This year, Nintendo has filled part of the Switch 2 schedule with remakes of classic N64 titles. We first got Star Fox back in June, which has now sold over a million units, and this week saw the return of the legendary Zelda game, Ocarina of Time.
If you’re hoping to see more classics return, it looks promising at this point. According to Nate Bihldorff, Nintendo’s senior vice president of product development and publishing, new games and remakes are currently “of equal importance” in the Nintendo stable.
Here’s what else he had to say about the importance of remakes in a conversation with Polygon earlier this week:
Nate Bihldorff: “There are fans of every license we have. Of course, having new games in these series is wonderful, and I look forward to them as much as anyone, but there’s also a deep satisfaction in revisiting games that were very, very special, like Ocarina of time…But it’s also important to think about how many people have never played the original, and for them, the remake of Ocarina of time is going to be an absolutely new experience in 2026, and one that I can’t wait for them to get their hands on.
While remakes can be creatively risky, Nintendo’s efforts during the Switch 2 generation have so far been received positively by fans and critics. As Bihldorff reminds veteran players, remakes are also a great way to introduce new players who have never played games like Ocarina of Time before. And for these newcomers, it’s a whole new experience!
So what could be next? Nintendo does not officially hasn’t said anything yet, but the Ocarina sequel, Majora’s Mask, is already a popular (and obvious) choice, and the game engine is ready to go!
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