It’s time for the first of our two Nintendo Direct showcases this week. Today, Nintendo held a livestream to talk about the future of the Legend of Zelda series, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026. If you weren’t able to watch the show live, you can check out the VOD below, or keep scrolling to see all the highlights:
The Legend of Zelda movie
After a lovely orchestral performance of some select songs from across the Zelda series, we kick things off with the live-action movie coming to theaters on April 30….wait, are they seriously about to just flash a logo and not show us a trailer? Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto says that the lack of a subtitle is intentional, and viewers will understand why when they see the film.
Oh my god, there’s no trailer, you’ve gotta be kidding me.
Nintendo Museum updates
The company is adding some Zelda-specific fixtures to its Nintendo Museum, changing its tickets to include Zelda iconography, and introducing a new photo op starting on November 5. In the fall, the museum will also be getting a Super Family restaurant including Nintendo characters and props…This is really starting to feel like it could’ve been an email and we just started.
40th anniversary merch
Nintendo is partnering with several collaborators for different pieces of merchandise, including the following:
- A second volume for the official Zelda book at the Nintendo Museum
- New amiibo figures
- Playable Ocarina of Time Ocarinas
- Lego set of Link and Epona
- Hasbro figures of Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf, and an electronic Master Sword toy
- Huzzle’s recreations of the Master Sword
The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Concert
Nintendo is holding a 40th anniversary concert, starting with a handful of Japanese dates, with plans to also stop in North America, Europe, and Australia. The North American tour will begin on February 22, 2027 in Chicago, go to Europe on April 3, and Australia in Melbourne on May 13. More cities will be added, with ticket sales set to begin later this month.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Next is the upcoming Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. As some assumed, the game seems to be a fairly faithful remake of the original, and Nintendo even makes a point of saying that it is unlike more modern Zelda games such as Breath of the Wild that focus on open-world exploration. It’s kind of funny to watch the company demo very basic stuff from the 1998 original, but I suppose they’re rightfully assuming some people may have not played it. Some of the changes from the original beyond an updated, modern look, include:
- There’s a jump button
- Additional dialogue with NPCs
- Motion controls for aiming
- A journal with objective markers
- Link can sprint
- Some expanded areas like the Hyrule town square
- You can hum an Ocarina song into the Switch 2’s mic and Link will play it
- Full voice acting in cutscenes
Otherwise, yeah, it’s Ocarina of Time. Even some of the more barren locations from the Nintendo 64 era like Hyrule Field have been kept just as barren. It’s giving…Unreal Engine Fan Remake. Nintendo “hired this man.” It’s coming to Swtich 2 on November 5.
Zelda Notes
The Switch App add-on Zelda Notes, which includes features to help you in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, is getting an update to support the upcoming Ocarina of Time remake. It will track stats like your enemies defeated and distance traveled, let you document your journey with photos, and give you locations to find to unlock new songs on a phone app that lets you play an on-screen ocarina.
Ocarina of Time amiibo and special Legend of Zelda–edition Switch 2
Young Link and Young Zelda are getting amiibo in 2027 that will unlock in-game masks. Also, on October 29, Nintendo is releasing a Legend of Zelda–themed Switch 2 system, as well as a Pro controller and carrying case. The system will not include the Ocarina of Time remake.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time…again!
Wrapping the show is a new trailer for the Ocarina of Time remake, giving us our first look at Link as an adult. Fans will recognize several dungeons and monsters Link faces in the game if they’ve played the original, as well as the friends he’ll meet along the way. And like, damn, they really just showed, like, everything. Go off, I guess.
