A fanmade remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which has been in development since 2016, has been cancelled to avoid potential legal issues with Nintendo.
Developer CryZENx, who had been recreating the classic game using Unreal Engine, had posted updates on the project’s progress on YouTube over the past decade. Following the reveal of Nintendo’s official Ocarina of Time remake earlier this month, CryZENx announced on social media that they are pulling the plug on the fanmade version.
“Ocarina of Time remake is official, and I think it’s time for me to retire,” CryZENx said in a Facebook post.
“Thank you all for supporting me for over 10 years.”
In an update on Patreon (via IGN), CryZENx responded to a supporter to explain that the project had been pre-emptively scrapped to avoid any potential legal intervention from Nintendo.
“I’m sorry that I had to disappoint. It’s better to just stop the project for now, or I would been disappeared [sic] because of Nintendo’s ninjas,” the developer said.
CryZENx is contemplating shifting focus to several other projects, and posed potential ideas to Patreon supporters. These include remakes of other Zelda games like Twilight Princess and The Minish Cap, as well as other Nintendo titles including Diddy Kong Racing, Donkey Kong 64, and Metroid Prime Hunters. Rounding out the poll are Sonic Adventure 2, the MDK games, and the Turok series.
Assets from the Ocarina of Time remake may also be used in future projects, with CryZENx stating they “can be used for new chapters […] with a fresh idea.”
Videos of the project on CryZENx’s channel have attracted staggering numbers over the years, with one nearing three million views. The last video of the fan remake showed progress made on the game’s third dungeon, Inside Jabu Jabu’s Belly.
Nintendo’s official remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will launch on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026.
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Written by Reece Heather
A veteran Zelda Universe editor and First-class journalism graduate, Reece emerged with a Nintendo 64 and a lifelong obsession after a narrow escape from Santa’s Naughty List in 1998. Outside of games, he’s reading Punisher comics, being bossed around by his cocker spaniel, and cornering innocent bystanders to rant about the importance of game preservation.
