The Legend of Zelda community is buzzing with renewed speculation about a potential remaster of The Wind Waker for the Nintendo Switch, or perhaps even the rumored Nintendo Switch 2. Following the immense success of Tears of the Kingdom, fans are eager to know what adventures lie ahead for the beloved franchise. While a new mainline Zelda title for the next-gen Switch seems inevitable, many believe Nintendo might revisit a classic before then.
The Nintendo GameCube era offered Zelda fans a wealth of titles, including Twilight Princess, Collectors Edition, Four Swords Adventures, and the iconic Wind Waker. While Twilight Princess also made a splash, its primary release was on the Wii. For years, rumors have circulated about a Wind Waker remaster for the Switch, similar to the Skyward Sword HD release in 2021. While these rumors have yet to materialize, recent events have reignited the discussion.
A Reddit post highlighted a peculiar detail: The Wind Waker never received an official Korean translation. This is unusual considering South Korea’s significance as a market for the Zelda series. The game’s 2003 release predates Nintendo’s establishment of a Korean subsidiary in 2006, after which point Zelda games consistently received Korean translations. The 2013 Wii U version of Wind Waker could have provided an opportunity for a translated release, but the Wii U was never launched in South Korea, leaving the game untranslated.
This is where the current theory takes hold. The Nintendo of Korea website previously displayed a timeline of Zelda games. Games with Korean translations were listed with their Korean titles, while those without used English titles. Curiously, The Wind Waker, despite lacking a Korean translation, was listed with a Korean title, seemingly an anomaly. While this could be a simple error (and the listing has since been corrected), it fueled speculation that a Switch or Switch 2 port, potentially even completed, is waiting in the wings, aligning with previous rumors.
The reason for this discrepancy remains a mystery. While the most likely explanation is a clerical error, it hasn’t stopped fans from hoping for a Wind Waker announcement soon.
While all of this remains speculative, the possibility of revisiting the Great Sea in HD has certainly captured the imagination of Zelda fans.
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