The Legend of Zelda will finally break away from Nintendo consoles to grace Android and iOS devices in 2018, according to a new report.
The first ever Zelda game on mobile will be developed by DeNA, the studio behind Super Mario Run and Fire Emblem Heroes.
Zelda has become one of the hottest gaming franchises of 2017, thanks to the phenomenal success of Breath of the Wild, the latest title in the series. But unless you own a Nintendo console — specifically a Switch or a Wii U — you can’t enjoy it. That won’t be the case with the next Zelda release.
A report from The Wall Street Journal, citing “people familiar with the matter,” claims Nintendo will expand its mobile games lineup in 2018 with the first Zelda game for Android and iOS. Details on the game are light for now, but it is said DeNA will be responsible for its development.
The game will follow Animal Crossing, the next Nintendo game for mobile, which is expected to arrive in early 2018. The title was originally scheduled for a March 2017 release, but it was delayed until “the next fiscal year” so that DeNA could focus on Fire Emblem Heroes and Super Mario Run for Android.
We’re hoping Zelda on mobile will deliver a true RPG experience that fans of the franchise will already be familiar with — not a watered-down, one-touch alternative like Super Mario Run (though that is a terrific game). Titles like Oceanhorn on iOS have already proven RPGs can be great on touchscreens.
Nintendo is yet to confirm this news, so it’s probably best you don’t get too excited just yet. But the report does come from WSJ, so it’s more than just a sketchy rumor from an obscure blog we’ve never heard of.
