While it's technically just a change in date, there is something magical about looking forward to another year and what exciting things it may bring for your hobbies and passions, like The Legend of Zelda. And with the 40th Anniversary taking place from February 21st onward, there will certainly be something to talk about.
Expanding Worlds
The year starts with a small collaboration between The Legend of Zelda and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The 3.0.0 update for the game will launch on January 15th, in exactly two weeks, and contain a number of new features, including new amiibo-induced crossovers.
You will be able to obtain outfits, items and furniture based on the Zelda series, as well as two new villagers: Tulin and Mineru from Tears of the Kingdom. Sadly, the Zelda-themed villagers from New Leaf are not returning for this, but it's still better than nothing and will allow Zelda fans to make their islands feel a lot more special.
In general, updates and expansions like this one could become a strong point of interest in 2026. For example, Hollow Knight: Silksong will get its first free expansion, Sea of Sorrow. And it's possible that Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment may get further DLC. There are no shared plans so far, but there is certainly demand for playable Ganondorf and Sonia, where Koei Tecmo may follow up on that. It wouldn't be the first time.
Another game that sees a lot of demand for DLC is Mario Kart World. 200cc, more costumes, the Koopalings, or contents based on Donkey Kong Bananza are what first comes to mind, but for a major expansion they could dive back into crossover contents again. Bring back Link and the Master Cycle (Zero), introduce Zelda as a driver, and have an island that represents Hyrule. And Samus is practically begging to make a guest appearance in Mario Kart with her newest toy, Vi-O-La.
40th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda
Super Mario Bros. was celebrating its 40th Anniversary last year, which was mainly used to advertise the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy Movie, where at the forefront was a two-in-one "port" of Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the Nintendo Switch.
Well, there is also a Zelda movie coming up, but it won't be part of the anniversary, since it's scheduled to launch in theaters on May 7th next year. Still, they will get the ball rolling this year and in the very least present us with a first trailer, while potentially using the anniversary to create some hype.
But a glimpse is the best what we can hope for when it comes to a new Zelda game. The latest installments, Tears of the Kingdom (2023) and Echoes of Wisdom (2024) are still too recent for anything to be even close to finished. The next 3D Zelda game should be right in the middle of its development, where maybe Nintendo will present us a first teaser trailer.
So, we should not expect another 25th Anniversary, which was huge and revolved around the launch of Skyward Sword. The 30th and 35th anniversaries didn't coincide with a new Zelda game and therefore haven't brought much on the table (only some amiibo, an artbook, and a Game & Watch system).
Maybe this will repeat here. Or maybe they have something else in store, where the likeliest candidate is another remake. And you may already know where this is heading, since the rumor mills have been running for a while: Ocarina of Time.
It simply makes sense. They have remade or remastered all 3D Zelda games at least once, where now they can start it all over again. And this could also get fans of traditional Zelda excited for both the Nintendo Switch 2 and the movie.
If this is really a thing, the only question is who has been working on such a remake. The folks at Tantalus, the developers of Twilight Princess HD and Skyward Sword HD, are good with ports and texture updates, but not necessarily remakes. And the folks at GREZZO, who had developed Ocarina of Time 3D, have effectively taken over the top-down Zelda branch.
Speaking of, instead of Ocarina of Time, we could also be looking at a remake of Oracle of Ages & Seasons. This could have been developed in parallel to Echoes of Wisdom, where there are even some indications that this might have been the case, or at least that they were remaking the Oracle games at some point. The accessory system was clearly based on the Magic Rings and the return of Smog as a classic boss was rather curious... Make out of that what you will.
Alternatively, we could be looking at something else entirely, like a Shrine Maker based on Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. They have already been pushing both games with the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, where they got the first Nintendo Switch 2 Editions, and such a project could be the next step. However, it probably wouldn't be an official part of the 40th Anniversary.
40th Anniversary of Metroid?
Nintendo has yet to celebrate any of the anniversaries of their other Action Adventure series, but there is a first time for everything. To be fair, they had the perfect opportunity in 2021 with the release of Metroid Dread, but didn't seize it. In any case, it will have been five years since the last 2D Metroid release, so it's time for another remake or even Metroid 6. And theoretically it would have been possible for MercurySteam to cook something if they hadn't been busy with their upcoming 3D game, Blades of Fire... So, it's probably best to not expect anything.
