France’s Ministry of Culture has inducted Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma into its order of the Knights of Arts and Letters, an announcement that ran alongside the 2023 Paris Games Week trade show.
Eiji has played a major part in the Legend of Zelda series since the late 1990s becoming the lead designer for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. In the following years Eiji found himself leading the production of other iconic Zelda games including Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild and its sequel Tears of the Kingdom.
France’s Knights of Arts and Letters order honors significant contributions to the arts, literature, or the propagation of these fields. Contenders for the award are selected from guidelines for French citizens 30 and older, who respect French civil law, and have “significantly contributed to the enrichment of the French cultural inheritance”.
Despite Eiji not being a French national, his achievements within the video game industry have enough influence to guarantee him this award, and he isn’t the only foreign national to receive this award. Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has also been inducted into the Knights of Arts and Letters.
This accolade is a well-deserved reward for Eiji, due in part to the massive influence his work with the Zelda series has had in the video game industry for decades.
The 60-year-old joins other significant video game creators and personalities including Shigeru Miyamoto, Michel Ancel, Peter Molyneux, Julie Chalmette, and many others.
An official presentation for Eiji’s accolade is to be expected but the date is currently unknown.