Nintendo isn't known for regularly releasing new IP. The company mostly sticks to its tried and true franchises: Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, Pokémon. However, when the house of Mario does experiment, it often knocks it out of the park, as was the case with Splatoon for the Wii U.
It makes perfect sense, then, that Nintendo would want to focus on more new IP, and a recent interview reveals that the company wants longtime Legend of Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma to create it.
In an interview with EDGE magazine (via NintendoEverything), Aonuma reveals that Nintendo has asked him to create a new IP, yet at the same time, wants him to continue working on Legend of Zelda.
"Actually, Nintendo has been telling me to create a new IP. But then, they're also telling me to make more Zelda games," Aonuma says. "I can't really share much; I'm not sure I'm allowed to say anything. But I really like the idea of a game where I can live as a thief. That's all I'll say."
Given his comments, it sounds like he's already put serious thought into what Nintendo's next major new IP could be. Might production on the title already be underway?
That's unclear. Earlier this year, Legend of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto did make comments on how the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild team had been tossing around the idea of a Shiek-led Zelda spin-off game. While Shiek isn't exactly a thief, she is a stealthy, ninja-like character in whom Aonuma could have possibly found inspiration.
If it was clever, both of Nintendo's wishes for Aonuma could come true by having Aonuma work on his thief game and Zelda at the same time by setting the new title in the Legend of Zelda universe. Whether or not that will be the case is uncertain, but it's certainly an interesting possibility to consider. It will likely be a long time (or never) before fans learn about what Aonuma is officially up to next, but a new IP from the creator is definitely worth getting excited about. Meanwhile, Nintendo fans are still desperately waiting for information regarding the company's new codenamed NX console, which is set to release in March. So far, what the console will look like, how powerful it will be and what games will release for it, are almost a complete mystery.
