During an investor Q&A session for its nine-month financial report yesterday, Nintendo fielded questions regarding a range of topics, including the Switch 2, future games, transmedia developments, and more. Towards the end of the session, an investor asked if Nintendo had anything planned for the upcoming 40th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda franchise, the first game of which hit the Famicom in Japan on February 21st, 1986. They also lumped in Pokémon’s upcoming 30th anniversary, which released in Japan on February 27th, 1996. Surprisingly, president Shuntaro Furukawa avoided answering with specifics.
“As previously announced, in addition to releasing multiple new software titles, we are also planning to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. with the release of the film The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” Furukawa said. “We also hope to encourage even more people to pick up Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2, which was released last year, as the film’s release approaches. We also plan to release new software titles, including Mario Tennis Fever, Super Mario Bros. Wonder: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park, and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, to allow more people to experience the world of Mario.”
As you can see from that statement, nothing about Zelda or Pokémon is brought up. That’s not the only thing Furukawa had to say, though. He continued, “With regard to plans beyond the Super Mario Bros. 40th anniversary, there is nothing we can share at this time. That said, milestones of 30 and 40 years represent an extraordinary length of time. We are truly grateful that these characters have continued to be loved by players around the world for so long, and we will work to ensure they can continue to be enjoyed for many years to come.” Alright, then.
Considering that The Legend of Zelda series has started to outsell the Super Mario series on Switch, it’s very likely Nintendo has something special planned to commemorate such a long-running series. Pokémon, as well, is the most profitable franchise in the history of entertainment, so Nintendo won’t let that pass with no events (minus the previously announced Pokémon Day events we’ve reported on). It’s a shame the announcement won’t happen on the exact day of each anniversary, but 2026 is bound to hold some surprises.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
