How long has The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time been in development?

Nintendo's Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma announced that development of Ocarina of Time Remake, which was released for Switch 2 on November 5, began after Tears of the Kingdom was completed. The idea came about when the team was discussing what would best celebrate the series' 40th anniversary. But the interesting thing is that Aonuma himself cannot say exactly when the project started: The decision was not made in a single meeting, but in many small steps.

How did the production process for Ocarina of Time begin?

In an interview with IGN, Aonuma stated that it was difficult to say the exact timing of the decision. According to him, once the development of Tears of the Kingdom ended, some team members began to be shifted to other projects. At the same time, there was talk about what would be the best celebration for the 40th anniversary of the series.

That's why the idea for a remake didn't come out of nowhere. The Ocarina of Time production process was shaped by the combination of many small steps. Therefore, it was not possible to show it on a single day.

While looking back at the series, the team realized that Ocarina of Time was a good entry point for many players. For Aonuma, this game marks his professional debut in the series. That's why the project quickly became a serious idea.

Young Developers on Stage

What Aonuma was most curious about was how the younger generation of developers at Nintendo would interpret this classic. A version that appealed to new players was aimed.

The original Ocarina of Time is cited as the highest-rated game to date on Metacritic. The remake met pre-release expectations. Reviewing on Wccftech, Nathan Birch gave the game 9.5 out of 10.

According to Birch, this release sets a new bar for remakes. Moreover, it allows new generation players to fully experience Link's adventure. This coincides with the new player base targeted throughout the Ocarina of Time production process.

Timing for Nintendo

The game comes at a time when the series is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Moreover, the live-action Zelda movie will be released next year. On the other hand, it is stated that Nintendo experienced a decrease in sales in the last quarter.

Therefore, the success of the game may be expected to increase Switch 2 hardware sales. However, modders have already found a way to run the game on PC. But for now there are serious limitations.

The remake has been on sale on Nintendo Switch 2 since November 5. As Aonuma explains, the Ocarina of Time production process progressed not with a single decision, but with steps spread over time.