Zelda is Not Being Ignored: Zelda’s 40th Anniversary Celebration Will Be a Slow Burn

Every time a major anniversary comes around for The Legend of Zelda, there is a familiar feeling in the fandom.

Fans get excited. They start hoping for remakes, ports, trailers, concerts, special editions, and maybe even a few surprises. Then if the exact anniversary date comes and goes without a huge presentation, disappointment starts to set in. Before long, the same conclusion starts making the rounds again: Nintendo does not really celebrate Zelda anniversaries.

That feeling is understandable, especially for a series as beloved as Zelda. But when you look back at the franchise’s history, a more encouraging pattern starts to appear.

Nintendo has celebrated The Legend of Zelda in meaningful ways across its milestone anniversaries. It just usually does so gradually, spreading announcements, releases, and special items across the year instead of concentrating everything on one day or in one month. Nintendo even described the 25th anniversary that way on its own history page, noting that it marked the occasion with “a range of activities throughout the year.”

That perspective is helpful in 2026. Zelda’s 40th anniversary arrived on February 21 with very little fanfare. And while fans are still waiting to see what the rest of the year may bring, the past gives plenty of reason for patience and hope.

The 25th Anniversary Gave Fans Plenty to Celebrate

In 2011, Nintendo marked Zelda’s 25th anniversary with a full year of memorable releases and events.

Fans received Ocarina of Time 3D on Nintendo 3DS, a special edition Zelda-themed 3DS handheld, the limited-time free release of Four Swords Anniversary Edition on DSiWare, and the Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert. Later in the year, Nintendo released Skyward Sword and a special bundle featuring a gold Wii Remote Plus and orchestral music CD. Nintendo’s own retrospective points to those moments as part of its broader 25th anniversary celebration.

Looking back, the 25th anniversary did not depend on one giant day of announcements. It unfolded over time, giving fans a steady stream of reasons to celebrate.

The 30th Anniversary Continued That Approach

The same thing happened in 2016 for Zelda’s 30th anniversary.

That year brought Twilight Princess HD, a new wave of Zelda amiibo connected to the anniversary, another symphony concert event, official music releases and art books, and major attention around Breath of the Wild as the future of the series came into focus. Nintendo even said in its September 2016 Direct recap that fans would have “plenty of chances to celebrate the 30th anniversary” of The Legend of Zelda. 

That is part of what makes Zelda anniversaries feel a little different. Nintendo often uses these milestone years not only to honor the series’ past, but also to build anticipation for what is ahead. In 2016, that meant giving fans reasons to revisit older adventures while also looking toward Breath of the Wild. 

The 35th Anniversary Was Quieter, But Still Meaningful

The 35th anniversary in 2021 is the one that many fans remember as being smaller, and that is fair. Even so, it still included several meaningful Zelda moments.

Nintendo announced The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD during its February 2021 Direct. Then at E3 2021, the company shared a new trailer for the sequel to Breath of the Wild, revealed Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda (a handheld that featured three Zelda classics), introduced the Zelda & Loftwing amiibo, and showed off Zelda-themed Joy-Cons styled after the Master Sword and Hylian Shield. Nintendo also highlighted Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity DLC during that same season.

It may not have matched every fan’s hopes, but it still reflected a real effort to honor the series with both nostalgic and forward-looking content.

The Bigger Pattern Is Actually Encouraging

When you put the 25th, 30th, and 35th anniversaries side by side, the pattern becomes much easier to see.

Nintendo tends to celebrate Zelda over time. Sometimes that means remasters. Sometimes it means collectible hardware, amiibo, books, concerts, or soundtrack releases. Sometimes it means using the anniversary year as a chance to share a trailer or a reveal that points to the future of the franchise. The celebration may not always be loud right away, but it has often been real and meaningful. 

That also helps explain why some Zelda anniversaries feel quieter in their early months. Nintendo manages several enormous franchises, and it often spaces out its attention across the calendar. Pokémon’s anniversary is within a few days of Zelda’s, and March 10th has become a Mario-centric holiday in the last decade. It would be difficult to earnestly celebrate three of the largest Nintendo franchises all around the time.

Therefore, it seems intentional that Zelda has repeatedly been a series that receives its anniversary celebrations in waves instead of all at once. And that means, for fans, it may feel like a slow burn over a long stretch of months, giving the false impression that Zelda is being overlooked in milestone years. 

Why That Matters for the 40th Anniversary

That is why the 40th anniversary still feels full of possibility.

We’ve already had our first big celebratory drop in the new Zelda LEGO set, “The Final Battle” from Ocarina of Time, which features Link, Zelda and Navi as they face Ganon, the monstrous beast at the ruins of Ganon’s Castle. It’s a massive and beautiful set, joining the Great Deku Tree 2-in-1 set that came out a couple years ago.

And there are already plenty of rumors about what Nintendo might have planned for later in the year. Some of the speculation centers on the live-action Legend of Zelda movie, which is real and currently scheduled for release on May 7, 2027. Insider Gaming reported in late 2025 that filming was expected to run from November 2025 through April 2026 in New Zealand.

That has naturally led some fans to wonder whether the first trailer could arrive later this summer. It is a reasonable expectation, and we can surely expect the same hype-building in the year following that we’ve seen for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie this past year.

There is also ongoing rumor chatter about a possible Zelda remake, with Ocarina of Time often mentioned by fans and insiders. The rumor mill has also been buzzing for months about the possibility of Twilight Princess HD and Wind Waker HD being ported to the Switch 2 in a bundled set. While both of these are still in the rumor stage, it’s safe to assume something big from the Zelda franchise will arrive sooner than later, in order to bring the Zelda fans who haven’t purchased a Switch 2 yet into the new era. Either of these would be the perfect holdovers until the next mainline Zelda game comes in a few years.

While I can’t tell you with certainty that these rumors are true, if Nintendo does announce something substantial later this summer or fall, it would not feel out of character. It would fit the rhythm the company has followed with Zelda before.

For Zelda fans, maybe the most helpful takeaway is this: a quiet February does not necessarily mean an empty anniversary year.

Nintendo’s history with The Legend of Zelda suggests that celebration often comes in stages. The 25th anniversary did. The 30th anniversary did. The 35th anniversary did. Each one gave fans something to enjoy, even if it did not happen all at once or in exactly the way people expected.

So as the 40th anniversary continues, there is still good reason to stay hopeful.

Nintendo has celebrated Zelda before.

There is every reason to believe it may still have more to say in 2026.