Lead composer of Zelda: Breath of the Wild revealed

Later this year, Nintendo will release the open-world adventure The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for its Wii U and Switch consoles. The main theme from the game was performed at the The Legend of Zelda 30th Anniversary Concert in four cities in Japan last year. The concert program revealed that Manaka Kataoka composed the music.

Manaka Kataoka (née Tominaga) has worked at Nintendo EPD (formerly Nintendo EAD) for the last decade. During this time, she has contributed to a wide range of titles, including Wii Fit, Spirit Tracks, but is best known for leading the composition of the Animal Crossing titles New Leaf and City Folk.

Given the scale of Breath of the Wild, it’s anticipated that other composers will also contribute to the soundtrack. However, gameplay videos indicate that the music integration for the title has taken a different approach from most Zelda titles and music will be used relatively sparingly during the field scenes.

Posted on January 5, 2017 by Chris Greening. Last modified on January 5, 2017.

Tags: Manaka Kataoka, Nintendo, Zelda

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Chris Greening I've contributed to websites related to game audio since 2002. In this time, I've reviewed over a thousand albums and interviewed hundreds of musicians across the world. As the founder and webmaster of VGMO -Video Game Music Online-, I hope to create a cutting-edge, journalistic resource for all those soundtrack enthusiasts out there. In the process, I would love to further cultivate my passion for music, writing, and generally building things. Please enjoy the site and don't hesitate to say hello!