Echoes of Wisdom Development Lead Tomomi Sano Introduced as Zelda Series’ First Female Director
Posted on September 25 2024 by Kristen G. Rosario
The latest entry in Nintendo’s Ask the Developer interview series brought together Zelda Series Producer Eiji Aonuma, Grezzo Director Satoshi Terada, and Echoes of Wisdom Game Director Tomomi Sano to discuss development on the upcoming Zelda title.
After the introductions, the interviewer brings up the fact that Sano is, with Echoes of Wisdom, the Zelda series’ first female director. Sano is asked to share about her prior development experience, which includes work on some notable remakes in the Zelda franchise. Aonuma even brings up how he “almost always” asks her to be involved with the Zelda games that Grezzo works on:
By the way, Sano-san is the first female director of the Legend of Zelda series. What other titles have you worked on in the past?
Tomomi Sano: Prior to this project, my main role was to support the director. As for the remakes that Grezzo worked on, I was involved in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. I was also involved in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, as well as some of the titles in the Mario & Luigi series released prior to Mario & Luigi: Brothership, which will be released in November this year.
Eiji Aonuma: I almost always ask her to be engaged in the Legend of Zelda remakes that Grezzo works on.
The interviewer even makes an observation about how essential Sano is to the Zelda/Grezzo partnership. Her importance with those projects shouldn’t be completely shocking, as Tomomi Sano has been working in the video game industry for about 27 years.
Sano got her start at Namco in 1997 with Tekken 3 as a Stage Texture Editor. She didn’t begin working with Nintendo until a few years later as a Coordinator for 2004’s Mario Party 6. Afterwards, she teamed up with the now-defunct AlphaDream to work on a few titles in the Mario & Luigi series as an Assistant Producer.
It was a couple years after the 2009 release of Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story that Sano finally dipped her toes into the Zelda series, when she served as a Coordinator on Ocarina of Time 3D. Sano later went on to work as a Coordinator on 2015’s Majora’s Mask 3D, and then as an Assistant Director on 2016’s Twilight Princess HD. After working on the Nintendo 3DS remakes of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story as an Assistant Director, she returned to Zelda as the Project Coordinator for the Link’s Awakening remake.
Echoes of Wisdom is Tomomi Sano’s first time in the lead director’s chair. Considering how long she’s been in the business for, I’m surprised this hasn’t happened sooner. Considering that Aonuma sees her as a reliable resource when it comes to Zelda, I’m sure she’s going to knock it out of the park.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is set to release on September 26th, 2024.
What do you think? Considering Tomomi Sano’s prior experience in the games industry, is she the right person for the job? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Nintendo
Kristen G. Rosario is an Editor who joined Zelda Dungeon back in September of 2015. His current goal is to become a full-time video game journalist, hoping to eventually gain a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. While he pursues that dream, he not only takes care of his adorable dachshund Angel, but also helps run a YouTube channel with his brother. The Zelda series is a quest he hasn’t fully completed yet, but hopes to get there one day.
