The sheer size of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's expansive open-world has been a huge talking point among fans, and now game producer Eiji Aonuma has explained why the team decided to pry open Hyrule like never before. 

Speaking to Waypoint, Aonuma said the decision was made after Skyward Sword's approach to world design left some players out in the cold. 

Unlike Breath of the Wild, which features a vast, truly interconnected world, Skyward Sword would only let players drop down from the skies and explore separate, isolated sections of Hyrule. 

As Aonuma explained, those areas were all "self-contained," and ultimately left fans with one burning question: what's happening in the spaces in-between? 

"We listened to a lot of opinions, from people who played Skyward Sword. And a lot of people said to us how they found the game -- not exactly unsatisfying -- but they wished they could have explored the areas between the strongholds," recalled Aonuma. 

"So taking that on board, from the very start of Breath of the Wild, we wanted to, and set out to, create a world that wasn't only vast, but where everything was connected. So you really could freely explore the world, without these barriers or gaps imposed."

You can hear more from the veteran Zelda producer by checking out the full interview over on Waypoint.