Nintendo announces a new Zelda game with Zelda as the Protagonist

Nintendo announced in June 2024 Nintendo Direct that a new The Legend of Zelda game is coming to Nintendo Switch, and this time, the legend will be about Zelda, as shown in the trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Link has disappeared just as he defeated Ganon and was about to save the princess.

The game has the same style as the Link's Awakening remake. However, it might not be necessarily directly connected to it, considering that the setting of the Ganon fight doesn't seem to match any of the same Link's fights against him (A Link to the Past and the Oracle games), so this specific fight may or may not be a separate, untold adventure involving a different Link who managed to reach and defeat Ganon and free Zelda with (almost) no issue.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will be released for the Nintendo Switch on September 26th, 2024. A Nintendo Switch Lite with a special design will also be available on the same date.

While technically not the first time Zelda is a playable character (The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Cadence of Hyrule, among others) or the main playable character (Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon) in the franchise, Echoes of Wisdom will be the first from the main games where she will be taking the leading role.

It is possible that there was a hint that this game was already in development; during multiple interviews in 2023, Eiji Aonuma talked about the possibility of Zelda being playable in the future, mentioning things like if a type of gameplay fits her, she would be involved, it was also stated that if Zelda were an experienced fighter, Link would have no purpose, and they all have to be involved, so that wouldn't be an option... unless Link was no longer in the picture, as shown in the trailer.