Nintendo: Next 3DS Zelda "to be original"
Majora's Mask port would come second.
UPDATE: We've tweaked our headline slightly following word from Eurogamer's Portugese site that the original MyGames interview was mis-transcribed.
Eurogamer.pt sat in on the very same interview, which it recorded to tape, and confirmed that, while Aonuma's comments on a Majora's Mask port are correctly reported, he was speaking hypothetically when discussing the 3DS title and made no reference to development having started on the game.
For a word-for-word transcription of what was actually said in the Q&A, see Eurogamer.pt's coverage.
ORIGINAL STORY: A new Zelda game is currently in the works for 3DS, series custodian Eiji Aonuma has revealed.
Speaking with Portugese site MyGames, as translated by Nintendo Everything, Aonuma explained that it will be an original title and not directly linked to Link's DS outings Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks.
"We are already preparing a new game, a game in the series for the Nintendo 3DS, but don't think that it is a direct sequel to the Zelda titles released on DS," he explained.
"We are talking about a new game, but it takes much of what has been done on previous handhelds."
Perhaps a portable sequel to the Wii's impending Skyward Sword, in the same way that Phantom Hourglass on DS followed GameCube adventure The Wind Waker? Place your bets.
Aonuma added that a handheld port of N64 classic Majora's Mask in the style of Ocarina of Time 3D hasn't been ruled out either, though the new game will come first.
"It's something I'm asked about often and I assure you that it is something I've spoken to Miyamoto about," he said.
"But recently we released The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D as a remake. We are considering the idea, but it didn't seem right to launch a remake one after another, so the next Zelda game on 3DS will be original."
It's a good time to be a Zelda fan. The superlative Ocarina of Time remake launched earlier this year, followed by a complimentary download of GBA curio Four Swords in September, while Wii epic Skyward Sword swoops in later this month.