Ocarina of Time Took Three Years to Make, Experienced Multiple Delays

The latest Iwata Asks interview is all about Majora’s Mask 3D. Iwata speaks with Eiji Aonuma, Mikiharu Ooiwa (director of the remake), Tomohiro Yamamura (liaison between Aonuma and Ooiwa), and Tomomi Sano (liaison later in development). While most of the interview talks about Majora’s Mask 3D, Iwata and Aonuma also reminisced about the development of the original Majora’s Mask and its predecessor, Ocarina of Time, which went through several release delays:

“Iwata: Didn’t Ocarina of Time take three years to make?
Aonuma: It did.

“Iwata: Eventually Ocarina of Time came to be considered the pinnacle of 3D games and was praised all over the world, but on the other hand some people were asking why Zelda games only come out once every three years.
Aonuma: Right, the game’s release date was delayed several times.”

Release dates being delayed is nothing new in the video game industry, and such delays are often met with mixed reactions. These feelings can come to a boiling point under the right circumstances, and Miyamoto apparently is no stranger to the concern over delays:

“Iwata: Talking about release delays… that made me remember when MIyamoto-san told me about a time when he visited Kanazawa… he stopped by a convenience store. Then the store clerk noticed Miyamoto-san and actually got mad at him saying “Miyamoto-san! What are you doing here at a time like this!” (laughs)
Aonuma: (laughs) That clerk must have really been waiting for the game to come out!”

Iwata expresses his belief that those delays might have influenced Miyamoto wanting the next game to come out sooner, eventually leading to Majora’s Mask being developed in just one year.

How do you feel about delays for video games? Let us know in the comments below, and check out the rest of the Iwata Asks interview piece here.

Source: Nintendo