Fans of The Legend of Zelda are pressuring Nintendo to finally bring the Wind Waker and Twilight Princess remasters to the Switch to celebrate the franchise’s 40th anniversary. The adventure series set in the kingdom of Hyrule has stood the test of time as one of Nintendo’s most cherished franchises. Since the launch of the original Legend of Zelda on the NES, Zelda has welcomed more than 20 different major game releases throughout its life, though one era of the franchise is particularly beloved by fans.
The Nintendo GameCube brought multiple iconic Zelda games that have been among the franchise’s most popular. Nintendo debuted the GameCube’s first original Zelda game just over a year after its 2001 launch, with The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker whisking players to the Great Sea for a cel-shaded adventure. Then, at the end of the GameCube’s life, Twilight Princess released with a darker, more serious story to ring in the launch of the Nintendo Wii. Now, fans are begging Nintendo to bring back Zelda‘s GameCube titles on the Switch 2.
Zelda Fans Want Switch Remasters for the 40th Anniversary
Zelda fans are calling for Nintendo to finally re-launch a pair of remasters for the franchise’s GameCube games on the Switch 2. Both The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess received full remasters on the Wii U, introducing HD graphics, Amiibo functionality, and other changes. Despite the commercial shortcomings of the Wii U, Nintendo has never released the remastered Zelda games outside the failed console, even with the Wii U version of Twilight Princess having interplay with Breath of the Wild. Both games are currently completely unavailable to play on the original Nintendo Switch, with The Wind Waker only playable through Nintendo Switch Online on Switch 2.
Nintendo re-releasing the Legend of Zelda remasters has been one of the biggest requests from fans throughout the company’s Switch era. The lack of backward compatibility with the Switch’s transition to cartridges made older versions of the games inaccessible on the Switch. Nintendo has notably also been quiet on the requests for fans to bring the GameCube-era remasters to Switch, despite the growing quantity of requests from fans. However, many fans are hoping that Zelda‘s upcoming 40th anniversary could follow in another big Nintendo franchise’s footsteps.
The Legend of Zelda Could Have Major Anniversary Plans
Many fans have drawn comparison to Nintendo’s recent strategy with the Mario franchise when asking for the Zelda remasters. Two of Mario‘s big recent anniversaries have come with their own compilations, with the 35th anniversary seeing the launch of Super Mario 3D All-Stars. Mario‘s 40th anniversary celebration in 2025 also came with its own compilation of older 3D games arriving to the Switch for the first time, with another Super Mario Galaxy re-release joined by Super Mario Galaxy 2‘s first re-release. The 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda also has some big things coming for the franchise beyond its video game roots.
After years of speculation and rumors, Nintendo finally confirmed that The Legend of Zelda will be receiving its first feature-film adaptation. Nintendo first revealed the Legend of Zelda movie in 2023, working with Sony Pictures to develop the movie and featuring Maze Runner director Wes Ball. The Legend of Zelda has also already given fans some early teasers about the cast, with Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth pinned to play the roles of Zelda and Link, respectively. Between a new movie and lots more on the way, The Legend of Zelda should have lots in store for fans as the franchise celebrates 40 years.
