Summary
Debuting all the way back in 1986,The Legend of Zeldahas been a staple franchise for Nintendo for almost four whole decades now. Evolving right alongside Nintendo itself, there hasn’t been a single Nintendo console, both home and handheld, thatThe Legend of Zeldahasn’t made at least one appearance on. From gigantic mainline releases to spinoffs to ports, remasters, and remakes,The Legend of Zeldafranchise runs the entire gamut of the modern gaming industry, and it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
One of the most anticipated video games of all time,last year’sLegend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdommanaged to sell over 10 million units in just three days, and that number quickly grew to 19.5 million by September 2023. It seems pretty likely that theLegend of Zeldafranchise won’t be taking any big breaks anytime soon, but that being said, recent release patterns might suggest that fans still won’t see anotherZeldarelease until 2025.
Why a Mainline Zelda Might Not Appear Until 2025
The Legend of Zelda’s Release Schedule Has Been Erratic
Having been around for about four decades now, it’s only natural thatThe Legend of Zeldafranchisehas seen quite a bit of change when it comes to its release schedule over the years. In the franchise’s first decade, a total of fourLegend of Zeldagames released, two appearing just a year after one another in 1986 and 1987, and the other two releasing much later in 1991 and 1993.
But with the release ofThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timein 1998, the floodgates were seemingly opened. The years 2000, 2001, and 2002 saw a total of fourZeldagames release, all of which were major mainline entries. And though 2003 saw the franchise take a mini break, 2004 delivered another two mainlineZeldaentries. This pattern of two mainlineZeldaentries releasing every other year continued right up until 2015 with the release ofTri Force HeroesandMajora’s Mask 3D. It should be noted here, however, that while these games are considered mainline releases, many second releases in a year were ports or HD remasters.
A New Zelda Release Pattern Seems to be Forming
With therelease ofThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildin 2017, a new franchise release pattern seems to have begun. Now, it seems to be the case that a mainlineZeldaentry releases once every other year. This includes both remasters/remakes and new entries, withBreath of the Wildbeing followed byLink’s Awakeningin 2019, which was followed bySkyward Sword HDin 2021, and then finally last year’sZelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
If Nintendo ends up sticking with this newLegend of Zeldarelease pattern, then it seems very likely that fans won’t see a mainlineZeldarelease in 2024, but they could see one in 2025. WithTears of the Kingdomhaving taken six years in development, it seems extremely unlikely that 2025’sZeldawould be the next new entry in the franchise, but it could be another remaster or remake. Fans have been asking for a properWind Wakerremake for a while now, so it would make complete sense for Nintendo to finally give in. Though withthe Nintendo Switch 2almost definitely on the horizon, this recently formedZeldarelease pattern could be subject to change very soon.
