If you’ve been wondering who’s been secretly cooking up some of the most breathtaking moments in recent Zelda games, the answer might surprise you. Monolith Soft, the brilliant minds behind Xenoblade Chronicles, has been Nintendo’s not-so-secret weapon for years now. And things just got a whole lot more interesting.
In a recent interview celebrating 15 years of Zelda collaboration, Daiki Iwamoto, Nintendo’s general manager for the Zelda franchise, dropped some seriously exciting news. He wants Monolith Soft to take on a central role in creating future Zelda titles from scratch. We’re not talking about just providing support anymore, this could mean the studio actually leading development on a brand new Zelda adventure.
From support studio to creative partner
The relationship between Nintendo and Monolith Soft reads like a perfect partnership origin story. It started back in 2011 with Skyward Sword, where Monolith mainly followed Nintendo’s specifications and created assets as requested. Pretty straightforward stuff. But when Breath of the Wild came around, everything changed. The dynamic shifted to what Monolith’s Yasuhiro Fujita describes as “thinking together and creating together.”
That collaborative approach paid off massively. Breath of the Wild revolutionized open-world design in ways that are still being felt across the gaming industry. And Monolith Soft’s expertise in crafting massive, explorable worlds played a huge part in making Hyrule feel truly alive. By the time Tears of the Kingdom entered development, Monolith was there from day one with planners, designers, and programmers all working alongside Nintendo’s team.
The exciting possibilities ahead
Here’s where things get really exciting. Iwamoto specifically stated he’d like Monolith Soft to create “a unique title in the series” using all the knowledge they’ve gained from years of collaboration. The timing is particularly interesting since Nintendo just acquired complete ownership of Monolith Soft in December 2024, giving them full access to the studio’s resources and talent.
Think about what Monolith Soft brings to the table. This is the team that pushed the Switch to its absolute limits with Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s sprawling landscapes and intricate world design. They’ve proven they can handle ambitious open-world projects on Nintendo hardware better than almost anyone. Now imagine that technical wizardry combined with Zelda’s legendary game design philosophy.
We’re probably not looking at something like Breath of the Wild 3 being entirely Monolith-led. But a fresh take on Zelda? A new adventure that explores different aspects of the franchise while maintaining what makes it special? That’s the kind of project that could really shake things up in the best way possible.
The collaboration has already produced some incredible results. Both studios have adopted what they call “horizontal collaboration” during Tears of the Kingdom’s development, where team members actively shared information across departments regardless of their specific roles. That kind of creative synergy doesn’t happen overnight, and it’s exactly the foundation needed for even more ambitious projects.
Nintendo’s faith in Monolith Soft isn’t unfounded either. Beyond Zelda, the studio has contributed to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Splatoon 3, and even Mario Kart. They’ve become an essential part of Nintendo’s development ecosystem, with the technical chops and creative vision to handle Nintendo’s most important franchises.
A new era for Hyrule
While nothing’s been officially announced yet, the pieces are falling into place for something special. With Zelda’s 40th anniversary approaching and Monolith Soft now fully integrated into Nintendo’s structure, the stage is set for the next evolution of the franchise.
Whether we’ll see a completely new Zelda game helmed by Monolith Soft or a more traditional collaboration with expanded responsibilities remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure, the future of Hyrule is in incredibly capable hands, and fans have every reason to be excited about what’s coming next.
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