← Back to GPN · All articles

Nintendo says Switch 2 remakes are as important as new games after Ocarina of Time

REPORTED Written by GPN · Nov 7, 2026, 10:59 PM ET · The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time · Gaming

<p>Nintendo has made its Switch 2 remake strategy plain: remakes now sit beside brand-new games as an equal part of its plans. Nate Bihldorff, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of product development and publishing, told Polygon that the two kinds of games carry the same weight for the company, speaking at the launch event for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time at Nintendo's flagship New York store.</p>

<p>"I do think that new games and remakes both have a place in the Nintendo stable, of equal importance to be honest," Bihldorff said. He added that there is "a deep satisfaction in revisiting games that were very, very special, like Ocarina of Time", and that for players who never played the 1998 original, the remake is "going to be an absolutely brand-new, 2026 experience".</p>

<p>The timing is no accident. Ocarina of Time launched on November 5, 2026, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2, as the console's tentpole game for the year and the centrepiece of its holiday line-up, in the year of The Legend of Zelda's 40th anniversary. It is the second major Nintendo 64 remake of the year, following Star Fox in June, which has reportedly sold more than a million copies.</p>

<p>Bihldorff said Nintendo held its biggest announcement back because it had faith in the Switch 2's first-year line-up, which opened with Donkey Kong Bananza and also included Kirby Air Riders, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, Pokemon Pokopia and Mario Tennis Fever. "There's one constant that has been consistent through my entire career at Nintendo, and that's that you can pretty much set your watch by the idea that we're going to be coming out with stuff," he said.</p>

<p>Zelda producer Hidemaro Fujibayashi, speaking to Polygon separately, said the Switch 2 hardware let the team realise Ocarina of Time in ways mid-90s technology would not allow. "Now with the new hardware, Nintendo Switch 2, we're able to leverage all of the capabilities and try to do things that we weren't able to do with Ocarina of Time," he said.</p>

<p>What Bihldorff did not do is name what comes next. Nintendo has not announced another remake, and he attached no title, date or platform to the comments. The remarks set out a priority for the Switch 2's software line-up, not a new project.</p>

Facts gathered from

• Polygon
• Nintendo

More on this

Share