Although The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was the first, and last, Zelda to be developed specifically for the Wii, Nintendo has come out to share that the title has greatly influenced the future of the franchise. More specifically Nintendo feels that they could never go back to the simple button controls of past Zeldas, and will keeping Skyward Sword’s motion controls for the foreseeable future.

There’s no denying that Skyward Sword, for those who have played it, is one of the best examples of motion controls done right on the Wii, but committing to motion control for the future is a pretty bold statement. Still, Legend of Zelda Producer Eiji Aonuma says that there’s no going back.

When asked if future Zelda games would support the Wii Motion Plus, Aonuma responded by saying:

"I honestly think we cannot go back to button controls now, so I think that these controls will be used in future Zelda titles, too."

Clearly we’ve come a long way since that E3 presentation where Miyamoto struggled to even get Link to slice in the correct direction.

With the Wii U looming on the horizon, and gamers given a brief glimpse of what an HD Zelda can be, there’s clearly a commitment to motion controls continuing into this next console generation. There might be many of the features we’ve come to expect packed into Nintendo’s next, but it’s still going to carry the markers of its predecessor.

For being one of the last high profile titles to release on the Wii, Skyward Sword has certainly left its mark, both on the brand and the console. With Motion Plus controls now being a standard for future iterations, it almost requires that Nintendo keep some sort of motion control support not just in the Wii U, but also in a future console. Skyward Sword might not have changed the Zelda franchise, but it may just have reshaped Nintendo’s future.

Do you think that Nintendo will remain committed to motion controls for the foreseeable future? Was the motion control gameplay in Skyward Sword the turning point that made you a believer?

 The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is available now for the Nintendo Wii.

Source: Official Nintendo Magazine