Zelda Fans Torn Over Link's Replacement For New Game
By Published May 10, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT Known as 'Cyberpunk 2077's' biggest fan, Angharad is a Welsh games writer who thrives in anything related to digital storytelling. If a video game explores the intricacies and horrors of womanhood, she is there.
Thanks to previous work at GAMINGbible, GameByte, The Loadout, Game Luster, Angharad has built a strong understanding of both the digital world and what fans want from it and is eager to share her thoughts and expertise with readers. Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
Despite celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, franchise shows no signs of slowing down. Not only can we look forward to the upcoming , but there are also rumors that the long-awaited will be announced later this year, especially following the recent announcement of that
However, that is not the only rumor that has been taking the internet by storm, as it also appears that a brand-new 2D Zelda game will arrive a lot sooner than we had first thought. The rumors began back in April as a by ComicBook.com shone a light on a social media post made by well-known leaker Nash Weedle. In the Twitter post, Nash shared two cryptic posts reading: "Hero, wake up, the drums are resounding for 2027" and "Richard > Edward > Bernard" respectively. Although appearing bizarre at first, it did not take The Legend of Zelda fans long to work out that Richard and Edward were the internal codenames for both and . As such, we can assume that 'Bernard' is the codename for the next major release, and following suit, it will be another 2D launch.
Now, a month on and it seems as though Weedle is back with regarding this mysterious upcoming . Luckily, the most important information shared in the leak has been explained over on , and it spells good news for fans of Nintendo's 2D Zelda entries.
According to the well-known leaker, the new 2D Zelda entry is planned to release in 2027 as a way of celebrating the franchise's ongoing 40th anniversary celebrations. However, it seems as though an official announcement is not due any time soon as Nintendo will want to focus on unveiling The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake later this year. Additionally, the brand-new entry will be "100% original", not a remake, and we can expect its development to be far in its advanced stages. Luckily, Nintendo have reportedly used the same engine as was used for Echoes of Wisdom. Last but not least, Weedle confirmed 'Bernard' to be the game's codename, and it seems as though Ganondorf will be our main protagonist as a way to shape his origin story.
As you can imagine, it was not long before Zelda fans flocked to the comments to share their thoughts on this new leak, and it seems as though Link potentially being replaced by Ganondorf as a protagonist is being met with mixed reviews. "Can we just get a new 2D game as Link? Personally, playing as Ganondorf is not interesting at all," one user shared. However, another user was feeling slightly more hopeful, sharing, "I wouldn’t mind if they reused the Echos of Wisdom art style, but I don’t want Ganondorf as the protagonist. I also don’t like the idea of splitting Ocarina of Time into two games because it really doesn’t need that much content. It’s already a near perfect game. Just cleaning up the controls, graphics, and possibly adding the Light Temple would be enough."
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As mentioned, both the Ocarina of Time remake and this upcoming 2D The Legend of Zelda title remain purely speculation at the time of writing, and so both projects should be taken with a pinch of salt.
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