I think it’s safe to say that longtime Zelda fans like myself are more than thrilled that Nintendo has finally decided to move forward with a full-blown remake of what many of us consider to be the greatest game ever made—The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Never in a million years did we think we’d actually get one, likely due to the fact that it felt like a million years just for it to finally happen. And now that it is officially happening, we are, of course, debating whether Nintendo should have evolved the original more than it did, as opposed to doing what seems to be a 1:1 remake. That debate was expected, though, considering how precious Ocarina of Time is and its legacy and impact on the gaming industry. However, now, the upcoming Ocarina of Time remake has found itself at the center of yet another debate that has nothing to do with what it looks like or how it plays.
In Episode 244 of the Kit & Krysta Podcast on YouTube, former Nintendo PR lead Kit Ellis suggested that, after Ocarina of Time, “Nintendo should be even more focused on remakes.” His reasoning lies both in the success of the recent Star Fox 64 remake and the extreme anticipation backing the Ocarina of Time remake’s upcoming launch. The idea is that both of these titles have proven that there is a large audience out there who is willing to play Switch 2 remakes like these, and if Nintendo doesn’t capitalize on this audience while it’s fresh, they’ll miss out on a very easy chance to sell millions of copies without risking new ideas. It’s an interesting take, to be sure, and it does make a lot of sense, but it’s also debatable for a number of reasons. In the end, it’s a question of which side of Nintendo the “should” comes into play—should Nintendo, or Nintendo should.
Nintendo Can’t Build Its Future on Remaking Its Past
On the one hand, it would make perfect sense for Nintendo to focus more on doling out as many remakes of beloved classics as they can until we all feel like we’re living in the 90s again. After all, the 90s was the greatest decade of all time, and the fact that so much of that decade seems to be coming back in the 2020s is proof of that. Nintendo has been revisiting some of the greatest games in history—like Star Fox 64 and Ocarina of Time—at the right time, as the combination of trends in culture with the most powerful Nintendo console ever made is the perfect setting for such masterpieces to return with a major glow-up.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Easy (120s)Medium (90s)Hard (60s)
At the same time, that might actually be why these games are doing so well. Perhaps this is an issue of perfect timing more than a simple “Nintendo should do all the remakes.” There is a clear longing to go back a few decades that has swept across culture and even influenced those who weren’t yet born during that time in what they wear, how they talk, and even their social lives. It could be that the Ocarina of Time and Star Fox on Switch 2 have merely arrived at the right time, and to keep this up for too long would backfire.
Nintendo’s Greatest Classics Exist Because It Took Risks, Not Because It Played It Safe
There’s also Nintendo itself to consider. One of the reasons I love Nintendo as a developer is because it has always preferred to innovate rather than imitate or simply overpower. While PlayStation and Xbox have long engaged in a console war to determine which one is more powerful than the other, Nintendo has been about ensuring that whatever console players have in their hands makes them feel connected to the world they’re seeing on the screen and as though they are genuinely having a unique gaming experience they couldn’t get anywhere else. In my eyes, they are still masters of innovation, while other companies pursue power over personality.
Were Nintendo to commit to doing even more remakes after Ocarina of Time and Star Fox (and it seems they likely are, at least for a little while), they would be going against their own grain. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m obviously not going to be the guy who argues against Nintendo bringing back the games I grew up playing, especially when some of them are among my favorite games of all time. But there’s a difference between remaking a classic because there’s something worthwhile about bringing it to a new generation and doing so simply because it’s a safer investment than creating something new. And as much as I love seeing these old games come back, I’d hate to see Nintendo reach a point where it becomes more interested in revisiting its past than creating its future.
Truth be told, I 100% wouldn’t mind if Nintendo decided to remake The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask after Ocarina of Time. In fact, I have a feeling they might just do that.
In fact, I think there’s a certain irony to the idea that Nintendo should focus more on remakes because of the excitement surrounding remakes like Ocarina of Time and Star Fox 64. After all, the only reason those games are worth remaking in the first place is because Nintendo was willing to take risks and try new things when it originally made them. Ocarina of Time didn’t become one of the most influential games of all time by simply repeating what had already worked for the franchise. It took Zelda somewhere it had never been before, and the gaming industry was better for it. And that makes me wonder what games Nintendo will have left to remake twenty or thirty years from now if it spends too much time bringing back the ones we already know and love. At some point, the company has to give future generations something to be nostalgic about, too.
Ultimately, I don’t necessarily disagree with Kit’s argument, especially when looking at it from a business perspective. There’s clearly money to be made here, and Nintendo would be foolish to ignore the demand for more remakes of its beloved classics. However, I also don’t think the success of those games should be taken as a sign that Nintendo needs to shift its focus away from making original experiences. If anything, I think the Switch 2 presents the perfect opportunity for Nintendo to do both, giving longtime fans like myself the chance to relive some of our fondest gaming memories while creating entirely new ones along the way. I want to see more of the Nintendo games I grew up with make their way onto the Switch 2, absolutely. But I also want my kids to grow up playing games that they’ll someday be begging Nintendo to remake, just as I’m doing with Ocarina of Time now. And that can’t happen if Nintendo spends too much time looking backward.
- 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
