The Legend of Zeldais one of Nintendos most popular and beloved game series.

Its often one of the reasons people buy a new Nintendo system.

Thats why its surprising that the Nintendo Switch 2 isnt launching with a brand-newZeldagame.

Art of Link from Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, with a blurred landscape in the background.

The original Switch launched withBOTW.

It gave players a huge open world to explore and helped make the console a hit from the start.

Then cameTOTK, which added even more to that world.

Zelda and Rauru as they appear in Hyrule Warriors Age of Imprisonment.

Now, fans are ready for something new.

Simply improving the graphics and performance wont be enough.

If Nintendo doesnt announce something soon, frustration could grow.

Link Zelda and Female characters from Tears of the Kingdom.

Theres a lot of excitement about the Switch 2,but it needs to offer new games, especiallyZelda.

Without that, Nintendo might have a harder time maintaining the same success it had with the original Switch.

For fans who already love these games, its a good chance to play them again with improvements.

Zelda in Breath of the Wild.

Still, not everyone will be excited.

Both games were made for the original Switch, and most people have already played them.

Unless the upgrades are a big step up, spending more money on the same games might be hard.

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Another problem is timing.Breath of the Wildcame out in 2017, andTears of the Kingdomwas released in 2023.

Thats a long time for an audience to already be familiar with both properties.

Making them look better is nice,but it doesnt change the fact that mostZeldafans have played them already.

Gaming

It’s not really the newZeldagame at launch many were hoping for.

When the first Switch came out in 2017,Breath of the Wildlaunched with it.

That game helped sell the console and gave people a big reason to buy it.

The Legend of Zelda

Breath of the Wilddid exceptionally well at launch and has sold 34.32 million copies since December 2024.

It has been hailed as one of the greatest video games ever.

A newZeldagame would have helped the Switch 2 stand out and feel more exciting.

Nintendo Switch 2

Without it, some prospective buyers might hold off on getting the new console.

If they wait too long, they might lose interest or choose to spend their money on something else.

There is a chance Nintendo is saving a newZeldagame for later, but launch time is important.

Big, new games help boost sales and give players a reason to buy consoles early.

Right now, the lack of a freshZeldais a missed chance.

However, its not exactly a mainlineZeldagame.

It plays like any otherHyrule Warriorsgame, with fast battles and lots of enemies similar to theDynasty Warriorsseries.

This wait could end up being a problem.

A newZeldagame often drives people to buy a new console.

Each game features different incarnations of Link and Zelda, maintaining core elements while introducing new characters and prefs.