Capcom

Capcom is the only third-party video game development company to have developed The Legend of Zelda titles. In collaboration with Nintendo, they designed, , , and.

Capcom is known for its numerous popular franchises such as Mega Man, Street Fighter, Devil May Cry and Resident Evil.

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
Capcom's first contributions to the Zelda series were and Oracle of Ages for Game Boy Color. The development of these titles was a joint venture between Capcom and Nintendo, lead by Capcom game director Yoshiki Okamoto. According to Okamoto, the development team struggled early on without Nintendo producer Shigeru Miyamoto's guidance. Miyamoto later became involved in the project at Okamoto's request. Rather than beginning development with gameplay design, as was Miyamoto's convention, the team began by using Capcom subsidiary Flagship to create the game scenarios (i.e. story and characters). This resulted in gameplay design difficulties; several aspects of the games had to be redone.

Despite initial concerns, the Oracle games received a positive reception from fans and media alike. Capcom has been praised for their contributions to the Zelda series.

A Link to the Past & Four Swords
Capcom returned in 2002 to create the Game Boy Advance remake of. On the same game cartridge as this remake came an original Zelda game created by Capcom, the multiplayer-only Four Swords. As the first game of a sub-series trilogy, Four Swords introduced important plot elements, namely the eponymous Four Sword and the villain Vaati. These would reappear in the later titles and.

The Minish Cap
Capcom's next and most recent Zelda game came in 2004 with the release of a prequel to Four Swords,, for the Game Boy Advance.

In reference to their earlier works, the three Oracles make a cameo appearance in this game. Link can help each of them to find houses in Hyrule Castle Town. However, one of them will never receive a new house as a third one never becomes available. This may be an unfinished gameplay element. Alternatively, it could be a deliberate reference to the Oracle series' unreleased third title.

Capcom has not been involved in the development of any Zelda game since The Minish Cap. Phantom Hourglass was the first handheld Zelda game since to have not been developed by Capcom.

Keiji Inafune
, the longtime creator in charge of the  series for Capcom, has also long been a fan of the Zelda series. His all-time favorite game is. Inafune created the  series as an homage to Zelda, and those games incorporate a great deal of Zelda-style gameplay elements. , released soon after the first Legends game, has a 3D gameplay interface strikingly similar to Legends. Inafune would later become directly involved in the development of the Zelda series at Capcom as the producer of.