Nintendo has entrusted Retro Studios with some of its most established franchises over the years, among them Metroid and Donkey Kong. As significant as those franchises are, the Austin, Texas-based studio may be in line to collaborate on an even bigger one.

Retro revamped Metroid, but what would it do with Zelda?

In an interview with Wired, Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto spoke to the company's relationship with Retro Studios and specifically pointed to the Zelda series as a point for a potential collaboration. "We have already collaborated with Retro for the Metroid Prime series in the past. And I think when we talk about any other franchise, Zelda might be a possible franchise for that collaboration," Miyamoto told the site.

In 2002, Retro offered its own take on one of the Japanese giant's big franchises with Metroid Prime. That series went on to become a trilogy, and the studio followed up with Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii last year. Retro also recently helped with selected course designs and art duties on Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS.

Shigeru Miyamoto made waves last week when excerpts from the same interview suggested the Mario creator would be stepping back from his development oversight role at Nintendo. The company has since refuted those statements, explaining Miyamoto's comments as misunderstood.