Key Takeaways:
- Nintendo of America president Devon Pritchard confirmed the company is executing a long-term, multi-year IP strategy — not just a single year of celebrations.
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launches exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5, 2026.
- A live-action Legend of Zelda movie produced with Sony Pictures is set for late April 2027.
- Switch 2 has already sold 23.68 million units worldwide, surpassing the GameCube’s entire lifetime sales in roughly 13 months.
- Pritchard says Nintendo’s focus is building experiences that “create relationships that last generations” rather than just competing for screen time.
Nintendo’s Big Year Just Got Bigger
2026 has been an absolutely stacked year for Nintendo fans and it honestly doesn’t feel like it’s slowing down at all. You’ve got the 30th anniversary of Pokémon, the 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, and on top of all that, the Nintendo Switch 2 just crossed its one-year mark. Any one of those things would be worth celebrating on its own. All three happening at the same time? That’s basically Nintendo hitting the jackpot.
But here’s the thing — Nintendo isn’t treating any of this as a finish line. At a recent Variety Entertainment and Technology Summit, Nintendo of America president and COO Devon Pritchard made it crystal clear that everything happening right now is the warm-up act, not the main event.
Devon Pritchard Says “This Is Just the Beginning”
Speaking with Variety co-editor-in-chief Cynthia Littleton, Pritchard came out swinging with some pretty confident statements about where Nintendo is headed. When asked about the company’s plans for Zelda and the Switch 2, she didn’t hesitate:
“We’re at the beginning of Nintendo Switch 2. We’ve already had some really wonderful experiences, both ours and third-party, come to the table, and I can’t wait to see what the system is going to do and what our talented developers will bring to the table.”
That’s not the kind of language you use when you’re wrapping things up. That’s the language of a company that’s got a lot of cards still left to play. And given what’s already been announced, she’s not wrong.
Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake — November 5, 2026
The biggest piece of the puzzle right now is obviously the Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake. After years of fans begging for it, Nintendo officially confirmed the game during the Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct on September 8, 2026. It’s launching exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5, 2026 — and it looks absolutely stunning.
This isn’t just a remaster or a simple port. The remake features a completely overhauled art style that Game Informer described as “stylized realism,” which honestly nails the vibe from what we’ve seen in the trailers. There are real quality-of-life upgrades too — Link now has a dedicated jump button instead of the old context-sensitive automatic jumping, full camera control has been added, motion control aiming is in, swimming is faster, and transitions into shops and interiors are now completely seamless.
One of the coolest new features? You can actually hum or play along with the Ocarina using real-life motion and sound, and Nintendo is even releasing a proper Ocarina peripheral for it. The game also integrates with the Zelda Notes app on smartphones, letting you view an interactive map, track your progress, play the ocarina, and tackle trivia quizzes — the same service that was introduced in the Switch 2 editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
Oh, and if you want to flex? Nintendo is dropping special Zelda-themed Switch 2 hardware and accessories on October 29, 2026, a week before the game itself drops. That bundle is going to sell out fast, no question.
It’s also worth noting that Nintendo chose to release OoT just two weeks before GTA 6 hits on November 19. Most publishers run from GTA 6 like it’s a natural disaster. Nintendo just said “nah, we’re good” and held their date. That tells you everything about how confident they are in this one.
For a quick refresher on how Nintendo has been handling its studios and maintaining that kind of confidence in its releases, check out our breakdown of why Japanese game studios like Nintendo and Capcom have had far fewer layoffs than their Western counterparts.
Switch 2 Sales Are Absolutely Ridiculous
If Pritchard is saying Switch 2 is “just beginning,” it’s worth looking at where the console actually stands right now — because it’s already doing numbers that most consoles never see in their entire lifecycle.
As of June 30, 2026, Nintendo Switch 2 has shipped 23.68 million units worldwide. To put that in context, that’s already more than the GameCube’s entire lifetime sales of 21.74 million — and the Switch 2 hasn’t even hit 14 months yet. In the US alone, Circana reported the Switch 2 as the second fastest-selling video game hardware in tracking history, sitting behind only the Game Boy Advance. Mario Kart World alone has hit 14 million copies sold, and total software attach rates are sitting at around 2.45 games per console.
In April 2026, Switch 2 sold more units in the US than PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S combined in a single month. That’s the kind of dominance you just don’t see in this industry very often.
And look — the hardware lineup itself has been solid. Third-party support has been strong with games like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth making it to the platform, FromSoftware’s The Duskbloods coming as an exclusive, Kingdom Hearts IV being announced, and even Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 on the way for the holidays. The exclusive game output has been so strong that Switch 2 exclusives have genuinely been outpacing what both PS5 and Xbox Series X/S have put out.
The Zelda Movie Is Coming — And Nintendo Isn’t Messing Around
Beyond the Ocarina of Time remake, Pritchard also highlighted the upcoming live-action Legend of Zelda movie as a major part of their broader strategy. Nintendo is working with Sony and Sony Pictures on the film, which is currently scheduled for release at the end of April 2027.
This is a big deal because Nintendo has been extremely protective of its IP in the past (let’s all remember what happened with the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie). The Mario movie in 2023 changed everything, though — it proved Nintendo properties could work on the big screen when done right. The Zelda movie looks like the next step in that evolution, and pairing it with the Ocarina of Time remake is honestly brilliant timing. You’ve got a whole new generation of players experiencing OoT for the first time on Switch 2, and then a few months later a live-action Zelda film drops. That’s how you build an audience that sticks around.
Pritchard was very deliberate about framing Nintendo’s approach as being about reaching new audiences, not just giving existing fans more content. The Zelda movie is as much about bringing people into the franchise who have never touched a Zelda game as it is about celebrating it with long-time fans.
Nintendo’s Real Strategy — Building Relationships, Not Just Games
What’s really interesting about Pritchard’s comments isn’t just the specific announcements — it’s the philosophy behind them. She talked about how Nintendo’s goal isn’t just to release more games faster than everyone else. It’s to create experiences that form emotional connections that last across generations.
“There are more channels for content than ever before. Content is available 24/7. So I think what’s unique is that Nintendo is focused instead on building experiences that create relationships that last generations.”
That’s actually a really smart way to think about it. Nintendo isn’t trying to out-grind TikTok or compete with Netflix for raw screen time. They’re going for something deeper — the kind of connection where someone who played Ocarina of Time as a kid in 1998 wants to sit down and play the remake with their own kids in 2026. That’s a different game entirely than just releasing a sequel or a cash-grab port.
It also explains why the Zelda franchise specifically gets so much attention. Zelda games have always been event releases. They don’t come out every year, they’re not run through a factory, and when one does drop it feels like something special. Ocarina of Time hasn’t had a proper remake since the 3DS version back in 2011, and the Switch 2 version looks like it genuinely justifies the wait.
What’s Still Coming for Switch 2?
Looking ahead from here, the pipeline is genuinely exciting. Beyond OoT in November, Nintendo has already confirmed Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave and Splatoon Raiders on the way, with Pokémon Winds and Waves reportedly targeting 2027 as well. The Duskbloods from FromSoftware remains one of the most intriguing Switch 2 exclusives still without a firm date. And obviously, the live-action Zelda movie in April 2027 is going to be one of the biggest entertainment events of the year regardless of whether you’re a gamer or not.
Nintendo’s point about this being “just the beginning” feels completely genuine. Switch 2 is barely a year old with 23+ million units sold and a holiday season that includes one of the most anticipated remakes in gaming history. The next two to three years of Switch 2 are going to be something to watch.
If you’re into the broader Nintendo ecosystem and what this could mean for their other franchises and IPs, it’s also worth keeping tabs on how the company continues to handle partnerships and collaborations — because between the Zelda movie, the ongoing Pokémon push, and third-party exclusives, Nintendo in 2026 looks nothing like the Nintendo of even five years ago.
For more on major gaming news and what’s shaking up the industry, check out our piece on GTA 6’s Leonida map and the Disney World parody theme park Fun World explained — because the other big game releasing in November has its own massive hype building too.
Bottom Line
Devon Pritchard said it straight — Nintendo Switch 2 and everything happening around Zelda’s 40th anniversary is just the opening chapter of a much bigger story. The Ocarina of Time remake on November 5 is going to be a system-seller and a genuine cultural moment. The live-action Zelda movie next spring keeps that momentum rolling. And the broader Switch 2 lineup heading into 2027 and beyond gives Nintendo every reason to be confident about the future.
Right now? It’s a great time to be a Nintendo fan. And if you’re not one yet, Ocarina of Time might just be the game that changes that.
