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| Official artwork for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, which explores the Imprisoning War era introduced in Tears of the Kingdom. |
By Jon Scarr
Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have shared new insight into how Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment came together, and the message is clear. This was not treated as a simple spin-off.
In a detailed interview with Japanese outlet 4Gamer, key developers from both companies explained how the game grew out of Tears of the Kingdom, why the Imprisoning War was chosen as the setting, and how much creative trust existed between the two teams.
A Story Nintendo Left Open on Purpose
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment explores the Imprisoning War, a period only shown in fragments during Tears of the Kingdom through memories and brief story moments. According to Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma and director Hidemaro Fujibayashi, that was intentional.
The mainline game focused on a specific narrative thread, leaving much of that ancient conflict undefined. That open space made it a perfect fit for a Warriors-style game built around large-scale battles and multiple heroes fighting across Hyrule.
Rather than handing Koei Tecmo a strict script, Nintendo shared the historical framework and worked collaboratively to flesh it out. Ideas flowed back and forth, with Nintendo providing lore context and Koei Tecmo proposing scenarios, characters, and battle concepts that expanded the era in believable ways.
Turning “Faceless” Figures Into Playable Heroes
One of the biggest challenges was bringing life to characters who were intentionally mysterious in Tears of the Kingdom. The masked sages and ancient figures had little defined personality in the main game, which gave the Warriors team room to interpret how they fought, moved, and interacted on the battlefield.
Nintendo described this process as closer to historical interpretation than simple adaptation. The facts of the war existed, but the moment-to-moment details were built through iteration, feedback, and constant adjustment between both teams.
Several original characters were also introduced, including figures who played crucial roles behind the scenes of the conflict. Some of these characters had roots in Zelda lore that never appeared visually in Tears of the Kingdom, while others were created entirely for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.
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| Gameplay from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment showing an ancient-era character brought to life through combat. |
Designed as a Full Zelda Experience, Not a Side Project
Both teams repeatedly emphasized that the goal was not just to make a Warriors game with a Zelda skin. Battles were structured to feel like part of a living war, with outcomes that shaped the map and progression instead of feeling like disconnected missions.
Combat leaned into Zelda-specific ideas like Zonai technology, layered battlefields, and cooperation between heroes, while still delivering the large-scale action expected from the Warriors series.
Nintendo also played a hands-on role during development, regularly playtesting builds and offering feedback that pushed Koei Tecmo to refine mechanics, presentation, and pacing.
The Big Takeaway
What stands out most from the interview is how seriously Nintendo treated the collaboration. Aonuma even acknowledged that Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment became the first Zelda title to launch on Nintendo Switch 2, something Nintendo originally hoped to do themselves.
Rather than frustration, the tone was pride. The developers spoke openly about how much they enjoyed the process, how stimulating it was to see new ideas emerge, and how that collaboration could influence how Nintendo approaches Zelda games in the future.
This interview makes it clear Nintendo treated the game as a meaningful part of Zelda’s world, not just extra content on the side. It’s Nintendo letting another team fill in a huge historical gap, with real oversight and real trust.
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