After previous milestone patterns, fans expect remakes, surprises, and possibly a major reveal later this summer.
It’s hard to believe that one of Nintendo’s most famous and important series has been around for 40 years. Around this time every year, people start to think about Nintendo and what they might be planning to mark 40 years of Hyrule, important quests, and well-known experiences.
People haven’t said much about the exact wedding date, but things that have happened in the past make it seem like waiting might be the best thing to do. We can see that the parties did not start in February 2021, which is the 35th anniversary.
Nintendo instead held its E3-season Nintendo Direct in the summer to say a few things.
A lot of Zelda-related things were shown off at the end of the show. New information about Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity was given out, along with news about The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD and a Game & Watch system based on the series.
At first, fans only knew it as the follow-up to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Later, it was given the name The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The next movie wasn’t due out until 2022, which shows that holidays are often tied to bigger projects in the future.
You can see the same pattern if you look back five years, to 2016, the 30th anniversary. That party had The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD for Wii U, which came out in April instead of February, and an amiibo for the 30th anniversary.
But there was no question that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the most important game at that time. Nintendo showed off the game at E3 the whole time, with lots of demos and Treehouse coverage.
An important point of the introduction was how big and different the open world would be.
This was a big change for the show. Once more, a remaster came out at the same time that a big new core game was supposed to come out. The setup for the 25th anniversary in 2011 was the same.
Nintendo made a 3D version of one of the most popular games of all time, called The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It was released for the Nintendo 3DS. There were mixed responses to some of the changes, but everyone agreed that it was a big switch.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword came out for Wii the same year. The story of how the Kingdom of Hyrule came to be was told in a brand-new big game. More birthdays pass, and it’s clear that there is a pattern: a big remake or update, then a buildup to a new main game.
Because of that, it makes sense that people are looking forward to similar events on the 40th occasion. We think it’s likely that the reveal will happen again in the summer, since there are so many events planned with N64 themes.
Mario is celebrating his 40th birthday throughout March.
Beginning in early April, there will be a movie about Mario Galaxy. There will also be anniversary shows for Pokémon. Give each brand time to recover between big reveals. This is smart from a business point of view.
Most likely, you’ll hear big news about Zelda in June or July, maybe during the next Nintendo Direct if you pay close attention. A full remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has been talked about more and more over the past two years.
Some people believe that hints, repeated answers in interviews, themed LEGO sets like the Great Deku Tree from Ocarina of Time, and other game-related items could be signs of bigger things to come.
Reports say that there will be a bigger and more ambitious remake than the 3DS version.
This one might be made with today’s tech in mind. A new version of Ocarina of Time would fit right in with the 40th anniversary party if we follow the tradition of putting out a remaster at the same time as a bigger franchise release.
There are, however, still other choices that might work out. Two Zelda games, The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, could be released in HD by Nintendo. However, Wind Waker is already in the Nintendo Switch Online GameCube library, which makes that less possible.
Games like The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds could also be ported or remade here. Switch games have been brought back by Nintendo before with only small changes, so that path seems possible.
Another interesting choice is to get a sneak peek at the next major Zelda game. Nintendo has always been proud to show off games years before they come out. People saw Breath of the Wild for the first time in 2014, almost three years before it came out.
There was news about Tears of the Kingdom in 2019, four years before it came out.
It seems like making games takes longer these days, but an early idea trailer for a future Switch-like game would still follow the same format. People can get excited about Nintendo’s next hardware with just a short teaser that sets the mood.
These reports could last for years. Still, the time it takes to make games for each Nintendo brand shows that you should be careful. It’s been almost nine years since the last fully original 3D Mario game.
This shows that big projects need more time to be made. The next open-world Zelda game might not come out for a few years if big games need more time to make. People might not expect much more than a copy or remake soon because of this.
No matter what kind of party you have for your 40th anniversary, it almost never takes place on the exact date of your wedding. They happen in a planned way over the course of a year instead.
The 40th anniversary of Zelda is likely to bring big news, like a major remake, more content for Nintendo Switch Online, merchandise deals, or a game trailer before it comes out. Let’s remember the exciting forty years we’ve had. Nintendo will definitely remember history in a way that looks to the future as well as the past.
