Eiji Aonuma has been very close to The Legend of Zelda series for quite some time now. He has worked on a number of games in the Zelda series over the years. Aonuma himself revealed in an interview with EDGE that Nintendo would like him to create a new intellectual property. Zelda fans need not worry, though, as Nintendo wants him to continue making new Zelda games as well. Either way, Aonuma is no doubt very busy with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for now.
In his interview with EDGE, Eiji Aonuma hinted at a game he might like to make:
“Actually, Nintendo has been telling me to create a new IP. But then, they’re also telling me to make more Zelda games. I can’t really share much; I’m not sure I’m allowed to say anything. But I really like the idea of a game where I can live as a thief. That’s all I’ll say.”
Aonuma worked at Nintendo for years before he ever worked on the Zelda series. His earliest projects included things like graphic design, creating sprites for NES games. He would also go on to become the Director of Development for Marvelous: Mouhitotsu no Takarajim in 1996. It was after this that he was recruited to join the Zelda team, spending several years as a lead designer. During this time, he worked on Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, and The Wind Waker. Once development of The Wind Waker had concluded, Eiji Aonuma seriously thought about moving on to other projects. But this was not to be, as the man who originally recruited him to the Zelda team convinced him otherwise. That man was none other than Shigeru Miyamoto.
Aonuma also co-founded a brass band in 1995 with four other people, in which he plays percussion. Known as The Wind Wakers, the band consists of over 70 Nintendo employees. They play three or four concerts a year just for Nintendo employees.