Forty years in, and The Legend of Zelda is still making other developers stop and say thank you.
Speaking to Game Informer as part of the series' 40th anniversary coverage, Kaname Fujioka, the creator of Monster Hunter who directed the franchise from the original game through Monster Hunter 4 and served as Art Director on Monster Hunter Wilds, shared a message of genuine admiration for Nintendo's adventure series. "As a fan, I have nothing but gratitude for the Zelda team, who, amidst the industry's rapid changes, have never given up while carefully building upon a foundation of comfort and wonder," Fujioka said.
What Fujioka sees in Zelda that most developers miss
Here's the thing about Fujioka's comments: they go beyond standard anniversary pleasantries. He specifically called out the way Zelda builds player freedom, describing "the gaming experience where freedom gradually expands from small puzzles within vast worlds" as "truly unique to the Zelda series." That observation hits differently coming from the man behind Monster Hunter, a franchise that has spent two decades building its own systems of player mastery and escalating challenge.
Fujioka framed the entire 40-year run as "a journey of continually exploring what a Zelda game can be," and said he looks forward to seeing the series evolve further. That kind of respect from a peer who has built one of gaming's other most beloved action franchises carries real weight.
Pragmata director adds his voice, complete with fan art
The tributes did not stop with Fujioka. Yonghee Cho, a former PlatinumGames staffer who is directing Capcom's upcoming sci-fi action game Pragmata, posted his own message on April 7, calling The Legend of Zelda "a source of inspiration in countless ways for so many game creators" and noting that "it's a series that always delivers new discoveries and experiences, surprising us time and again."
Cho went a step further by including a hand-drawn sketch of Diana, Pragmata's protagonist, wearing a Link cap and holding a birthday cake with a 40 on it. The drawing matches the style of Diana sketches seen in Pragmata's promotional materials, which makes it feel personal rather than corporate.
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Street Fighter 6 director Takayuki Nakayama, who worked on The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, separately called series creator Shigeru Miyamoto "a North Star guiding all game creators" as part of the same anniversary wave of tributes.
A crossover history that goes back further than you might think
The mutual appreciation between Monster Hunter and Zelda is not just talk. The two franchises have crossed over multiple times across the years. Monster Hunter 4 included a Link-themed armor set and weapons, Monster Hunter Generations featured a Toon Link Palico skin, and Generations Ultimate brought a Breath of the Wild-themed collaboration. On the Nintendo side, Zelda characters have faced off against a Rathalos in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
The key here is that these crossovers happened because both franchises share a player base that genuinely loves both. Fujioka and Cho's comments reflect something real in the development community: Zelda has shaped how an entire generation of creators thinks about world design, puzzle logic, and player agency.
With a rumored Ocarina of Time remake reportedly in the works for Switch 2 and the live-action Zelda film currently filming in New Zealand, the series is heading into its next decade with more momentum than ever. For the latest gaming news as those announcements develop, you'll want to keep a close eye on what Nintendo has planned for the rest of the year.
