It’s no secret that The Legend of Zelda is going through a major moment in its history right now as a franchise, with the 40th anniversary marking an opportunity for Nintendo to bring us a glut of major releases that fans will undoubtedly be very excited for.
The headline act in that respect is undoubtedly going to be the Ocarina of Time Remake, which drops in November and brings back one of the most beloved games in the series to date, with a whole new coat of paint that should bring it much more into line with modern audience expectations. The fun doesn’t stop there though, and there’s plenty more coming down the pipeline that the most dedicated supporters will want to be involved with, including one major release that has actually been pushed back a little further than expected.
Over on the Dark Horse Direct website, you should be able to find the product listing for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom—Secrets of the Zonai. In case you missed its initial confirmation, it’s essentially one of the most extensive artbooks ever produced that’s directly connected to a game in the franchise, and though it released in Japan all the way back in 2024, Western audiences have yet to see a localized English version.
That’s why its initial announcement was so exciting for fans, but the unfortunate new revelation is that its October release date has now been pushed back to April 2027. Letting fans know a little about what they can expect from the book when it does arrive, the developer shared the following description:
“Start your journey with over 50 pages of beautiful illustrations, character art, and promotional images. Then, dive into nearly 300 pages of behind-the-scenes sketches, notes, rough designs, concept art, and recollections that provide an exclusive look at the development and creation of the game. Next, travel back to a time before the founding of the Kingdom of Hyrule, with over 80 pages of Hyrule’s history that include insights into the mysterious past of the Zonai all the way up to the events of the game. Finish your quest with interviews with the legends behind this most recent entry of The Legend of Zelda: Producer Eiji Aonuma, Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi, and Art Director Satoru Takizawa!”
As you might expect, fans reacted to the news of the delay with genuine disappointment, though they do all still hold out hope that it’ll be worth the wait when it does eventually arrive.
“What is happening to this book!? It came out in Japan in August 2024, what is in this book that takes 3 years to localize?” one comment read, over on Reddit.
While another added, “I’m guessing there must have been a printing error they caught and forced them to restart printing. It’s the only thing that would make sense for a delay this close to release.”
Still the Ocarina of Time Remake is still very much scheduled to arrive in November, so while the news of a delay on the above is disappointing, we do have plenty to get on with as fans of the franchise in the meantime. Let’s just hope it manages to live up to everyone’s expectations when it does get here.
- Released
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May 12, 2023
- ESRB
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Rated E for Everyone 10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
- Engine
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Havok
- Cross-Platform Play
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N/A
- Cross Save
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N/A
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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n/a
