New Open-World Zelda Game Rumors Basically Confirmed by Ocarina of Time Remake

“Where there's smoke, there's fire” isn't exactly a bad attitude for video game leaks, especially when taken with a grain of salt, but the latest to come out of The Legend of Zelda franchise may have something for them. There have actually been several The Legend of Zelda rumors and leaks have surfaced over the past six months, with three of them standing out: the Ocarina of time remake, a 2D Zelda spin-off, and details of the next mainline entry after Breath of the Wild and The tears of the kingdom.

A month ago, it was impossible for any layperson to validate the leaks, no matter how reliable the leaker's sources, but that all changed recently. Nintendo has confirmed that Ocarina of time remake is real and will be released in 2026. It directly confirms that the specific leak was legit, suggesting that there is a fire somewhere and that each of the aforementioned leaks were smoke. Where there is one leak, there may be more – and the confirmation of Ocarina of time remake suggests the new open world Zelda The game reputation is legit, as is the 2D Zelda by-product.

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The Legend of Zelda ship seems to be leaking

Nintendo didn't say much about Ocarina of time remake, releasing a trailer that showed a tapestry of Hyrule and showed what baby Link looks like with the updated graphics. The aforementioned Nate the Hate leak suggested it would be released in Holiday 2026, and while Nintendo didn't confirm much, there isn't really a better window for it right now than Holiday 2026. Nate the Hate's leaks were also confirmed by Nash Weedle, who claimed it was a full remake, not just a remaster/port like that. Nash Weedle would go on to argue that a 2D Zelda games with Ganondorf as the main character, similar Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom featuring the titular princess, was also slated for 2027. That rumor is now stronger due to Ocarina of time innovative confirmation. If there is one leak, there may be two.

The same can be said about the rumors surrounding the next open world Zelda game because if there are two leaks there could be three. It helps that this leak, like the original Ocarina of time remake leak, comes from known and trusted sources. Around the turn of the year, Siftekal gave Nick some details about the next main line Zelda the game, and his track record, combined with confirmation of Ocarina of time remake, adds even more weight to his leaks.

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Nick claims that the next big Zelda game will be another open-world game similar to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, set in the same version of Hyrule and built with the same engine. During development, of course, that engine will receive some new improvements. Gameplay wise, next open world Zelda the game is said to explore more “dimensions”. In short, it sounds like cross-dimensional gameplay for puzzles and perhaps exploration, with one example being that players could lure a charging bull towards a target in one dimension to open a door in the player's dimension. It remains to be seen how ambitious Nintendo aims to be with it, but it sounds very similar to the dimension-hopping game of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. It was also said to be years away, so fans shouldn't expect much news from it anytime soon.

Why fans should still take these Zelda leaks with a grain of salt

Of course, fans should still approach all these claims with caution. It could be that there is a leaky ship, and one of those leaks supports the others. It could be that one leak was legitimate, while others were not. And beyond that, even if these are true right now, there is no guarantee that these Zelda game will start like this. Development plans change, features are cut, and the end result is not always the same as the original goal. That said, it's getting harder and harder to ignore the pattern that forms around these Zelda rumours.

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What's most interesting about the alleged next main game is how it would continue Nintendo's recent approach to the franchise. Breath of the Wild reinvented Zelda by emphasizing freedom and experimentation, as claimed by most accounts, while The tears of the kingdom expanded that philosophy through Ultrahand. A dimension-based mechanic might represent the next logical step in that evolution (especially if Nintendo wants to avoid simply making a bigger map for the sake of making a bigger map).

Perhaps the biggest reason these rumors have taken hold to begin with, however, is timing. With The tears of the kingdom now old by video game standards and the Switch 2 era underway, fans have naturally begun to wonder what's next for the franchise. Nintendo confirms Ocarina of time remake has unexpectedly bolstered several other Zelda rumors in the process. Whether all of them prove correct remains to be seen, but the future looks bright.