Aonuma Says Nintendo Avoids Layoffs For Long-Term Staff Benefit

Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma has said that Nintendo tends to keep its staff rather than make layoffs, because it sees a real benefit in long-term employees.

The comments came in a lengthy interview with GameSpot, held around the global launch of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake on Nintendo Switch 2. Layoffs have been a common topic across the industry, especially among Western developers, and Nintendo is known for avoiding them.

Aonuma explained that staff who have worked together over many projects make it easier to decide how to move forward and whether to try something new. New members still need time to learn the reasons behind how things are done, so the company has to balance fresh hires with its core team. He said the Zelda team does change over time, but a core group carries from one project to the next, giving Nintendo a base to build from. He added that this approach goes back a long way, even to when Miyamoto worked on projects like this, and that it helps explain the sense of continuity fans feel across the Zelda series.

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