The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Remake Could Be Next After Ocarina of Time

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time officially launches on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5, but Nintendo's next Zelda remake could already be in motion. There's no official word on a Majora's Mask remake, but a few recent tidbits have given fans reason to believe the classic might someday return in a similarly ambitious fashion.

One early clue came from an IMDb listing involving Nouyuki Hyama, who voiced the original Fierce Deity Link in Majora's Mask. The listing has reportedly associated him with a Majora's Mask HD project and has remained available for several months. IMDb information can be edited by users, so this isn't proof that a remake exists, but the listing's continued presence has kept speculation going.

A more recent clue appeared during Nintendo's Zelda 40th anniversary Direct. Some versions of the presentation, including the UK broadcast, used a different Majora's Mask logo from the one normally associated with the game. The updated logo looked noticeably different from the version used elsewhere, while the other Zelda logos shown during the presentation didn't receive the same treatment.

That could have been a presentation mistake, but it naturally drew attention because Nintendo seemed to have no reason to update the logo unless something was happening behind the scenes. The Zelda 40th anniversary celebration has also included Majora's Mask through Nintendo Today, with a new collection-card pack based on the game and daily cards accompanied by a quiz.

None of these details confirm a remake, but together they have made Majora's Mask one of the more obvious candidates for Nintendo's next major Zelda project.

It also makes more sense for Nintendo to release Majora's Mask separately rather than including it with Ocarina of Time. The new Ocarina of Time remake appears to be much more than a simple remaster, with updated visuals, gameplay changes, redesigned areas, and other quality-of-life improvements. Adding an equally ambitious Majora's Mask remake to the same package would be difficult to justify from both a development and business perspective.

A separate release would allow Nintendo to turn one remake into multiple major Zelda launches across the Switch 2 generation. That could be particularly useful because the next completely new open-world Zelda game is unlikely to arrive immediately. Tears of the Kingdom launched in 2023, and Nintendo will likely need several years to develop another game of that scale.

This is where ambitious remakes could become important.

Other publishers, including Square Enix and Capcom, have used remakes to fill gaps between major new releases while their development teams work on larger projects. Nintendo could be following a similar strategy with Zelda.

The company could have its main Zelda team continue working on the next open-world game, Grezzo handle 2D Zelda projects, and another team focus on ambitious 3D remakes. There is no confirmation that Nintendo has structured its development teams this way, but it would give the company a way to release more Zelda games without rushing its biggest projects.

There is also some history supporting the idea of Majora's Mask following Ocarina of Time.

When Ocarina of Time 3D launched on Nintendo 3DS in 2011, fans quickly began asking for Majora's Mask 3D. Nintendo eventually released that remake in 2015, roughly four years later. A Link Between Worlds also featured Majora's Mask in the background before the 3DS remake was announced, showing that Nintendo has previously used Zelda games to tease connections to upcoming releases.

The current Ocarina of Time remake could provide an even stronger foundation for Majora's Mask. Nintendo will already have modernized character models, visual assets, and technology that could potentially be adapted for another N64-era Zelda. That wouldn't make Majora's Mask a simple follow-up, since the game has its own world and mechanics, but it could make development more efficient.

Because of that, a four-to-five-year gap would seem more realistic than an immediate release. That could place a Majora's Mask remake in the later years of the Switch 2 generation, potentially after another 2D Zelda game and the next major open-world entry.

The bigger question is how ambitious Nintendo would make it.

Ocarina of Time's remake could establish whether Nintendo intends to add new areas, dungeons, or other content to these projects. If Nintendo expands its remakes, Majora's Mask offers plenty of opportunities for additions, particularly around the Fierce Deity Mask and the game's unusual world.

Even without entirely new content, Majora's Mask could benefit from the same kind of modernization being applied to Ocarina of Time. Its movement, combat, and exploration could be updated, while its three-day cycle and character schedules could be reworked into a modern open-world structure without losing the original's identity.

If the Ocarina of Time remake succeeds, Nintendo will have a strong reason to continue with this approach. Majora's Mask would be the natural next choice, but it could eventually lead to remakes of The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, or even 2D Zelda games rebuilt as 3D adventures.

For now, Majora's Mask remains unannounced.

The IMDb listing, updated logo, and anniversary activity are only clues, but Nintendo's broader development strategy makes another ambitious 3D Zelda remake increasingly easy to imagine. If Ocarina of Time marks the start of a new remake strategy, Majora's Mask could eventually become the next major piece of it.