A Nintendo executive has commented on Zelda: Ocarina of Time‘s release, hinting that the company has more remakes of classic hits in store. So far, reactions to Nintendo’s biggest remakes in 2026, Star Fox and Zelda: Ocarina of Time, have been quite positive, with the latter becoming one of the highest-rated games of the year.
According to OpenCritic’s data, critics have given Ocarina of Time an average score of 95 out of 100, with nearly all top critics recommending it. The remake has also sparked a massive wave of nostalgia, with some US retailers, such as GameStop, bringing back midnight releases likely as a tribute to the 90s video game scene. Now, it seems Nintendo is well aware of the lucrative market for classic game re-releases, with one executive describing them as just as important as new Switch 2 games.
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In an interview with Polygon, Nintendo senior vice president of product development and publishing Nate Bihldorff said, “I do think that new games and remakes both have a place in the Nintendo stable, of equal importance to be honest.” Discussing the recently released Zelda remake, he also noted that there is “a deep satisfaction in revisiting games that were very, very special, like Ocarina of Time.” Bihldorff added that many people will experience Ocarina of Time for the first time through the remake, making it essentially a brand-new Switch 2 game for them.
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Bihldorff assured fans that Nintendo has developers who will always “come out with great games.” He also said the Japanese company’s massive library of popular IPs, which appeal to different audiences, gives Nintendo the creative freedom to choose what to work on next. “The beauty of having so many different IPs that appeal to different people is that you can have a cycle of different games that come out,” Bihldorff said, without revealing which other Nintendo classics might receive the Ocarina of Time treatment.
Based on Bihldorff’s comments, Nintendo also seems aware of the risks of re-releasing classic hits on its current-gen consoles. The SVP of products said, “[the Ocarina of Time development team] knew the challenge they faced when they decided to take on this project,” adding that they nevertheless wanted to “bring [the game] to a new generation of people.” Some fans shared the same concern, fearing the remake could tarnish the original’s legacy, but those worries now appear to have largely faded.
Another concern surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2’s future is the slower-than-expected pace of new game releases for the console. According to Bloomberg, “Nintendo Co. reported a surprise quarterly profit decline due to a lack of major new game releases and rising Switch 2 component costs.” It remains to be seen whether re-releasing remakes of successful games like Zelda: Ocarina of Time, as teased by Bihldorff, will be enough to offset the company’s revenue shortfall or whether Nintendo will need to develop more fresh IPs.
- Released
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November 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
