Nintendo EPD Production Group No.3 led by first-time director HokWai Ng rebuilds the classic with Aonuma and Fujibayashi stepping back as producers.
Nintendo has published Chapters 1 and 2 of their Ask the Developer Vol. 24 interview for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Nintendo Switch 2. In the interview Nintendo names every key member of the team and explaining the project’s origins ahead of the November 5, 2026 launch. Taking part in the interview we heard from:
- Eiji Aonuma – Senior Officer, Entertainment Planning & Development Division; Producer of The Legend of Zelda series and producer on this remake. He has worked on every Zelda title since the original N64 game.
- Hidemaro Fujibayashi – Producer, Entertainment Planning & Development Department. Previously directed Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Co-producer on this project.
- HokWai Ng – Director (Entertainment Planning & Development Department, Production Group No.3). First director credit at Nintendo. Proposed the core development approach and oversaw the full remake. Previously worked on Tears of the Kingdom.
- Aya Shida – Art Director (Entertainment Planning & Development Department, Production Group No.3). Established the visual direction. Character lead on Tears of the Kingdom and involved in character work since Breath of the Wild.
- Hiroki Taguchi – Program Director (Entertainment Planning & Development Department, Programming Management Group). Joined Nintendo as a graduate on Breath of the Wild and handled mechanics and cutscenes before taking a broader oversight role.
- Masato Ohashi – Sound Director and Music Lead (Entertainment Planning & Development Department, Production Group No.3). Composed music, handled quality checks and co-ordinated production. Also composed for Tears of the Kingdom and Echoes of Wisdom.
Among the many things asked and answers, the biggest responses comprised of the following:
Aonuma explained that the 40th anniversary of the original The Legend of Zelda prompted him to ask whether newer staff truly understood the significance of Ocarina of Time. Many had only worked on recent open-world titles. Rebuilding the 1998 game as a full remake would let them learn its structure and development style, potentially “trigger new insights” for future Zelda games.
He deliberately avoided dictating changes. “If the producers say, ‘This is how it should be’, the team would naturally feel obligated to do it that way. So I basically let the developers make whatever changes they genuinely felt were necessary.” Fujibayashi similarly stepped back, asking the team only to decide early what to change and what to leave untouched.
One concrete example: Aonuma requested warp points to reduce rolling across Hyrule Field. After playtesting, the team realised the shortcuts removed the discovery of stopping and exploring. He ordered them all removed. “Even though I was the one who proposed adding warp points, they just weren’t working for me in the end.”
Director Ng set the guiding principle: “the visuals may change, but the experience does not.” The team wanted to protect the hundred different memories players hold of the original while using Nintendo Switch 2 technology.
Art Director Shida rejected pure realism. Hyrule is beautiful yet dark; its characters are colourful and quirky. The contrast creates the game’s “mysterious, almost dreamlike charm.” Keywords used early on were “a puppet-show feel” and “the analogue feel of practical effects films.” The team researched fabric in museums and even wove samples so Young Link’s clothes would look handmade by forest children rather than machine-perfect.
Program Director Taguchi described layering detail until the world felt real, from character behaviour down to individual blades of grass. Ng noted the original is packed with characters, enemies and text in a way modern efficiency-focused development rarely allows. Every character was rebuilt individually after studying who they were, why they were there, and how they moved.
The overworld deliberately retains separate maps rather than becoming seamless. Ng said the team wanted each transition to give players a moment to reflect and build anticipation, just as in 1998. They even asked the original N64 map illustrator to draw a new version for this game.
Chapters 3 and 4 are scheduled for November 3, 2026.
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