The series is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, with many other The Legend of Zelda themes goodies having already been released. It remains to be seen what Nintendo has planned for the Game Awards, and if this rumor is even true to begin with. However, based on other rumors, fan requests, and general release patterns from Nintendo, some educated guesses can be made for what’s to come in the next couple of weeks. It is worth emphasizing that none of these have been hinted at or confirmed by Nintendo and are pure speculation.
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The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons Remake
In 2019, Nintendo revealed a remake of the original Game Boy classic The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. This joyful Nintendo Switch remake was developed by Grezzo, and the team did a great job at bringing this beloved installment up to snuff for modern standards. The “toybox” visual style is immediately charming, and the added tweaks made to the controls and extra content only helped improve upon an already complete package.
Earlier in the year, Grezzo was hiring for a new project, which was apparently medieval in its themes and presentation. While it’s best not to jump to conclusions, The Legend of Zelda franchise can fit under the description of being medieval, due to the swords, sorcery, and other high fantasy elements. It wouldn’t be a shock if Nintendo put the team to work on remaking another game in the series, or in this case, two.
GameCube Zelda Collection
Bundling older titles with some visual improvements is all the rage nowadays. Just last year, Nintendo gave Mario this exact treatment with Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and there have been persistent rumors that a collection for the Metroid Prime trilogy is also on the way. Naturally, fans have clamored for the luxury of older games in The Legend of Zelda to be made available on the Nintendo Switch as well, as being able to play these games on the go would be a fantastic novelty.
Recently, Nintendo Switch Online added N64 titles to its service, which includes the critically acclaimed Ocarina of Time, with confirmation of Majora’s Mask arriving at some point in the future. It may be a stretch to expect Nintendo to add GameCube titles to this service as well, which is why games like The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess may be better suited to just have a standalone release. All Nintendo would have to do is port the already visually dazzling Wii U versions of these titles onto the Switch and it would practically print money for the company.
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Breath of the Wild 2 Trailer
Even with two brief and cryptic trailers to date, Breath of the Wild 2 is still easily among the most anticipated games of 2022. Nintendo is keeping a lot of information for this sequel under wraps leading up to release, but purely for marketing purposes, the veil should start to be lifted on this mysterious title. The Game Awards will have a lot of eyes on it, something surely Nintendo can use as an opportunity to advertise what is arguably its biggest upcoming game.
Nothing is confirmed, but based on the rumor that The Legend of Zelda may appear at The Game Awards in some fashion, the safest bet may be a tease for Breath of the Wild 2. Plot details can still be kept under wraps, but glimpses of gameplay footage to give players an idea of what to expect from the game would be incredibly exciting. Depending on how far along the project is, the cherry on top would be to confirm a release date that fans can begin counting down towards.
Left Field Announcements
Nintendo has been known to pull reveals completely out of left field. Just when players think they have the company figured out, the most unexpected things will be dropped like a bomb on fans around the world. With that in mind, Nintendo may be aware that gamers are expecting any of the options listed above, and for that reason, may have something else entirely planned for the Game Awards showcase.
Whatever this could be is anyone’s guess, but stranger things have happened, and even the most outlandish ideas may become reality. There was once a rumor that Netflix was developing a TV series based on The Legend of Zelda, but that allegedly never came to pass. Nintendo is very protective of its IPs, but considering its willingness to team up with Illumination for a Super Mario Bros movie, perhaps there is a chance Link and company could receive a similar treatment. Hopefully, December 9 brings with it some exciting news for fans of The Legend of Zelda franchise.
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