You don't make a game this epic with a small team

Nintendo has said before that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is one of its biggest-ever developments, and the latest Iwata Asks reveals just how vast the creative team was.

The sound team alone took in ten members, the biggest sound team a Nintendo game has ever had: with five composers and five staff handling effects and the system, it was a big undertaking due to the game's heavily orchestral compositions. Hajime Wakai, perhaps best known for his Wind Waker and Pikmin compositions, worked with Masato Mizuta to sketch out the game's soundscapes before the team grew to its full size in the run-up to completion.

Visual design was equally full, with a team of 22 staff creating the game's iconic visual look, which Iwata again states is the largest design team a Nintendo game has ever had.

With such scope on the design side it's no wonder Skyward Sword is being dubbed as one of Nintendo's biggest ever games. We'll see exactly how big it is — and whether bigger is actually better — in our upcoming review.

[source iwataasks.nintendo.com]