NL: The Zelda series tells the story of a male hero rescuing a female princess. Would you ever consider giving Zelda her own game?

Aonuma: This is the second time I've received this question during this E3! I guess if people have strong feelings about it then it's something to consider. I'll keep that in mind! [laughs]

NL: Fans have often said that they'd like to see a 3D remake of Majora's Mask, just as there was one of Ocarina of Time. There were rumours that it was a possibility - is that still the case, or are you focusing on new games from now on?

Aonuma: You've heard rumours? [laughs] Hmm, I wonder! [laughs again]

NL: I would be very excited myself, it's one of my favourites of the series.

Aonuma: Majora's Mask is a very special game - it's the real hardcore who like that one. If we were to make a remake of that one then we wouldn't want to let them down. We'd have to put our heart and soul into it. So, you say you’ve heard rumours, but I have to say it would be quite a commitment to do that.

NL: The Zelda series has mostly maintained cartoon-like visuals, and even slightly more realistic games still have a fantastical look. Will the next Wii U Zelda game maintain this, or go for a more realistic look?

Aonuma: The thing about Zelda is we want everything to be unique, whether it’s the graphical presentation or the gameplay. It has to be something you can't see anywhere else. We wouldn't want it to be ultra-realistic because you can see that elsewhere. But I can't say that it's going to be cartoony-realistic like you mentioned, the fantastic presentation that we've already done in the past. It will be something new.

NL: Have you ever considered a sharply different theme for a Zelda world, such as setting it in a completely different era?

Aonuma: I don't know if we are joking when we do this or not, but there are times when I'll discuss with Mr. Miyamoto about putting Link and Zelda in the modern day world. What types of gameplay would there be? What changes would there be in the presentation of the story? But I honestly can't imagine them there.

It's not that we place them in any specific time period or in any specific culture. If you look at what happens in Zelda games there’s a mix of Japanese and what might be considered Western things. It also allows us a lot of flexibility if you don't define a specific time period or location for the story to take place in. I don't see us making any drastic changes, unless it really suits the story.

Full interview here