Nintendo Partners with Laced Records for Zelda: Breath of the Wild Vinyl Soundtrack Release in the West

Nintendo has historically focused its physical video game soundtrack releases on the Japanese market, where CDs and physical music formats remain immensely popular.

However, in a notable shift, Nintendo has collaborated with renowned music label Laced Records to launch a vinyl edition of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild soundtrack for Western audiences.

This is the first time the company has released a physical soundtrack of this scale outside Japan, marking an important milestone for game music enthusiasts and collectors on platforms like Nintendo Switch. Announced earlier today, the partnership with Laced Records will make the iconic tracks from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild—one of the most critically acclaimed titles in the franchise available for Nintendo Switch—accessible in a premium vinyl format in the United States and other regions outside Japan.

The original game, released in 2017, has been a transformative title for both Nintendo and the open-world genre.

Its soundtrack, composed by Manaka Kataoka and Yasuaki Iwata, has been praised for its atmospheric score and emotional depth. In a recent interview with Variety, Bill Trinen, Nintendo's Vice President of Player & Product Experience, shed light on the company's evolving approach towards physical game music releases outside Japan.

Trinen explained that while CDs and other physical formats remain the norm for video game soundtracks in Japan, the U.S.

has seen minimal releases of this nature from Nintendo.

He commented that this collaboration serves as a means for Nintendo to assess the appetite for physical soundtracks in the American market, stating, "Part of our initiative is to better understand the demand for physical soundtracks in the United States.

We’re interested in bringing video game music to a broader audience, and this project represents one of several steps we've taken in that direction." The release of the Zelda: Breath of the Wild vinyl soundtrack in the West could pave the way for more such offerings from Nintendo and its partners, reflecting a growing global appreciation for high-quality video game music.

The move aligns with a broader industry trend to make soundtracks more accessible and collectible, driven by demand from dedicated fans and audiophiles alike. With more details available for interested buyers via Nintendo's official channels and the Laced Records website, fans can look forward to owning a part of gaming history in a lasting, tangible format.

If the response to this vinyl release is strong, it may influence Nintendo's strategy, potentially leading to additional physical soundtrack projects beyond Japan in the future.

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