530 days is a long time since a Nintendo Direct, but here we are. Today Nintendo announced that there will be a 50-minute Nintendo Direct tomorrow to announce the first half of Nintendo’s software lineup for the year. February 21 is the day that the original Legend of Zelda came out in Japan, so you could say that this week is very much a Zelda-centric week, with the 21st being the last day in this week. It’s interesting that Nintendo chose tomorrow to hold a Direct, and the question remains, will Nintendo announce anything Zelda-related tomorrow? Chances are they will, and chances are they will announce a Zelda 35th Anniversary Collection.
Nintendo has always gone all-out for Zelda’s anniversaries, even moreso than Mario’s. The 35th Anniversary Collection has credence though. Nintendo has re-trademarked four games as of late, including Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Skyward Sword. There are also listings of Grezzo looking for a programmer, an effects designer, and a UI designer for a “medieval” and “stylish” game. This points to them developing yet another Zelda game or at least working on one. There have been rumblings for the past year of a Skyward Sword HD remake and an Ocarina of Time HD remake that it would make you think that Nintendo is preparing something very special for Zelda’s 35th anniversary.
All signs point to a Zelda collector’s edition on the Nintendo Switch. Which games will be a part of this will be anyone’s guess, but Ocarina, The Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess are most likely, with Skyward Sword HD being sold separately. It would be wonderful to throw in a game like A Link Between Worlds, which is criminally underrated, into the bunch. It would be perfect for Switch, as it was a handheld title for the 3DS before any re-release. That’s beside the point though.
With a Nintendo Direct coming up the week of Zelda’s 35th anniversary, it couldn’t be a more perfect time to announce a Zelda 35th Anniversary Collection. With Breath of the Wild 2 most likely being a holiday title, there needs to be something else satiating Zelda fans’ hunger, and more importantly, another way for Nintendo to commemorate the series’ 35th anniversary. With all of the rumors and rumblings that have been coming out the last few weeks, and even the last few months, it’s likely that Nintendo will have an announcement tomorrow for Zelda’s 35th anniversary and it will be an anthology collection of the best of the series. 50 minutes is a lot of time, and a lot of games to go over and announce. A Zelda 35th Anniversary Collection will fit in nicely.