Overwatch co-creator Jeff Kaplan has shared his opinion on the greatest video game ever made, and it’s one that might come as a surprise to fans of Blizzard’s hero shooter: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Released as a launch title for Nintendo Switch in 2017, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was a massive success story, earning widespread critical praise and outselling every previous Zelda game. Breath of the Wild reimagined many elements of the series formula, drastically shaking things up with a huge open world to explore, while still maintaining many classic elements.
Nine years after its release, the game continues to attract new audiences. In 2025, a Nintendo Switch 2 version of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was released, offering frame rate improvements, improved visuals and load times, as well as a new Zelda Notes feature with lots of exclusive audio recorded by actress Patricia Summersett. A similar treatment was also offered for the game’s sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
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Why Breath of the Wild is Kaplan’s Pick for Best Game Ever
In an appearance on the Lex Fridman Podcast, Overwatch co-creator Jeff Kaplan called The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild “the best,” in a segment talking about the greatest video games ever made. In his reasoning, Kaplan states that “the world is a toy, and everything works as you wished and hoped it would work.” It will be hard for Nintendo to top Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, but people like Kaplan once cited Ocarina of Time as one of the greatest games of all time. In fact, Kaplan expressed shock that Nintendo was able to top the 1998 N64 game. Kaplan clearly has a lot of faith in Nintendo as a developer, though, stating that “if it’s from Nintendo, it’s going to be great.”
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
The future of the franchise after Tears of the Kingdom is a question on the minds of many Nintendo fans this year, as 2026 is the 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda. At this time, the company has not announced any plans for the occasion, but celebrations for the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. and the 30th anniversary of Pokemon are both underway at the moment. It’s possible Nintendo could wait until later in the year to announce Zelda anniversary plans, including any potential new video games. Less than three years have passed since the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, so it might be too early to hear about the next major 3D Zelda game. However, a spin-off would not be out of the question, or another remake of a Zelda classic. Fans have long wanted to see the Wii U remasters of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess ported to Nintendo Switch, and the anniversary could be the perfect excuse for Nintendo to finally do so.
Kaplan clearly has high praise for Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but there are plenty of people who would probably choose Overwatch as one of the greatest video games ever made. Blizzard’s hero shooter launched to critical acclaim in 2016, and the game has earned a huge audience over the last 10 years. Much of the passion of Overwatch fans can be attributed to its memorable cast of characters, including favorites such as Tracer, Mei, and Torbjorn. For a decade now, the Overwatch heroes have inspired cosplay, as well as tons of fan art. The greatest game ever made is certainly subjective, and gamers are bound to have their own strong feelings about what title most deserves that honor. There isn’t a perfect answer, and opinions are certainly going to change as new games are released.
- Released
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March 3, 2017
- ESRB
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E for Everyone: Fantasy Violence, Use of Alcohol, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
Source: GamesRadar
