Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2 Team Is Inspired By Red Dead 2, Nintendo Says At E3 2019

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 was one of the big surprises to emerge from Nintendo's E3 2019 press conference, and while the publisher didn't let too much slip during the Direct stream itself, it has now teased a little more information on the upcoming sequel.

Specifically, the Legend of Zelda series' director, Eiji Aonuma, has told IGN that one of the development team's inspirations for the sequel was Red Dead Redemption 2. Responding to a question about which games were inspiring the team's younger members, Aonuma replied, "[Something] I did hear that a lot of people were playing was Red Dead Redemption 2."

Later, Aonuma told of the wider team's inspirations: "When I was working on Breath of the Wild, the director [Hidemaro Fujibayashi] was playing Skyrim."

Red Dead Redemption 2, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are all large-scale open-world games. Each received critical acclaim and achieved commercial success.

No release date, title, or further details were announced for the Zelda sequel. The teaser trailer, which you can watch above, showed Link traveling with Zelda herself on horseback, and we see something happening with Hyrule Castle in the distance. The video also featured some eerie music and a stunning landscape similar to the one seen in the original game. We've got a Breath of the Wild sequel trailer breakdown that dives further into what there is to glean from this debut video.

The first game was released as a cross-generation launch title for the Nintendo Switch. We awarded it a 10/10 in GameSpot's Zelda: Breath of the Wild review. Our critic, Peter Brown, wrote: "No matter how gorgeous its environments are, how clever its enemies are, and how tricky its puzzles get, the fact that Breath of the Wild continues to surprise you with newfound rules and possibilities after dozens of hours is by far its most valuable quality. It's a game that allows you to feel gradually more and more empowered yet simultaneously manages to retain a sense of challenge and mystery--which, together, creates a steady, consistent feeling of gratification throughout the entire experience. Breath of the Wild is a defining moment for The Legend of Zelda series, and the most impressive game Nintendo has ever created."

For more, check out all the news from Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct press conference, during which the company also announced Banjo and Kazooie for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

More E3 news:

• New Xbox console, Scarlett, revealed
• Xbox Scarlett details: 8K, 120 FPS, SSD
• Elden Ring is From Software and George RR Martin's new game
• Cyberpunk 2077 release date announced
• Final Fantasy VII Remake release date announced
• Marvel's Avengers revealed