The Legend of Zelda turned 40 over the weekend as February 21 marked four decades since the original game was first released on the NES. You might have missed it since, even though it is arguably its biggest property after Mario, Nintendo neglected to mention it. Not even a happy birthday tweet. That’s why Zelda fans have since been taking it upon themselves to properly mark the occasion.
February 21 came and went without so much as a mention of Zelda from any of Nintendo’s official accounts (not even anything on Nintendo Today, isn’t the whole reason that app exists for stuff like this?), and clearly some fans were prepared for that to happen. That’s why the sharing of favorite moments, old photos, and fan art dedicated to the iconic series began long before the anniversary itself had come to an end.
Fans Wish Happy Birthday To The Legend Of Zelda On Its 40th Anniversary
Developer Maddy Kenyon shared a photo of herself as a child alongside Zelda games, merch, and drawings from 26 years ago, revealing that it was The Legend of Zelda that inspired her to pursue a career in video game development. Zelda fan Christina Rose shared a post detailing what inspired Shigeru Miyamoto to dream up the original Zelda game and celebrated its anniversary by streaming the original.
Some of the Zelda fan art shared over the weekend includes a striking image of Link standing over items pulled from what appears to be every game in the series, a stunning sketch of the Master Sword, an anniversary pic that brings together the many versions of Link dreamt up by Nintendo over the years, and my favorite piece of art marking the milestone, a pixelart take on Breath of the Wild that shows Link standing before the Great Deku Tree.
Meanwhile, over on the Nintendo of America Twitter account, the weekend’s focus was primarily on Pokemon for a couple of reasons. Nintendo revealed it will be putting Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen on Switch later this week. There’s also the release of Pokemon Pokopia right around the corner. Mario Tennis Fever got some attention, too, but nothing for poor old Link.
Unless You’re Mario Or Pokemon, You Don’t Get A Nintendo Birthday
While some Nintendo fans were hoping the 40th anniversary might be when we hear something about the Twilight Princess and Wind Waker remasters – or maybe even an Ocarina of Time remake – most kept their expectations in check. Just an acknowledgment that one of the biggest series in games was turning 40, but nothing.
On the one hand, that seems wild, but on the other, it isn’t out of character for Nintendo. It did the same to Donkey Kong when the original DK game turned 40. Former Nintendo devs Kit and Krysta noted that, unless it has something to announce, Nintendo doesn’t particularly care about anniversaries. The big exceptions to that are Mario and Pokemon, and when it comes to the latter, it’s more down to what The Pokemon Company wants to do than it is a decision for Nintendo to make.
- Released
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February 21, 1986
- ESRB
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E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo EAD
- Engine
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Havok
