We have new information on how Nintendo and Tecmo Koei came together to develop their upcoming Wii U crossover beat-em-up action game, Hyrule Warriors. It turns out it was Tecmo Koei who came to Nintendo for this one.
Aside from Eiji Aonuma, who took on the role of supervisor, the game’s development was headed by general producer Hisashi Koinuma and producer Yosuke Hayashi, from Omega Force and Team Ninja, respectively. Koinuma explained that they were the ones who approached Nintendo with the idea, after successfully creating crossover games for IPs like Gundam, Fist of the North Star, and One Piece.
Aonuma then explained that Koei showed him and Miyamoto their work on One Piece: Pirate Warriors, and when they saw that the system was well implemented, they agreed to give them the reins to the franchise.
The circumstances were fortuitous for Koei, as they happened to ask for the one IP Nintendo was willing to have other companies use. Rather than feeling uncertain, they had high expectations from the team at Tecmo Koei. Ultimately, the game came about because many of the staff in Tecmo Koei are themselves fans of Zelda.
Hyrule Warriors is releasing August 14 in Japan for the Wii U. We’ll keep you up to date when a Western date has been announced.
