A new rumour doing the rounds suggests that Nintendo is bringing the N64 classic The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time to Switch. A recent registration for the game's name in Australia and Europe has sparked speculation that the iconic adventure is set to be re-released for the home console/handheld hybrid in the near future.

Twitter user Kelios first shared a screenshot of a trademark registration for "Ocarina Of Time", bringing it to the attention of curious fans. Interestingly, the trademark registration in question appears to be completely new, rather than a renewal of the trademark that Nintendo already had.

En Australie aussi pic.twitter.com/gCHJLui9O6

— Kelios (@KeliosFR) July 27, 2020

Ocarina Of Time, which released in 1998, is currently sat between the major milestones of 20th and 25th anniversaries. It's not like Nintendo would need to wait until the game turns 25 to re-release it on Switch of course, but the timing of this registration seems a little odd.

We are, however, approaching the ten-year anniversary of The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time 3D, the excellent 3DS remake that introduced enhanced visuals, touch-screen controls, and easier-to-navigate menus. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing that version of the game given a wee lick of paint and ported to Switch.

As exciting as that would be, it's also entirely likely that this trademark registration is for something entirely mundane. There are all kinds of reasons Nintendo might have registered a new trademark rather than renewed the old one, and the vast majority of those reasons don't immediately point towards to a remaster or re-release.

Nintendo has been exceptionally quiet over the last few months, leaving us with nothing but speculation as to what major releases the company has planned for the rest of the year and beyond. The release of Paper Mario: The Origami King last month was the last Switch exclusive we knew about, meaning the future of the console is something of a mystery right now.

There have been suggestions that Nintendo is planning to re-release a number of classic 3D Mario games, including Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy, but with no Nintendo Direct on the horizon, we can't say for sure if or when this will be confirmed. However, if the focus of Nintendo's next big announcement was on Mario re-releases, I'd be surprised if the company also slid in news of an Ocarina Of Time re-release.



Posted: Aug 12, 2020 8:20 am
Last Updated: Sep 01, 2020 6:22 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion