Eiji Aonuma, producer of The Legend of Zelda series and senior game designer at Nintendo, has been awarded the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France, with the honor personally presented by the French Minister of Culture.
In the award ceremony speech, Eiji Aonuma was described as a unique storyteller who leaves room for players' own imagination. The French government acknowledged that his works encourage children and adults around the world to use their imagination and explore new worlds.
Eiji Aonuma expressed his gratitude upon receiving the honor. He stated that his main goal is to continue working with the development team to allow players to experience grand-scale adventures.
Eiji Aonuma joined Nintendo in 1988 and later served as the director of the 1998 Nintendo 64 title The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The game successfully transitioned the series into 3D, and he has since continued to produce multiple entries in the series, becoming one of the key creators behind the adventures of Link and Princess Zelda.
This award reflects the formal recognition by French cultural institutions of the contributions of video game creators and interactive storytelling, as well as the cultural influence of The Legend of Zelda series across ages and regions.