One of the “side effects,” if you will, of the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Direct is that everyone is looking at each major Nintendo franchise and wondering whether they’ll be on the system in its first year. We know that Nintendo is aiming to have a dramatic first year for its new system, as that will help move a bunch of units, which the company obviously desires. However, it’s also fair that they wouldn’t put everything in its first year, as that would be problematic. As such, many people believe that series like The Legend of Zelda will appear on the console around launch or in its first year.
When the OG Switch came out, it was absolutely the headliner for the console, and that first game was one of the best-selling titles the Switch had in its entire lifetime. We had multiple other entries from the franchise over the next seven-plus years, and that makes people even more curious about the Switch 2’s potential contributions to the franchise.
Rumors from the later days of the Switch state that Nintendo may have some remasters of past Legend of Zelda titles “ready to go,” with “insiders” like Dark Samus feeding into them at one point or another. So, could this be where things go for the franchise for now?
Timeline-wise, it would make sense. After all, we JUST got a new entry last year with Zelda’s first solo title. It was a big hit, and Nintendo is highly likely to do some kind of follow-up to it on Switch 2. However, that’ll take time. Then, the year before was the release of Tears of the Kingdom, the massive open-world entry that changed how we played the franchise forever, thanks to its incredible building mechanics. That game went on to sell over 20 million units, and Nintendo, especially producer Eiji Aonuma, will work hard to create a new entry that can top what that one did. Yet, again, that will take time.
Meanwhile, remasters might be easier to not just work on, but release within a smaller period of time. There are plenty of options that they could choose from, including ones from the handheld era that could use a serious visual overhaul. We got a remake of one of those titles on Switch, and depending on when the development of a new one started, it could arrive on the Switch 2.
All of this is speculation, of course, but many hope to see this franchise in the launch year for the new console. All will be revealed on April 2nd.
