Ocarina of Time Remake Announced

The rumors were true, the leaks were real... Nintendo is going to release a remake, or re-imagining, of Ocarina of Time later this year. They have revealed this at the end of today's Nintendo Direct in a short teaser trailer, which shows the story tale from the beginning of the game, about the Kokiri boy without a fairy.

This is done via a tapestry and you can already tell how this is not going to be a mere remake or remaster, like Ocarina of Time 3D, but a whole re-imagining with its own spins. One of the major differences is how the Triforce already resonates with Link here, glowing on his left hand. This didn't happen in the original, because at this point the Triforce was still in the Sacred Realm and not yet split.

Visually, this looks a bit like one of those Unreal Engine projects you keep seeing. And maybe Nintendo has hired one of those people to just work on this remake, who knows? It's actually still the biggest question mark: who is making this remake? Judging by all the leaks, it's probably not Nintendo themselves.

There was some speculation about how Monolith Soft may be working on this, where this had me quite excited, but they are still having their hands full with all the Xenoblade stuff. And I really hope that this isn't done by GREZZO (again), because this would mean that we're not getting any more top-down Zelda games in the near future. With their experience on Ocarina of Time 3D, they would be a good choice for this project, but this would be a very painful trade for me personally, because I really liked the direction of Link's Awakening and Echoes of Wisdom.

And whoever is remaking Ocarina of Time here, they will be busy with remaking Majora's Mask next. It will be the same story as with Majora's Mask 3D, where the fans keep asking for it until it eventually happens. It is the natural follow-up, though I've been saying the same for years about Oracle of Ages & Seasons.

But first let's see how this remake will actually look like. So far we haven't really seen much, certainly no gameplay. And we will probably have to wait until the September Direct to learn more... 

Nintendo Direct June 2026 Roundup

Okay, I was dead wrong about this Nintendo Direct. And I certainly have hyped myself up here too much; my expectations were too premature. The main reason was that I was truly expecting Nintendo to start the 40th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda with this Nintendo Direct, but instead they are still going with the Super Mario Bros. anniversary for now.

Specifically, they are adding even more FOMO events to the Donkey Kong Bananza DLC. I've recently managed to finally catch up with the newer 3D Mario games, having completed both Super Mario Odyssey and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, where now would be the perfect time to get into Bananza, but all these mobile game shenanigans really are a downer. The leaked challenges for the Nintendo Switch Online games are even tied to this as well, with some Donkey Kong-focused time-limited event, the "DK Challenge".

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is looking good and will launch on September 17th. Like its predecessors, it's getting a Special Edition, the "Dagdan Collection", with a world map, an artbook, art cards, and a steelbook. Nintendo used to do a lot of these for Nintendo Switch games, but not in the recent years. I think the last one was actually for Tears of the Kingdom three years ago...

Monolith Soft is cooking, but not with the Ocarina of Time remake, but with Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of the entire Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy. And with a new Xenoblade game, called Xenoblade Genesis. I still have to catch up with the series as a whole and may use those Switch 2 Editions to do so, but there's only so much time...

Anyway, the big finisher was a teaser trailer for the Ocarina of Time remake. I've been a doubter at first, then I've embraced the idea of Monolith Soft developing a re-imagining (which seemingly isn't the case), and now we have this. More on that in a separate post.

But it looks to me like the 40th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda got postponed to the September Direct. There is also the chance that they may not celebrate the anniversary at all, but with this remake and the movie coming, I doubt that they will skip it. They probably just want to keep it closer to the movie. So, most of the things that I said yesterday are still a possibility, it's just not going to happen (yet).

But the announcement of the Ocarina of Time remake would have had a lot more impact if this wasn't leaked in advance. Now it was just a confirmation of something that the internet has been speculating about for months. And it was nothing more than that, leaving me somewhat disappointed about the whole Nintendo Direct at the end.

Nintendo Direct June 2026 Predictions

This blog awakens from a week-long slumber. But starting tomorrow, there will be a lot more to talk about, because Nintendo has announced a Nintendo Direct and a Treehouse Live for June 9th. This was once more predicted by NateTheHate, who has been quite certain about there being an Ocarina of Time remake, coming to Nintendo Switch 2 this Christmas.

In any case, the Nintendo Switch 2 is one year old now and in desperate need for some news, where it's likely that Nintendo has waited for this particular anniversary to make further announcements. We will be getting the Star Fox remake later this month, which likely will be showcased in the Treehouse Live session. And there is one title from the last Nintendo Direct left, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, which is probably going to be the Direct's opener. Luigi's Mansion 4 could be another big title for this fall, but the biggest topic of the Nintendo Direct will be...

The 40th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda

It is now time. The 40th Super Mario Bros. anniversary is fading out and the Super Mario Galaxy Movie was a big hit, where Nintendo will shift their attention towards Zelda for the rest of the year and the first half of 2027, until the launch of the Zelda movie. "Same thing in green," as we like to say in German.

They have wrapped up filming and even moved the movie's launch date one week ahead, to April 30th. So, they might show us a first teaser trailer, like they did for the Super Mario Galaxy Movie in the last Direct. In the very least, Miyamoto will remind us that this movie is coming and that we can look forward to it.

With that in mind, I wouldn't expect any news about a new 3D Zelda for now. Aonuma will likely mention that one is in development and that they are working very hard on it, but they probably want to transition from the movie into the new, big Zelda game in one year, in the June 2027 Direct.

This doesn't mean that we won't be getting anything else, but for the 40th Anniversary we will be looking at remakes and other side projects. And there are a couple possibilities, all coming from different development studios:

• Ocarina of Time Remake / Re-Imagining (Monolith Soft)
• The Legend of Zelda (NES) Remake (GREZZO)
• Shrine Maker (Nintendo EPD)
• Age of Imprisonment Expansion (Koei Tecmo)

The Ocarina of Time remake, as already mentioned, is looking to be the hottest candidate for tomorrow, based on all the recent rumors. This would certainly make some waves, because you have all those middle-aged people out there, who used to love Ocarina of Time in their childhoods, but who have lost interest in Nintendo or gaming due to different reasons. Such a remake, in combination with the Zelda movie, could rekindle that interest. No other Zelda game holds this much power in nostalgia, not even A Link to the Past.

It's also possible that the movie will be somewhat based on Ocarina of Time, because that's where Miyamoto was still heavily involved with the series and he is calling the shots for the movie. And if it's true that Monolith Soft has been developing this remake (or re-imagining), then we could be getting something truly special here, not just some warmed up Ocarina of Time 3D for the sake of it.

As for Grezzo, they are certainly working on another top-down Zelda game, where this still a lot of juice left with their current toy-like style. This could lead into a new coop title, following Echoes of Wisdom, or a remake of the Oracle games. In either of these cases, I wouldn't expect this to be revealed and released before 2027, maybe even 2028, but there is one possibility where they could have cooked up something for this year: a remake of the first Zelda game, also in the Link's Awakening style.

If all those Ocarina of Time rumors turn out to be a bust after all, then I will put my money on this idea, because this is the best fit for the 40th Anniversary. Of course, both these remakes can co-exist, especially if they are made by completely different teams and if Ocarina of Time is more of a re-imagining.

A remake of the first game could even be shadow-dropped right after the Nintendo Direct, similar to Metroid Prime Remastered, so we already have something to play until Ocarina of Time comes out later this year. It could also still be available on the Nintendo Switch, with a prettier version for the Nintendo Switch 2, so that the Zelda fans who haven't migrated yet aren't left out entirely during the anniversary.

It could also be a free download, as a gift for the anniversary (Nintendo could still make money from selling physical copies via the Nintendo Store). A remake of the first Zelda game makes a lot of sense for this occasion and in the current top-down style, but it's not exactly a crowd-pleaser, unlike Ocarina of Time.

Now, the modern Breath of the Wild brand also wants to be served as a slice in the 40th Anniversary birthday cake, where this could go into different routes. The Super Mario Maker was originally made for 30th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., where now it could be Zelda's turn with an equivalent in 3D.

Alternatively, Age of Imprisonment could be getting some paid DLC. Keep in mind, though, that the free updates have made the game very much definitive, where there is even a special reward for clearing every mission in the Forbidden difficulty mode (see here). So, the probability that Koei Tecmo will expand the base game even further goes towards zero. However, they could add a whole new game mode for a Ganondorf campaign, where playing as Ganondorf has been a very common request from fans (and they listen). Call it "Rise of the Demon King", or something like that, which would be entirely separate from the main game.

Finally, the 40th Anniversary itself may come with some other goodies and events. They could revive the Zelda concerts, release more amiibo, reveal some new merchandise, or even a special-themed Nintendo Switch 2. And the anniversary itself should get a fancy logo, which is something they had skipped with the 35.

 

Better on Nintendo Switch 2 

In other news, an ever-green topic are always free updates of Nintendo Switch games and Nintendo Switch 2 Editions. There could even be some ties to the 40th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, where Skyward Sword HD hasn't gotten an update yet. But similar to Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, they could drop this at any time, so I wouldn't necessarily expect any news tomorrow.

Age of Calamity is left as well, where Koei Tecmo may have been working on a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of the game, instead of an Expansion for Age of Imprisonment. Or maybe we will be getting both...

But as for other Nintendo franchises, the biggest candidate is easily Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Sakurai's team at Bandai Namco has finished working on Kirby Air Riders last year and is likely working on a new Smash Bros. game next, but it will take years for this one to come out. And a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Ultimate could keep things afloat until then, which is a similar situation to Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Don't expect any major new contents with that one, however, because they will need to keep the online multiplayer backwards compatible with the Nintendo Switch playerbase. Maybe they will add some more stages and/or Echo Fighters, but those should be part of a free update. A Switch 2 Edition on the other hand could add a new game mode exclusive to the new hardware.

 

Metroid?

Let's not forget that Metroid will be getting 40 later this year as well. However, Nintendo has yet to celebrate an anniversary of this franchise, so I wouldn't hold my breath, especially when they are busy with Zelda. It's also too early for Metroid Prime 5, though I'm sure the rumors about it being in development are true, despite the lack of success of Metroid Prime 4.

But MercurySteam may have been cooking in the meantime. They are not doing so well, with lay-offs announced just some weeks ago (see LinkedIn), where they could certainly use another hit. And Metroid Dread was one of their biggest hits. We could be looking at a Super Metroid remake, where this would be a lot of remakes in 2026, or potentially even Metroid 6. Even an HD remaster of Metroid: Samus Returns would be fine at the moment.

 

Retro Challenges 

Instead of releasing another "Nintendo World Championships" title, it looks like Nintendo will update the Nintendo Switch Online apps to include similar, NES Remix-style challenges (source). Select titles in the NES, Super Nintendo, and Game Boy collections will receive such challenges, which already got installed with the latest update of these apps. And this will probably unlock tomorrow, after the Nintendo Direct.

 

Conclusion

There have been boring Nintendo Directs in the past, but this won't be one of them. I haven't been as excited about a Nintendo Direct in years and I'm 100% positive that Zelda fans will be feasting good tomorrow. Stay tuned for a busy month on Hyrule Blog.