

The Legend of Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma has said the next game in the series probably won't be a direct sequel to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi seems ready to move on to a new storyline with the next Zelda title.

Ganondorf's attractive Tears Of The Kingdom makeover shocked some players, but it was entirely intentional.

Tears of the Kingdom has been receiving attention again thanks to the several The Game Awards nominations it has scored. Game director Hidemaro Fujibayashi recently discussed The Legend of Zelda with Nintendo Dream (translated by Nintendo Everything).

An interview with Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi has revealed some of the thought process behind the development of . For all that it expanded on the Zonai race hinted at in, left mysteries involving Sheikah technology unsolved in a way that confused and frustrated many. Of course, some mysteries have gone unanswered for decades, but in this case new information has clarified some of the more notable changes to Hyrule.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's director has finally shed light on a mystery linked to Breath of the Wild, but it isn't what fans wanted to hear. 

One of the biggest mysteries in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been (sort of) solved, as director Hidemaro Fujibayashi has offered an explanation as to why there’s no Sheikah technology in the Nintendo Switch title, despite the prevalence of it in its predecessor, Breath of the Wild. 

A burning question resting on fans’ minds since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom released is where all the Guardian tech disappeared to after Breath of the Wild‘s events. Although some time passed between installments, the Guardians’ omission feels odd, given their previous prevalence.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom takes us back to the same Hyrule we were first introduced to in Breath of the Wild, albeit with a few tweaks — not least its airy sky islands and dark and sinister Depths.

One of the persistent mysteries following the release of The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom is the fate of Sheikah technology. Nintendo, as it turns out, has an answer for this. But it probably isn’t what you want to hear.

It’s been a few months since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was released, and since then, players have poured hundreds of hours into crafting clever contraptions and exploring every crevice of Hyrule. Despite this, there may still be aspects of the intricate world that most players have yet to discover.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was highly anticipated after the huge success that was Breath of the Wild, and it delivered with its expansive, revamped version of Hyrule, new dungeons, and innovative Ultrahand mechanic.

One of the main reasons The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom is currently a frontrunner for Game of the Year is because the title felt so robust and “complete” that you almost forgot how long it took to release. The game featured Link going through a familiar yet different version of Hyrule that had been torn apart and “opened up” by a reborn Ganondorf. You weren’t just going on the land to get to where you needed to be. You were going through the sky and underground, too. One might think that each part took an incredibly long time to make, but not all did.

Don’t expect the expansive sky, surface, and subterranean settings of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Hyrule to grow any further. Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma says in a new interview that the development team behind Breath of the Wild and its expanded open-world sequel has no plans to release new content for the latest Zelda game.

In an interview with Famitsu, Nintendo Producer Eiji Aonuma, and Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will not be receiving any new content or DLC. Genki_JPN on Twitter translated the interview:

By some estimates, it takes around 235 hours to see and do absolutely everything in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Some folks have already managed that and are eager for more, but unlike with Breath of the Wild, you shouldn’t expect Nintendo to release a major expansion this time around.

Between great reviews – you can read Game Informer’s right here – and excellent sales that led to Nintendo having a record-breaking quarter, there’s no question The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a success for Nintendo. Despite that success, though, it seems the company is moving on from this Hyrule as Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma has revealed there will be no DLC for the game. 

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will not receive any additional content, Nintendo has said.

By Jess Weatherbed, a news writer focused on creative industries, computing, and internet culture. Jess started her career at TechRadar, covering news and hardware reviews.