Nintendo surprise announces new Zelda game – but no Switch 2

New console has been widely rumoured – but does not appearing during live Nintendo Direct event

(Nintendo)

Nintendo has surprised by fans by announcing a new Zelda game – but not the Nintendo Switch.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will arrive on 26 September, the company said. It was announced alongside a whole slate of new games, including video of Mario & Luigi: Brothership new details and a slight delay on Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.

But the new Zelda title was perhaps the most shocking of the whole event. That is in large part because it focuses on Zelda herself – though her name has been at the centre of the series for the 40 years it has been in existence, players have actually controlled Link, who saves her.

In Echoes of Wisdom, however, it will be Zelda and players that look to save the game’s world from destruction. Link is missing after a battle, producers said during the live-streamed launch.

The new game sees players control from the top down in a cartoon-style world. That marks a break with some recent Zelda games, though it echoes the 2019 release of Link’s Awakening, which was a remake of the Game Boy title.

It follows Tears of The Kingdom, the Zelda game that was released last year and immediately became one of its biggest hits. That in itself was a sequel to Breath of the Wild, which helped launch the Nintendo Switch.

In all there have been 20 different titles since The Legend of Zelda was released in February, 1986. Nintendo is also working on a live-action film as part of the series.

Nintendo had been explicit before the event that the Direct event would not include any mention of the new Switch. But excitement is high given that the company has said that it will be launched before March 2025.

Some had also suggested that the event could be relatively limited, given that Nintendo is presumably focusing on titles and work for the next generation of the Switch. It did not give any information about which of the games might also be available on the Nintendo Switch 2.