Where Is the Fortieth Anniversary?
‘The Legend of Zelda 40th anniversary has passed in Japan with not even a single tweet to acknowledge it from Nintendo! :’( Hopefully Nintendo are saving some Zelda related announcements for later in the year’ -@Genki_JPN, 21 Feb 2026, x.com.
How does it make sense to reach the 40th anniversary of one of your biggest franchises that has gotten way more popular in recent years and not even have a small celebration? Not even a Twitter post saying happy anniversary! I don’t know, maybe we as Nintendo fans are just spoiled lol.
-SEVENS_HEAVEN_7, 22 Feb 2026, reddit.com.
Introduction
The year is 1986. As the 80s surpasses its middle point, Nintendo publishes an action-adventure game named The Legend of Zelda. Nintendo lands its first content on their Family Computer Disk System. After they introduced the Nintendo Entertainment System (shortened to NES), The Legend of Zelda too became a part of this system in 1987.
Whereas the Family Computer Disk System mainly occupied the sales in native Japan, the Nintendo Entertainment System did so in North America and Europe. Nintendo had a difficult time to sell their devices on the American market due to the video game crash of 1983. To be honest with you, I had not heard of this event before, but it marked the heavy decline in video game sales (both in games and consoles). The crash happened because of the numerous choices in video game consoles available and poor video games overall. This directly resulted in a loss of interest from the gaming community in America.
Despite all that, the Nintendo Entertainment System arrived during the years 1986–7 on the American and European market. The Legend of Zelda saw its light in North America on the 22nd of August 1987, and in Europe on the 15th of November 1987. Could this possibly mean that Nintendo is now stalling the official fortieth anniversary to next year?
Nintendo’s Missing Opportunity
Nintendo remains one of the most popular gaming brands in the industry. It has been occupying this position for years. Ever since my gaming life, I could remember that a ‘Console Wars’ raging through the gaming industry. Nintendo clashed with other gaming titans such as Microsoft and Sony. In the very beginning, Nintendo’s biggest rival was Sega. This occurred from roughly 1989 to 1995.
Nintendo managed to secure a loyal fanbase throughout its years of production and participation in this so-called ‘Console Wars’. Even without the newest and best graphics, fans remained loyal to Nintendo. But how did Nintendo succeed in doing so? What kept these fans coming back for more?
One potential answer rests in Nintendo having many exclusive games. If one thinks about video games, they are likely to mention video game heroes such as Mario, Link, Donkey Kong, Sonic, Cloud and Lara Croft. These figures are all available to play on the Nintendo Switch 2. What more, the first three are property and exclusive to Nintendo. I did not even include the Pokémon games here, since the heroes vary in each game. One could reckon Nintendo’s legacy easily in the company’s influence over popular culture and video games.
But where there are countless exclusive games, it seems to come with a price as well. Nintendo celebrated the fortieth anniversary of the Super Mario franchise with Mario Tennis Fever, Super Mario Wonder (Switch 2 version), Super Mario Galaxy I & II and a live-picture film: Super Mario Galaxy. The Legend of Zelda seems to fall short in comparison.
The Legend of Zelda: A Forgotten Franchise?
Nintendo did not entirely forget about its The Legend of Zelda franchise. Yet, what they brought falls short. Like their Super Mario franchise, Nintendo is currently making a film about The Legend of Zelda. They even expanded this to a live-action film rather than animated. Could long-term fans be satisfied with just this? The film lands in cinemas worldwide on the 30th of April 2027. If the intention was to honour the franchise, it is interesting to notice that the film publishes in the fortieth year anniversary of North America and Europe. I should mention, out of fairness, that the first release date should have been in 2026.
This would, thus, mean that the film should have been premiered in the fortieth anniversary year of the Japanese release date. But would this film still the fans’ appetite? I, personally, feel that the fans deserve something more. If I am speaking out of my experience, I remember the moment that the Nintendo Wii finally arrived. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess served as the main release with it. When the Nintendo Switch came, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild made its appearance as well.
I conjure these dear memories because they demonstrate that The Legend of Zelda always reserved a special place around console releases. In terms of the Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo overjoyed their fans by finally letting Donkey Kong return again (and in a first-person platformer). Zelda fans also got the opportunity to let The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom run smoothly on the Nintendo Switch 2 with enhanced graphics.
But What Is Wrong?
Well, nothing is inherently wrong or bad. I just want to point out that plenty of fans expected that Nintendo would have made this year a special one for The Legend of Zelda franchise. Although we are still halfway through 2026, fans feel neglected. This merely stems from the fact that there is still nothing on the horizon yet, except for the live-action film.
Some people hope for another remake. The favourite one is, of course, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (once famously released on the Nintendo 64), whereas others hope that the Oracle games on the GameBoy Colour gets revived. The 2019 remake of A Link’s Awakening, along with Echoes of Wisdom, should provide the inspiration for these remakes in their respective art style.
With all due respect, Nintendo turns out to be quite proficient in dealing with remakes. Yet, because of the many remakes of late, the fans should not surprise Nintendo by saying that they yearn for something new and fresh. When looking at the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo Switch console releases, The Legend of Zelda appeared as a solid candidate to accompany them. I miss that now. Of course, I am aware that Tears of the Kingdom and Echoes of Wisdom are pretty new games, and that it shall take time to create a new addition to the ever-growing Zelda lineup.
Verdict
I just hope that Nintendo shall take heed of their fans. Whether it shall be another remake or an original game, The Legend of Zelda franchise requires a celebration for its fortieth anniversary. Is there still a possibility that we could see it happening this year? Well, Nintendo baffled me when they announced Echoes of Wisdom during the summer of 2024 (18th of June). It is not too crazy to consider the possibility that it may reoccur during the upcoming month. Nintendo does owe this to The Legend of Zelda franchise on its fortieth anniversary. Do it for us, Nintendo!