Series creator Eiji Aonuma revealed that there will be no Zelda 35th anniversary collection coming to Nintendo Switch on the Nintendo Direct at E3 2021. While a new Game & Watch handheld containing Zelda, Zelda 2, and Zelda: Link’s Awakening is coming, Skyward Sword HD will be the only title coming to the Switch this year.
Why no Zelda 35th anniversary collection on Switch?
While Eiji Aonuma revealed that the Switch wouldn’t get a Zelda 35th anniversary collection, he didn’t reveal why. Most fans anticipated a title in the vein of Super Mario 3D All-Stars would be released to celebrate the franchise’s 35th birthday, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Zelda, Zelda 2, and Zelda: A Link to the Past are currently available through Nintendo Switch Online. Aside from the upcoming Skyward Sword HD, the rest of the series is only playable on previous consoles.
Nintendo created a Nintendo 64 emulator for Switch that was used to play Super Mario 64 in Super Mario All-Stars. Because of this, fans hoped that at least Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask would show up to round out the franchise’s presence on the Switch. Unfortunately, Aonuma’s announcement seemed definitive and didn’t leave much room for interpretation.
Those wanting a Zelda fix are best off grabbing a 3DS or Wii U. Most of the games in the series are available as either a Virtual Console title or a full release. It’s always possible that more Zelda games could come to the Switch through an expansion of the Nintendo Switch Online service. However, N64 and Gamecube support has been rumored to be coming for years, and Nintendo still hasn’t commented about it.
The majority of Nintendo’s back catalog is still unavailable on the Switch. As the console approaches its fifth year, it’s becoming more unlikely that Nintendo will seek to add any significant features or functionality to it. Perhaps we’ll see more Zeldas on whatever comes after the Switch.
