The Legend of Zelda is by far one of the biggest franchises not only in Nintendo’s catalog but in gaming as a whole. In roughly 40 years since the debut of the series on the Nintendo Entertainment System, The Legend of Zelda has more than lived up to the “legend” in its name across numerous games in the series. Its games have changed the very fabric of gaming and innovated in ways that are still felt across titles in numerous genres, such as action-adventure and RPG.
Excitement is filling the air around The Legend of Zelda once again, as Nintendo is currently gearing up to release its next platform, the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2. With Zelda’s standing as a flagship franchise and the buzz surrounding this new console, there’s certainly been no shortage of speculation regarding what fans can look forward to from the series on the Switch 2. With that said, while Nintendo is sure to bring some Zelda goodness to the new platform, the publisher may not need to come out of the gate sprinting with the series at the console’s launch.
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Zelda May Not Need To Repeat What It Did On The Switch’s Launch
Zelda’s Switch 2 Launch Game Could Be A Re-Release
Currently, many of the Zelda-related rumors on the Switch 2 center around a remaster of some kind launching on the system. Much of the speculation has been centering around these supposed remakes/remasters being re-releases of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, two titles that were speculated on heavily during the original Switch’s lifespan. Even if the new release is neither of those games, it’s not unlikely for Zelda’s Switch 2 debut to be a re-release of some kind that serves as a holdover for a larger game to come.
This would obviously be in stark contrast to the original Nintendo Switch’s release, which saw The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild available as a launch title. That game went on to be one of the most well-received games of all time, and its huge critical and commercial success set the stage for what would be an incredible run of first-party titles on the Switch. It seems like Nintendo may be going lighter on Zelda at the system’s launch, which may honestly be for the better.
Zelda Has Just Gotten Several New Games
The Nintendo Switch 2 may not launch with a wholly new Zelda game largely because gamers have just gotten new Zelda titles in both the bigger and smaller styles. Last year saw the release of the smaller-scale The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and the year prior saw the much-anticipated release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Fans of Zelda have just gotten two mainline Zelda games over the last two years, so it may not be time to start expecting the next groundbreaking Zelda title to be ready by the launch of the Switch 2.
The Switch 2 may also not need a new Zelda game right off the bat, especially because the system will be backward-compatible with current-generation Switch games right out of the box. This means that, unlike Nintendo’s previous system which offered no backward compatibility, the Switch 2 will have a wide variety of Zelda titles already playable from the jump. With such a vast catalog of Zelda games playable as soon as the Switch 2 releases, Nintendo will have more time to let fans catch up while it crafts the next major game.
Fans of Zelda have just gotten two mainline Zelda games over the last two years, so it may not be time to start expecting the next groundbreaking Zelda title to be ready by the launch of the Switch 2.
Mario Will Likely Fill The Void For Zelda At The Switch 2’s Launch
It should also be said that Nintendo will have another one of its mascots carrying the weight of the Switch 2 at launch: Mario. The publisher has already announced the next Mario Kart game – which can be reasonably expected to launch alongside the Switch 2 – but there’s been heavy speculation that the next 3D Mario title will also be released sometime within the Switch’s launch window. Thus, Zelda can comfortably take a step back to cook while Mario shoulders the load at the launch of the Switch 2.
Without question, Nintendo will bring The Legend of Zelda to the Switch 2, as the publisher will certainly not let one of its flagship IPs go underutilized. Be that as it may, the early parts of the system’s life will probably see the publisher sticking to re-releases to hold fans over while the next major title cooks. Once that new game is ready to go, though, it will no doubt continue to put the “Legend” in The Legend of Zelda.
- Released
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September 26, 2024
- ESRB
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E10+ For Everyone 10+
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo