Rumor: Nintendo Working on The Legend of Zelda Mobile Game

Published: May 15, 2017 11:40 AM /

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The Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild Art Hilltop

Nintendo reportedly isn't resting on its laurels since the release of the Nintendo Switch and the exceedingly popular The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. According to sources close to the Japanese developer, Nintendo is now working on a The Legend of Zelda game for mobile platforms.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, sources close to Nintendo have confirmed that the game does indeed exist, and is expected to release some time after the release of Animal Crossing, which is expected to launch later this year. What the game is going to look like, however, is anyone's guess at this point. We also know next to nothing about how much the game is going to cost and whether or not it'll have a free version available so players can buy before they play. If Super Mario Run is any indication, you can expect the game to be free to start, with most content locked behind a paywall, although the gacha fueled Fire Emblem Heroes has been more profitable.

The Legend of Zelda's mobile game will be the next mobile Nintendo game in an ever-growing list of properties adapted for play on mobile phones. Last year, Nintendo released Pokemon GO (a game that made millions of people all over the world collectively lose their shit for a few weeks), Super Mario Run, Miitomo (which was less of a game and more of a social media app) and Fire Emblem Heroes, a free to play strategy game released on Android and iOS devices.

There might be more mobile games in the pipeline since Nintendo seems committed to expanding their revenue by developing mobile games in conjunction with new first-party titles for the Nintendo Switch. These games are mainly targeted at a casual audience who are used to playing mobile games with mobile mechanics and controls over "hardcore" gaming experiences on a console or PC. They also appear focused on creating increased exposure to their IP, with them stating a preference towards a model similar to Super Mario Run in general.

Nintendo has been earning a steady, if somewhat insignificant, income with their mobile games in 2016, with mobile games earning Nintendo around $176.4 million dollars at the end of 2016's fiscal year.

What do you hope to see in a mobile The Legend of Zelda game? Let us know in the comments!

 

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Chris Anderson
| Staff Writer

I've been playing games since I was just barely able to walk so I might as well write about them.