Nintendo says it doesn’t see new games and remakes as rivals. Nate Bihldorff, the company’s senior vice president of product development and publishing, told Polygon that both have a place in Nintendo’s lineup and are “of equal importance.”
The comment came around the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Nintendo Switch 2. For anyone wondering whether Nintendo’s recent remake streak means it is easing off new ideas, Bihldorff’s answer is pretty simple: the company sees room for both.
There’s a practical reason a remake can still feel new. Bihldorff said many players have never had the chance to play the original game, so a new version can be a first trip through Hyrule rather than a return visit.
Nintendo’s own Ask the Developer interview offers another reason the company may keep revisiting old work. Series producer Eiji Aonuma said rebuilding Ocarina of Time let newer developers study the structure and craft of the 1998 game, then carry those lessons into future Zelda projects.
That doesn’t amount to a promise of a specific remake. Nintendo hasn’t announced what it will revisit next. But it does explain why remakes are more than a quick nostalgia tour in the company’s view: they can introduce an old game to a new audience and give its teams a chance to learn from it again.
Ocarina of Time launched for Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5. Nintendo’s official product page describes it as a rebuilt version of the Nintendo 64 classic, with new visuals and modern controls. So no, this isn’t Nintendo saying every next game will be a remake. It is saying those returns matter alongside the brand-new stuff.
