With The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake finally available on Nintendo Switch 2, plenty of longtime fans like myself have already spent hours rediscovering one of the greatest games ever made. After all, this is the first time Nintendo has completely remade the N64 classic, and considering how much of my childhood I spent with the game, it’s an experience I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time. But as much as Ocarina of Time has dominated much of the celebrations surrounding The Legend of Zelda‘s 40th anniversary thus far, I think there’s a pretty good chance we’re going to look back on it as just the beginning of what Nintendo has planned. In fact, some of the biggest parts of the festivities haven’t even happened yet.
In Nintendo’s November 6 financial results briefing, company president Shuntaro Furukawa confirmed that the celebration will continue throughout 2027, with additional initiatives involving games, music, merchandise, and other ways for fans to experience the franchise. That’s particularly interesting considering how much Nintendo already revealed during September’s 40th Anniversary Direct, including a worldwide concert tour and new amiibo figures that won’t arrive until next year. However, there’s one upcoming event that I think has the potential to overshadow everything Nintendo has done for the anniversary so far, and it’s something Zelda fans have been waiting years to see.
The Zelda Movie Is the Biggest Part of Nintendo’s Anniversary Plans
Of course, I’m referring to the upcoming live-action The Legend of Zelda movie, which is officially scheduled to arrive in theaters worldwide on April 30, 2027. According to Nintendo’s September announcement, the film is being directed by Wes Ball, with Shigeru Miyamoto and Avi Arad serving as producers, while Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Bo Bragason have been cast as Link and Princess Zelda, respectively. It’s an enormous undertaking for Nintendo, especially considering that the franchise has never received a theatrical film adaptation before. And with Nintendo providing more than half of the production’s financing, the company clearly has quite a bit invested in making sure its first trip to a live-action Hyrule is successful.
Guess the games from the emojis.
What’s particularly interesting about the movie, though, is that Nintendo apparently isn’t simply adapting one of the many games we’ve already played. During the 40th Anniversary Direct, Miyamoto explained that the film would tell an original story drawing from the franchise’s 40-year history, even suggesting that the reason it doesn’t have a subtitle will become clear once audiences see it. He also teased the significance of the Triforce, although we still don’t know how closely the movie will follow any particular version of Hyrule.
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Image via Nintendo
And the movie is hardly the only confirmed reason for fans to continue celebrating next year. Nintendo has announced a worldwide Zelda 40th Anniversary Concert tour, beginning in Japan in January before reaching North America in February, Europe in April, and Australia in May, with performances continuing throughout 2027. There’s also a 1,750-piece LEGO Ocarina of Time Link and Epona set arriving in spring 2027, alongside a Hasbro electronic Master Sword featuring more than 15 sound effects. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Museum’s anniversary activities are continuing for a year, and the series has already received a special Switch 2 console and accessories.
Company president Shuntaro Furukawa confirmed that the celebration will continue throughout 2027, with additional initiatives involving games, music, merchandise, and other ways for fans to experience the franchise.
But perhaps the strangest part of the celebration’s schedule involves the new Young Link and Young Zelda amiibo figures, which Nintendo has confirmed won’t launch until sometime in 2027. These figures unlock special masks in Ocarina of Time that resemble the original N64 character models, which sounds like a fun little addition, but I can’t help wondering why Nintendo decided to release them so long after the game itself. Depending on when they arrive, plenty of players will have already finished the Ocarina of Time remake and moved on to something else, making a couple of cosmetic rewards seem like an unusual reason to boot up the game again. I’m not suggesting Nintendo is secretly planning DLC, because there’s been no announcement of anything like that, but the timing does make me wonder whether it intends to keep Ocarina of Time in the spotlight well into next year.
Nintendo Might Have Another Zelda Remake Up Its Sleeve
Interestingly, there’s also reason to believe Nintendo isn’t finished revisiting its older games, particularly after some recent comments from the company’s senior vice president of product development and publishing, Nate Bihldorff. In an interview with Polygon, Bihldorff explained that Nintendo considers new games and remakes equally important, emphasizing how valuable it can be to introduce beloved classics to players who never experienced them originally. That certainly doesn’t confirm another Zelda remake, but I’d be surprised if Nintendo wasn’t at least considering Majora’s Mask, especially after putting so much work into rebuilding Ocarina of Time for modern hardware. I honestly wouldn’t rule out a Majora’s Mask remake being revealed during the anniversary and potentially even released before the celebration ends.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if Nintendo has a few smaller announcements planned between now and the movie’s release, especially considering Furukawa’s recent comments about expanding the celebration beyond what we’ve already seen. Perhaps we’ll finally hear something about the long-rumored Switch versions of The Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD, or maybe Nintendo will use the occasion to give us an early look at the next entirely new Zelda game. Neither possibility has been announced, of course, and I don’t think fans should go into 2027 expecting Nintendo to reveal another major game simply because it’s an anniversary year. But with Ocarina of Time already out, a live-action film arriving in April, and several other celebrations stretching well beyond that, there’s still quite a bit to look forward to.
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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
