The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time might be getting the full-blown remake treatment for Nintendo Switch 2, and the evidence is stacking up fast. A wave of leaks that dropped on May 6 has the entire Nintendo community buzzing, and there is good reason to take them seriously this time.
The Leak That Started It All
Industry insider Nash Weedle appeared on the Attack The Backlog podcast on May 6 and laid out a series of claims about Nintendo's 2026 plans. Among them: a ground-up remake of Ocarina of Time has been in active development since 2022, with Monolith Soft — the studio behind the Xenoblade Chronicles series — reportedly serving as a key development partner alongside Nintendo's internal teams.
What makes this leak particularly credible is timing. Just hours before Nash's podcast appearance, Nintendo dropped a surprise announcement for a new Star Fox game — a title that had been part of the same leak package from industry tipster Nate the Hate weeks earlier. The Star Fox confirmation has effectively validated a significant chunk of Nate's original intel, and Ocarina of Time was sitting right next to it on the list.
The Scale of Final Fantasy 7 Remake
This is not another upscaled port with fresh textures. According to multiple sources, Nintendo is building the Ocarina remake from scratch, and the scope is being compared directly to Square Enix's Final Fantasy 7 Remake — a project that reimagined every system, every environment, and every encounter from the ground up while preserving the emotional core of the original.
For a game as foundational as Ocarina of Time, that approach makes sense. The 1998 original defined 3D adventure design for an entire generation, and the 2011 3DS remaster, while appreciated, was fundamentally the same game with improved visuals. A true reimagining built on modern hardware would be an entirely different proposition.
Monolith Soft at the Helm
Monolith Soft's fingerprints on this project should not surprise anyone paying attention. The studio has quietly become Nintendo's go-to support team for ambitious Zelda projects, having contributed to Skyward Sword, A Link Between Worlds, Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the Kingdom. Their expertise in building massive interconnected worlds and fluid traversal systems would translate directly into reimagining Hyrule Field and the game's iconic dungeon design for a new generation.
A June Direct Reveal
Multiple sources are pointing toward a reveal at a Nintendo Direct presentation in June 2026, with a release window potentially landing by the end of this year. There is also talk of a limited-edition Zelda-themed Switch 2 console bundle — the kind of move Nintendo has historically reserved for its biggest franchise moments.
One of the more speculative claims from Nash's podcast suggests the remake could be split into two parts — one following Young Link's journey and the other covering Adult Link's quest — though he later walked that back as more of a possibility than a confirmed plan. Given the scale being described, a two-part structure would not be unprecedented, but it would certainly be controversial.
Zelda's 40th Anniversary
The timing aligns with The Legend of Zelda's 40th anniversary, which falls in 2026. Nintendo has a well-documented habit of anchoring major releases to franchise milestones, and an Ocarina of Time remake would be exactly the kind of statement piece that turns an anniversary celebration into a cultural event. Reports also suggest a new 2D Zelda game is in the works for the same anniversary push, giving Nintendo a two-pronged approach to celebrating the franchise's legacy.
Nothing has been officially confirmed by Nintendo, and the usual caveats about leaks and rumors apply. But between the Star Fox verification, the specificity of multiple independent sources, and the strategic logic of a Switch 2 launch-window system seller, the Ocarina of Time remake is looking less like wishful thinking and more like an inevitability with each passing day.
