Insider chatter, remake predictions, and a mystery codename could hint at Nintendo’s next big Zelda move.
If you have been following Nintendo news lately, you probably feel that tummy-ache-inducing pre-Direct tension building again. Reports of a presentation possibly happening next week are already floating around, and while a separate podcast discussion is lined up to dig into that, there is another topic that deserves your attention right now: a potential leak tied to Zelda’s 40th anniversary. I should put it out there that it is not confirmed and not something you should treat as guaranteed.
You have seen how they handled Mario’s milestone year with releases, ports, merch, and cross-promotion. Zelda anniversaries usually get attention too, even if not always at the same scale. But this time, the timing is different. You have a new console generation starting with Switch 2, and you also have a Zelda movie on the way next year. When you put those together, it makes sense that Nintendo would want to push the Zelda brand harder than usual.
You can already see early signs of that push. The Ocarina of Time Lego set has been announced, which tells you that cross-media promotion is already in motion. That alone suggests this anniversary is not going to be ignored. Still, you probably should not expect everything to drop at once.
Instead of one massive blowout presentation, you may see Zelda-related announcements spaced out across the year. Even if a Direct happens soon, you might only get a small tease rather than the full anniversary plan.
So where are these new rumors coming from?
Much of the recent discussion traces back to comments by Nate the Hate, an industry insider. In a recent podcast, he mentioned several things connected to Nintendo’s future plans, including what he expects to happen in 2026.
Still, you know how this works. When a trusted insider makes a prediction, people start wondering whether it is really just a guess or something based on background information they cannot fully share. Nate did not claim secret sourcing behind these specific points, so you should treat them as informed speculation. Even so, one of his predictions caught a lot of attention: the idea that you could see remakes of Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons as part of the Zelda 40th anniversary.
That stands out because those games are already available to you through Nintendo Switch Online’s Game Boy app. Normally, you might assume that once a classic title lands there, a remake is less likely. But recent history suggests otherwise. You have seen cases where games show up in the online library and still get remasters or remakes later.
A recent retail listing slip involving Metroid Prime 2 is a good example of how plans can surface early by accident. Even when Nintendo responds and says something was a mistake, you cannot always assume the underlying project is not real. Sometimes it just means the reveal came earlier than intended.
There is also direct commentary from Nintendo leadership that supports this idea.
A Nintendo of America executive previously explained in an interview that a game appearing on Switch Online does not block it from being remastered or remade later. From your perspective, that keeps the door open. Since Oracle of Ages and Seasons were added to the service a while ago, enough time has passed that a modern remake would not feel redundant.
Another piece that makes this more interesting is an older tease from a different leaker, Nash Weedle. About a year ago, he posted three names in sequence: Richard, Edward, then Bernard. If you look at Nintendo’s internal codenames, Richard was tied to the Link’s Awakening remake from 2019, and Edward was linked to Echoes of Wisdom from 2024. Both games share a similar visual style and were developed by Grezzo. When you see a third codename in that pattern, you naturally start wondering if another project in that same style is in development.
From your point of view, if a new top-down Zelda project is coming from Grezzo, a remake of Oracle of Ages and Seasons would fit neatly. It matches the format, the scope, and the anniversary timing. If something appears this year connected to Switch 2 and carries that Bernard codename internally, it would strongly suggest that the earlier tease pointed to a real project.
You should also keep your expectations grounded. Bernard does not have to mean an Oracle remake specifically. It could point to a different 2D Zelda remake or even a brand-new, smaller-scale entry.
But when you consider that Echoes of Wisdom is still recent, launching a completely new mainline-style 2D Zelda so soon would be a fast turnaround. That makes a remake more believable than a full new entry. Remakes usually require less development time, especially when the engine and art approach are already established.
There is also a deeper cut idea that might interest you. The Oracle games were once planned as a trilogy built around power, wisdom, and courage. Only two shipped in the end. The third concept was canceled. You could see Nintendo bringing back that third idea as a new companion release if they remake Ages and Seasons.
As a player, that would be a big draw: not only new versions of the classics, but also a long-lost third chapter that has finally come to life. It would be even better if they could share save data or progress with each other, like the originals did.
Looking at the bigger anniversary picture, you probably should not assume this would be the only Zelda project in play. There are new theories that Nintendo may at least tease the next major 3D Zelda release this year.
One guess people are making is an Ocarina of Time remake aimed for release after the live-action movie arrives. Even if that launch is farther out, a teaser during the anniversary year would make sense. And, better yet, add to that ports like Twilight Princess, merchandise like Lego sets, and you get a full cross-promotion wave.
From your point of view, the conclusion is not that any one rumor is true. It’s that a number of different things, like insider predictions, old codenames, comments from executives, and the timing of anniversaries, all seem to be pointing in the same direction. When that happens, you pay attention.
You might not see this reveal right away if a Direct happens soon.
I think it would be better to assume that news about Zelda’s anniversary will come out across multiple events and announcements. That keeps the spotlight on Nintendo and lets them time game reveals with movie marketing and the Switch 2’s rise in popularity.
Right now, you are in the watch-and-wait phase. The Bernard codename, the Oracle remake talk, and the anniversary planning could all connect, or they could split into different projects. I would urge all Zelda fans to stay on the lookout for now.
