When it comes to the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, one of the most memorable aspects is definitely its soundtrack.
Okay, it’s generally not as loud and bombastic as past Zelda games were. It’s not like The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess or Link Between Worlds where every song sounds like something from a high-octane fantasy action movie…
But it’s a great soundtrack nonetheless, with its subtle piano tones and calming nature fitting perfectly with Link’s adventure around a broken kingdom, and its incredible town and dungeon themes adding a very memorable feel to the game’s most exciting locations.
However, it seems this might be the last we’ll see of such a soundtrack in the series. Why? Because as the title unfortunately notes, one of the original composers for it has now left Nintendo.
Yep, Yasuaki Iwata has now left Nintendo, likely in search of new challenges. Here’s the statement about his departure courtesy of his personal Twitter account:
I have a bit of a belated announcement to share.
In July of last year, I took a step in a new direction by leaving my position at Nintendo.
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported me over the years, to those who enjoyed my work, and to everyone…— Yasuaki Iwata / 岩田恭明(いわた やすあき) (@yasui_wata) November 5, 2024
It’s very much to the point, and indicates he’s certainly busy with other things at the moment. So, there’s clearly no bad blood between him and his colleagues at Nintendo, or any reason for the change besides likely wanting a change of pace.
But it does still raise a few questions regardless.
Firstly, why is this statement being posted now of all times? Because despite the date on the post, Yasuaki Iwata didn’t actually leave the company in 2024.
No, he left back in 2023. So, we’re a bit curious why he didn’t mention the change earlier, and build up a bit more interest in his work when he first made the jump.
We’re also curious what he’ll be doing when not at Nintendo too. Because while it’s almost certainly the case that he’s become a freelance composer at this point (his post mentions new projects, and that’s the route others like Tomoya Tomita and Grant Kirkhope took as well) …
It’s not confirmed one way or the other. So we’re curious to see exactly what he’s working on here, and what these new projects might entail.
Regardless, we wish Yasuaki Iwata all the best with his work outside of Nintendo, and we eagerly wait to see what other projects he ends up working on in future. Because if Breath of the Wild is any indication, they’re gonna be amazing for sure!
Source:
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild composer Yasuaki Iwata has left Nintendo (Automaton Media)