Highlights
- Eiji Aonuma, producer of Nintendo's Legend of Zelda franchise, has been named an official Knight by the French Minister of Culture.
- Aonuma has worked on the Legend of Zelda games for over two decades, serving as director and dungeon designer for Ocarina of Time and directing other popular titles.
- The success of Tears of the Kingdom, one of the best-selling games on the Nintendo Switch, and Aonuma's promotion to a senior officer position highlight his contributions to the Zelda series.
Eiji Aonuma, the producer of Nintendo's Legend of Zelda franchise, has been named an official Knight by the French Minister of Culture. This is a title that is given by the Minister of Culture to outstanding individuals, first established in 1957. Its purpose is to recognize significant cultural contributions in terms of art, literature, and other media. Aonuma joins the ranks of several other individuals with this honor, including fellow Nintendo revolutionary Shigeru Miyamoto.
Aonuma is a legendary developer, having worked on the Legend of Zelda games for over two decades. Aonuma's first Zelda game was 1998's Ocarina of Time, serving as its director and dungeon designer. Aonuma directed other popular mainline Zelda games, like Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess, until he moved into the role of series producer starting in 2007. Aonuma was Tears of the Kingdom's producer, with the game becoming both a commercial and critical hit when it released this past May.
First reported by Le Figaro, the French Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul-Malak, is awarding the Legend of Zelda series producer with this title. Aonuma will be joining other video game creators like Michel Ancel, Peter Molyneux, and the aforementioned Shigeru Miyamoto, who have all been honored with this distinction. The announcement was first made during the 2023 Paris Games Week trade show, though an official date of the ceremony has yet to be announced.
Another Japanese creator that was given this distinction was Urusei Yatsura and Inuyasha creator Rumiko Takahashi, who was awarded this title earlier this April. The last person to be recognized with this title in terms of video games would be Rebecka Coutaz in 2022, who is the vice president of DICE and former director of Ubisoft Annecy. Other distinguished video game creators who hold the title of knight include the general director of Bethesda France, Julie Chalmette, and Audrey Leprice, co-founder of French Studio The Game Bakers.
The success of Tears of the Kingdom cannot be understated, as it is one of the best-selling games on the Nintendo Switch. It managed to sell over 10 million copies within the first three days of its release, with over 18.51 million copies being sold by the end of June 2023. 2023 would also see Aonuma promoted to a senior officer position at Nintendo EPD. The future of the Zelda series is looking bright, and the title of Knight is a well-deserved honor for Aonuma after his longtime contributions and work with the franchise.
