Nintendo hasn’t approached Tantalus about bringing Zelda: Twilight Princess HD to Switch

[Shard Shinjuku]

Nintendo hasn't approached Tantalus about bringing Zelda: Twilight Princess HD to Switch

Tantalus talks whether the company has been approached by Nintendo to work on a Switch port of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

nintendoeverything.com

There are a few first-party Wii U games left that fans are hoping will be brought to Switch, including The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. Thus far though, it has yet to happen.

Tantalus – the team behind Zelda: Skyward Sword HD – originally worked on Twilight Princess HD for its release on Wii U in 2016. However, according to CEO Tom Crago, the company hasn't asked the company to work on a Switch port yet.

"No, and look, we'd obviously love to do that, but that hasn't been a priority for Nintendo – or at least not in conversations that they've had with us.

The way it works with our friends over there is we'll jump at any opportunity we can to work on one of their titles. There's a constant dialog between our two companies. Often there's a little bit of time that passes between titles, and there might be other ideas that are kicked around, but in the case of Skyward Sword, some time passed and then the email comes: 'Would you be interested in considering bringing Skyward Sword on to Switch?' To which the answer is of course: 'Yes we would.' And then we enter into the conversations with Nintendo around what that might look like and eventually we get underway. So it was similar in a lot of senses in terms of how Twilight Princess (on Wii U) came to fruition."

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[cvbas]

Bummer, I really thought this a sure thing.

 

[Homura]

I'm going to be hopeful and say this simply means Nintendo is doing the port themselves.

 

[Professor Beef]

i'm fine with leaving Toilet Princess behind

 

[Ushojax]

Doesn't really mean anything. He wouldn't be able to confirm it even if they were working on it.

I remember when Nintendo said they had "no plans for a new version of the DS" then the next day revealed the DS Lite.

 

[Valcrist]

i'm fine with leaving Toilet Princess behind

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It's the best 3D Zelda game though.

 

[Tora]

I don't think it means anything. I'm still expecting them to rework the existing Wii U version to remove gamepad support, and add 60fps.

Also lol at the TP haters

 

[Glio]

Why can't we have a single Zelda thread that's even minimally civilized?

 

[Squid Icarus]

I'd rather not have the game on Switch because that would be the fourth console generation they'd carry it through without actually investing significant effort. GameCube, Wii, Wii U, Switch - that would pretty much rule out any sort of actual remake for quite some time. Not that I think TP is the best 3D Zelda (that's Skyward Sword for me), but it would still strike me as cheap and not worthy of the game's quality to just port it over and over again like Capcom did with RE4.

Because if we're being completely honest here, TP HD is pretty barren as a remake and not even a significant visual improvement. Yes, it would be great to have it available to more people on the current hardware, but personally, I'd rather keep the prospect of one day playing an actual remake. Wind Waker HD was a noticeable upgrade from the original, TP HD really isn't and already felt like a filler on the Wii U that only really came into existence because BotW got delayed.

 

[Wil348]

....because they're busy porting Wind Waker, right?.....

 

[TheCongressman]

I don't see why they wouldn't be involved unless Nintendo's doing a completely new port, which I really doubt.

I think they're going to hold onto WW and TP for a while. Something to release between Botw 2 and the next mainline game.

 

[cw_sasuke]

1. They dont need Tantalus to bring TP to Switch - its their game.

2. Speaking about this in public is not gonna increase the likelihood of this happening.

 

[Jraphics Horse]

Not particularly surprised but in a way it's something they might want to get out before they do GameCube-emulation-as-a-service.

 

[Shiz Padoo]

Not surprised. I found it quite dismal and bland. I'd put Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask ahead of that. Even an upscale of the 3DS remakes would be better.

 

[Link_enfant]

I just hope TWW and TP will be 60fps on Switch.

 

[Efejota]

Would be nice if this means we're getting a new topdown title soon from Grezzo either before or after BotW2.

So far Nintendo has been releasing something Zelda-related every year. Hyrule Warriors, Cadence of Hyrule & Link's Awakening, Age of Calamity, Skyward Sword...

2022 would be the outlier since they planned to release Botw2, but they still might have something else ready to fill 2023 or this gap.
(Unless you guys want to mention Majora's Mask on the Virtual Console, which I guess could technically count.)

 

[Plinkerton]

I mean he's replying to a specific interview question and he's hardly going to say "yeah we're working on it right now" even if they were. I don't think it means much tbh.

 

[takriel]

I mean, good. I'd rather they work on something new than bringing mediocre Zelda games to the Switch.

 

[Caz]

It's the best 3D Zelda game though.

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That's some awful BotW slander

 

[dark494]

Bummer, it's the best 3D Zelda game though

 

[Valcrist]

That's some awful BotW slander

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Breath of the Wild is the wrong direction for the series to take. Weapon breaking mechanic, no real substantial dungeons that one would come to expect from a Zelda game, copypasta elementalblight Ganon bosses. There were plenty of good things about it, but Twilight Princess was a more fulfilling game for me.

 

[Xun]

This really doesn't mean anything though, surely?

He wouldn't exactly confirm if they were working on it, but even then Nintendo themselves probably have systems in place to make porting relatively easy.

 

[Razor Mom]

I mean, good. I'd rather they work on something new than bringing mediocre Zelda games to the Switch.

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You want tantalus to work on something new?

 

[ohlawd]

don't port it because I'm playing the Wii U version right now

 

[Deleted member 56266]

This thread is going as expected

 

[kc44135]

Well, there it is. I didn't think it was happening at this point anyway. I mean, if Nintendo really wanted to bring this game to Switch, they would've done so by now, surely? They clearly just don't want too, for whatever reason. Still stings to have the official confirmation though, this game and Wind Waker HD were what I wanted to come over from Wii U more than anything else.

 

[Madao]

maybe Nintendo feels not enough time has passed yet to make a second remaster of these games.
i mean, they still haven't made a second remaster of OoT and MM and those would certainly happen again before TWW and TP happen again. unlike most other Wii U games stranded on that console, those games already had versions on way more popular consoles previous to the Wii U so the incentive to port them over is not as high.

 

[Glio]

This thread is going as expected

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Resetera hates Zelda in an incredible way.

 

[Transistor]

i'm fine with leaving Toilet Princess behind

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I mean, they remastered Skyward Sword, which is worse in practically every way. While I'm wouldn't mind a Twilight Princess remaster (just beat it on the Wii U last month), it's not a game that needs a remaster every generation.

 

[NuclearCake]

I don't think these will come out on the Switch, although we might see them down the line on a future Nintendo console.

 

[Giga Man]

I know fans who skipped the Wii U are probably itching for those Wind Waker and Twilight Princess ports, but as someone who already played them, I'm good. If they're planning any more remakes, I'd rather they focus on older games we haven't seen in a while.

 

[Deleted member 56266]

Also I'm confused as to why Tantalus would be approached in the first place? They did their job and its been done for years. Nintendo has the game and owns it. They could port it over in house without getting Tantalus involved again for whatever reason. If they were, why would they let Tantalus know? Am I missing something?

 

[kc44135]

maybe Nintendo feels not enough time has passed yet to make a second remaster of these games.
i mean, they still haven't made a second remaster of OoT and MM and those would certainly happen again before TWW and TP happen again. unlike most other Wii U games stranded on that console, those games already had versions on way more popular consoles previous to the Wii U so the incentive to port them over is not as high.

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I've wondered this myself, but this reasoning just doesn't really make much sense to me, if that is the case. These were not just straight ports, they had a lot of significant graphical improvements and QOL gameplay changes and additions. Playing Wind Waker HD isn't the same thing as playing Wind Waker on GC. I think a lot of people still want these versions, not to mention the games have never been made available on portable hardware before. There's plenty of merit in bringing them over. But as you say, maybe Nintendo just doesn't see it that way. :(

 

[Fudgepuppy]

Didn't Nintendo re-release TP and WW for Wii U because they were kind of desperate for content? Same with OOT for 3DS.

They're not really in that spot right now, and their lack of Wii U ports kind of demonstrate this. They haven't released a Wii U port since 2021 (Mario), and it was the only in-house one for that year, compared to the years before when their output of remasters and ports were a lot more frequent.

 

[Glio]

Also I'm confused as to why Tantalus would be approached in the first place? They did their job and its been done for years. Nintendo has the game and owns it. They could port it over in house without getting Tantalus involved again for whatever reason. If they were, why would they let Tantalus know? Am I missing something?

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No, it's exactly as you said. But we need another thread with Zelda fans stabbing each other.

 

[kc44135]

Also I'm confused as to why Tantalus would be approached in the first place? They did their job and its been done for years. Nintendo has the game and owns it. They could port it over in house without getting Tantalus involved again for whatever reason. If they were, why would they let Tantalus know? Am I missing something?

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They also say "it hasn't been a priority for Nintendo", implying Nintendo has told them they don't really have any plans for this. These games are gonna be stuck on Wii U for good. It's kinda heartbreaking for me tbh, as these are two of my all-time favorites and I badly wanted them on Switch for years, but yeah, it isn't happening.

 

[Transistor]

They also say "it hasn't been a priority for Nintendo", implying Nintendo has told them they don't really have any plans for this. These games are gonna be stuck on Wii U for good. It's kinda heartbreaking for me tbh, as these are two of my all-time favorites and I badly wanted them on Switch for years, but yeah, it isn't happening.

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I doubt it will be for good, but I also doubt it will be this generation that they're remastered again.

 

[Deleted member 56266]

They also say "it hasn't been a priority for Nintendo", implying Nintendo has told them they don't really have any plans for this.

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I once again ask why Nintendo would keep Tantalus apprised of this information. They haven't had anything to do with the game since their contract work ended years ago.

 

[Shaoran Hyku]

Sorry, that's Grezzo work now

 

[wrowa]

Also I'm confused as to why Tantalus would be approached in the first place? They did their job and its been done for years. Nintendo has the game and owns it. They could port it over in house without getting Tantalus involved again for whatever reason. If they were, why would they let Tantalus know? Am I missing something?

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Nintendo is unlikely to do the port job themselves for the same reason they didn't develop the remasters themselves in the first place: their internal resources are valuable and when something can be done by an outside studio they'll contract an external partner to do it. There's not really any reason why any of Nintendo's developers should work on a straight port job, there's always more important stuff they are needed for.

It doesn't have to be Tantalus, but since Nintendo worked with them on Twilight Princess HD and Skyward Sword HD it seems likely they would continue the relationship with the studio who's already familiar with the code instead of handing the job to someone new and less familiar.

It doesn't mean anything definite though. Wind Waker HD was done with Hexadrive for example, that's another possible candidate for porting both WW and TP to Switch. Or Tantalus is not quite telling the truth (would be weird to then answer that question in that much details though).

 

[BasilZero]

I hope its another team or themselves porting it then

Once they release the Zelda TP/WW games on Switch, I can finally put my WiiU away.

 

[Aiqops]

....because they're busy porting Wind Waker, right?.....

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[Dyle]

Yeah it looks like Nintendo doesn't need these games to fill a hole in their lineup so neither Wii U port is all that likely to be a priority. If they come it will be in a drier year

 

[Dark Knight]

That's some awful BotW slander

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It's better than BotW.

 

[Amnixia]

Resetera hates Zelda in an incredible way.

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Era hates everything depending on who you ask.

Shame, even if Nintendo owns the games and could do it themselves Id have liked the studio responsible for the WiiU game to profit of a possible Switch port.

 

[NuclearCake]

It's better than BotW.

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Not in this timeline though.

 

[Bulgowski]

I'm not super surprised by this. I don't think Nintendo has ever re-released a remake or remaster before and I don't know why they'd port these two before Ocarina or Majora.

I honestly never really bought the rumor about wind waker and twilight princess coming to switch. It always came off as something that terminally online Nintendo fans and content creators tried to will into existence (see also:metroid prime trilogy).

 

[Foltzie]

Well boo, Nintendo could of court quickly port WW HD and TP HD, but 60 fps ports would take some work.

 

[Serenitynow]

If true, insiders miss again

 

[Homura]

maybe Nintendo feels not enough time has passed yet to make a second remaster of these games.
i mean, they still haven't made a second remaster of OoT and MM and those would certainly happen again before TWW and TP happen again. unlike most other Wii U games stranded on that console, those games already had versions on way more popular consoles previous to the Wii U so the incentive to port them over is not as high.

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I honestly disagree. There is no point in porting/remastering the 3D versions when both games are already available on Switch through NSO.