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When Nintendo announced the Switch 2, it confirmed there would be upgrade pack options for some existing games that would add additional upgrades or more content for a price. While prices didn’t come up at the time, an update to the Nintendo European site shared prices for four first-party Switch 2 Edition games for the new console. Three free updates also were again confirmed. [Thanks, Resetera!]

Here’s the list of Switch games that will get Switch 2 upgrade pack additions and the price for each one. It seems like ones that include a substantial amount of new content, such as the Star-Crossed World expansion for Kirby and the Forgotten Land or the Jamboree TV extras for Super Mario Party Jamboree, launch at the higher of the two possible price points.

• Kirby and the Forgotten Land Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World - £16.99/€19.99
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Switch 2 Edition - £7.99/€9.99
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch 2 Edition - £7.99/€9.99
• Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition ＋ Jamboree TV - £16.99/€19.99

While Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is among the games that will get a Switch 2 Edition, the site didn’t note a cost for it yet.

As for the three free Switch 2 upgrades for existing Switch games, those titles came up on the main landing page on the site. It won’t cost anything to get the s for 51 Worldwide Games, which is known Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics in other regions, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, and Super Mario Odyssey. 

The Nintendo Switch 2 launches on June 5, 2025. 

The post Nintendo of Europe Shared 2 Switch 2 Upgrade Pack Prices appeared first on Siliconera.

Composer Yasuaki Iwata revealed on his own X in early November 2024 that he had left Nintendo in July 2023 to pursue new challenges. The Japanese video game composer is available for via his 's direct message and email. However, he has still yet to announce the new group he is now d with.

Iwata first ed the list of Nintendo composers for the 2013 Wii U game Super Mario 3D World. He also later contributed to the soundtrack for the 2014 entry Mario Kart 8.

Yasuaki Iwata was arguably best known for his contributions as a composer to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which launched on Nintendo Switch and Wii U in 2017. Some of the tracks made by this composer were the area themes of Korok Forest, Rito Village, and Hateno Village, as well as the dungeon and Boss fight themes inside all four Divine Beasts and the Reunion themes with all four Champions.

After working on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Iwata was also spotted in the composer lists for ARMS and Super Smash Bros Ultimate. The latest title Iwata was known to work on is the 2020 title Animal Crossing: New Horizons, where he notably made the game's opening theme.

Yasuaki Iwata is still working as a game music composer even after he had left Nintendo in July 2023.

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Nintendo Live is being held in Sydney, Australia between August 31, 2024 and September 1, 2024, and a newly updated The Legend of Zelda timeline appeared going over the series’ in-game history. As pointed out by  Vooks, it changes the position of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. [Thanks, Vooks and Wario64!]

The change this time is that Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are now in their own segregated area outside of the existing The Legend of Zelda games in this new timeline. They both appear in a section behind “The Hero is Triumphant” timeline in the lower half of the Nintendo infographic, but are cordoned off from the games in the Child Era and Adult Era timelines. 

Here’s the tweet from Wario64 showing the new The Legend of Zelda History and timeline.

All of the other games remain in their existing spots in the timeline. So The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword remains the very first entry, which is followed by The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. After Ocarina of Time, the timeline splits into “The Hero is Defeated” and “The Hero is Triumphant” branches. “The Hero is Triumphant” part of the timeline then further splits into the Child Era and Adult Era.

The next The Legend of Zelda game, which is Echoes of Wisdom, doesn’t appear on the board. This means following its September 2024 release, we will likely see the timeline updated again.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will come to the Nintendo Switch on September 26, 2024.

The post Updated The Legend of Zelda Timeline Is at Nintendo Live 2024 appeared first on Siliconera.

Nintendo announced a $299.99 Lego set based on The Legend of Zelda Great Deku Tree will launch on September 1, 2024. This will be a two-in-one set, so one build could make it look like its The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time form, while the other will use The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as its inspiration.

The official product page for the Lego The Legend of Zelda Deku Tree set is live. It features 2,500 pieces. For the The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time design, there is a Link minifig accompanied by Navi. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild minifigs are Link and Zelda. Someone can also build familiar other characters like a Skulltula and a Korok. In addition to the design of the tree itself changing depending on if you are going with the classic or newer look, the area around it can change too. For example, the Ocarina of Time version has some other familiar enemies around it. The Breath of the Wild photo shows Link cooking like he does in the game. 

Here’s the official trailer for the set:

And here are the first photos of the set shared with us via the Lego product page.

The Legend of Zelda Great Deku Tree Lego set will launch on September 1, 2024. More Animal Crossing Lego sets will appear in August 2024.

The post Build Lego Legend of Zelda Great Deku Tree in September appeared first on Siliconera.

A life-sized replica of the Sheikah Slate from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will appear in the real world, and First 4 Figures will soon open its pre-orders. The company has also shared several sample images of its replica.

The images show how First 4 Figures will produce the Sheikah Slate replica along with its pedestal. The owner will be able to pull the slate out of the pedestal and view it from all sides, including the screen side. However, as this replica is a static statue, the device screen will not have any functionalities other than just showing the logo.

First 4 Figures has yet to announce the pricing for this replica. However, it will give away 10% discount coupons to people who have ed their interests before it opens the pre-orders on February 20, 2024.

The Sheikah Slate replica will add another entry to First 4 Figures' merchandise for Breath of the Wild. The company had previously released static figures of Link, Zelda, and Mipha in 2022.

First 4 Figures will open pre-orders for the life-sized Sheikah Slate resin statue on its website on February 20, 2024. The replica will be based on the same device that Link used in the 2017 Nintendo Switch worldwide launch title The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. There will be regular and exclusive editions of the statue, the latter of which will come with more bonuses.

The post Legend of Zelda Life-Sized Sheikah Slate Statue Pre-Orders Open Soon appeared first on Siliconera.

Due to the popularity of the line of merchandise themed after the Korok race from the The Legend of Zelda series, Nintendo is reselling many of the products that were originally released in 2021. The Korok merchandise is available to purchase both in store at the Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo Nintendo stores, as well as online via the My Nintendo Store online shop in Japan.

The original line consisted of various merchandise featuring Korok illustrations and graphics, such as mini pouches, mug cups, stickers, tote bags, and more. Since these items are so popular, many of them are already sold out on the website. However, some notable items are still currently available.

The remaining Korok merchandise available to purchase online, as of November 21, 2023, is as follow:

• Makar keychain: 770 yen ($5.22)
• Maca keychain: 770 yen ($5.22)
• Walton keychain: 770 yen ($5.22)
• Totchi keychain: 770 yen ($5.22)
• Korok Uchiwa Fan Set: 1,980 yen ($13.42)
• Korok Hair Band Set: 1,540 yen ($10.44)
• Korok Sticky Note Tabs: 880 yen ($5.96)

View the Korok merchandise in the gallery below:

The remaining products in this line will be available to purchase until supplies last.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available worldwide on Nintendo Switch.

The post The Legend of Zelda Korok Merchandise Resold appeared first on Siliconera.

Nintendo shared the worldwide sales figures for various titles including The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The Japanese publisher also revealed the number of Nintendo Switch units sold during the fiscal year ending in March 2024.

The latest Nintendo financial report showed that sales for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom reached 19.5 million units during the first half of the current fiscal year, with Pikmin 4 selling 2.61 million units. In addition, multiple Mario titles saw an increase in sales, thanks to the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie on April 2023. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continued to show strong sales, achieving 3.22 million units shipped in 2023.

Other popular Nintendo titles in 2023 include Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Mario Party Superstars, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The Gen 9 Pokemon Scarlet and Violet games also reached a milestone of 23 million sold units, and are now close to ing the total sales of Pokemon Sword and Shield at 26 million units.

In 2023, sales of the Nintendo Switch family of consoles increased by 2.4% year-over-year (YoY) to 6.84 million units. The number of Switch units sold by model is 1.25 million Switch units, 4.69 million Switch OLED units, and 900,000 Switch Lite units. Furthermore, software sales increased 1.8% year-over-year to 97.08 million.

Sales of Nintendo Switch Online also grew throughout 2023. Nintendo also quoted the depreciation of the yen during 2023 as a factor contributing to the increase in net sales.

The post Nintendo Shares Zelda Tears of the Kingdom and Switch 2023 Sales appeared first on Siliconera.

Bandai will release a new collection of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gashapon capsule toy keychains. The collection will appear in Japan on the third week of October 2023. Each capsule toy will cost 300 yen (or about $2). There will be a total of five different keychains as part of the new collection. [Thanks, Dengeki Hobby!]

The new capsule toys include two mini figurines of Link holding a bow with an ancient arrow, with and without his cloak, the Master Sword on a pedestal, the letter Z from the BotW logo along with the Master Sword, and a silhouette of Link holding a bow and arrow while jumping.

You can check out the new Breath of the Wild capsule toy keychains in more detail on the gallery below.

In other Breath of the Wild news, Good Smile Company confirmed in August 2023 that the Nendoroid figures of Link and Zelda from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will receive a re-release slated for December 2023.

The new The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gashapon keychains cost 300 yen (~$2) each, and they will appear in Japan on the third week of October 2023. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available on the Wii U and Switch.

The post Zelda Breath of the Wild Keychains Capsule Toys Releasing in Japan appeared first on Siliconera.

The Good Smile Company announced that both the Link and Zelda The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nendoroid figures are coming back. Both are available to pre-order now, with a planned release date of December 2023. They'll ship from the US storefront in Q1 2024. The Link Nendoroid is priced at ¥8,600/$56.99, while the Zelda Nendoroid is ¥6,800/$44.99.

The higher price for the Link Nendoroid is down to the large number of items that he comes with. Boasting a variety of weapons, along with a chicken leg, Sheikah Slate, hood and horse, the figure is designed to help recreate scenes from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. He also has two face plates with a smiling and a shouting expression.

The Zelda Nendoroid has fewer accessories, with just a Hot-Footed Frog, Sheikah Slate and Royal White Stallion included. She also comes with a Master Sword, although it’s meant for Link to hold. She’s a little more expressive, however, with three face plates showing a neutral expression, a smile, and an angry face.

The Link Nendoroid originally released in 2017 and was re-released alongside Zelda’s original release in 2020.

This isn’t the only recent news about The Legend of Zelda merchandise from The Good Smile Company. The company also announced that a figma of Link from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is on its way. The figure is currently in the prototype stages.

The Link and Zelda The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nendoroids are set to release in December 2023, and pre-orders for the figures are open now.

The post Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Link and Zelda Nendoroids Return appeared first on Siliconera.

Nintendo of America announced on Twitter that two previously sold-out Legend of Zelda amiibos, Skyward Sword Link and the Breath of the Wild Bokoblin, are being restocked in North America. Nintendo did not provide details on dates or availability. So if you're looking to add these two to your collection, you will need to check with your local or preferred retailer.

One amiibo features Link in his Skyward Sword incarnation wielding the Master Sword and Hylian Shield, while the other features one of the pig-like Bokoblin brandishing a club. Bokoblins serve as enemies in Breath of the Wild, but also appear in other The Legend of Zelda games too. The amiibos do not come with accessories and are not posable, but do come attached to their own stand.

You can find the announcement tweet for the return of the two The Legend of Zelda amiibo below:

[embed]https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1671284309972463616?s=20[/embed]

These two amiibos are known to reward players with in game items when activated in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Rewards can range from armor sets and mounts to glider skins, depending on the amiibo used. Nintendo also recently announced new Tears of the Kingdom amiibos for Zelda and Ganondorf during the June 2023 Direct.

The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword Link and Breath of the Wild Bokoblin amiibos are avaialable at select retailers, including Amazon.

The post Legend of Zelda Link and Bokoblin Amiibos Return appeared first on Siliconera.

Plushes of Link, Zelda, and Bokoblins as they appear in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will return in September 2023. You’ll also be able to get a plush version of the Hylian Shield. Sanei originally released these pushes in November 2018. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

The plushes all have a different price. The Zelda and Link plushes cost 3080 JPY ($22.05) and the Bokoblin costs 2860 JPY ($20.50). The Hylian Shield plush is the most expensive at 3850 JPY ($27.55). They’ll all come out in early September 2023. Since you can order them from Amazon JP, it’s likely that international shipping will be available.

[gallery columns="4" ids="966828,966829,966830,966831" link="file"]

Though Sanei has not provided a reason for why it will re-release the Breath of the Wild plushes, it likely has to do with the staggering success of Tears of the Kingdom, which is its sequel. It is not only the fastest-selling The Legend of Zelda game, but it is also the fastest-selling Nintendo game of all time. Re-releasing these plushes will give new players, or those who missed the original release, a second chance to purchase them.

The The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild plush re-runs are available on Amazon. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is readily available on the Nintendo Switch, while Breath of the Wild is on the Switch and Wii U.

The post Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild Plushes Will Reappear appeared first on Siliconera.

With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom here, there’s no better time to talk about what is surely one of the most polarizing aspects of both it and Breath of the Wild: weapon durability. Some love it, others hate it, and maybe like three people are indifferent about it. Everyone’s got an opinion on the feature one way or another, and I will proudly say that I am firmly in the “love it” camp. In fact, I’m even looking forward to its inclusion in Tears of the Kingdom, especially with some of the changes shown off.

To be clear, I absolutely do not believe the durability system is perfect. I find that most, if not all, weapons break far too quickly and would love the damage warning to be given with more time before the actual breakage. There have been many times I’ve destroyed two, three, or even over four weapons in the process of beating a single enemy, who then only drops one new one. Of course, that’s to be expected when fighting certain foes, but against enemies like Bokoblins, it’s nothing if not irksome. So why do I think so highly of a system that I have several problems with, including some at the fundamental level? Because I wholeheartedly believe that the game and its themes benefit greatly from the inclusion of the durability system.

Exploration is incentivized s333q

As The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is such a huge open-world game, exploring is a major aspect. Players are actively encouraged to do whatever they want whenever and however they want to do it. Naturally, this means that you can and should traverse the map. By making weapons breakable, they become yet another item that needs to be collected, which further encourages that exploration. You need weapons to get by in the game, and you need to explore to get weapons. Thus you are encouraged to travel the world to aid in your progression. A big part of all open-world games is going around discovering new things, and that is especially true for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, so giving players even more reason to do so by making weapons breakable adds to the enjoyment.

[caption id="attachment_962647" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot by Siliconera[/caption]

Concepts are built on 3f6430

The entire premise of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is that Hyrule is destroyed. Ganon has all but won and the once-mighty kingdom is in ruins. Even the Guardians and Divine Beasts became tools for evil. The concepts of impermanence and destruction are prominent in the game, and weapons also following the trend of not lasting forever is just another (ittedly small) reminder of those concepts.

There's no shortage of weapons 161a20

A major criticism of weapon durability in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the constant need to find new weapons since they break so easily. It’s very fair since weapons certainly don’t take long to be destroyed, but it’s not like getting new ones is all that tough. Sure, maybe you won’t get another two-handed sword with 55 power anytime soon, but things like tree branches, soup ladles, and pot lids can fill the gap until you find a proper replacement. Breath of the Wild thrives on improvisation, and using whatever you can get your hands on is just another part of that.

[caption id="attachment_962648" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot by Siliconera[/caption]

In short, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s weapon durability system builds on many of the things the game sets out to accomplish. It gives players more reason to explore the massive open world, serves as a constant reminder of some of the game’s themes, and isn’t overly difficult to work with thanks to the abundance and variance of weapons. There’s room for improvement, but I think the game is far better off with it than it would be without it. I’m very excited for it to return in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and can’t wait to really feel the modifications made to it.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available on the Switch and Wii U, and Tears of the Kingdom is available on the Switch.

The post Breath of the Wild’s Durability System Is a Benefit, Not a Drawback appeared first on Siliconera.

A new “Ask the Developer” interview from Nintendo goes over The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom development process. It’s part of a series of interviews about the game with people like Producer Eiji Aonuma, Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi, Technical Director Takuhiro Dohta, Art Director Satoru Takizawa, and Sound Director Hajime Wakai. This first part is dedicated to of the team talking about how the goal during development was always to create a The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel with Tears of the Kingdom.

Aonuma started out by saying ahead of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel development, the team wanted to see “if we could make it possible for players to continue exploring the world after they've reached the game's ending” with Tears of the Kingdom. He then noted that “we started to come up with new ideas that we wanted to bring to life in this already realized version of Hyrule, so our direction in making a sequel did not change.” Fujibayashi followed that up by saying when they started to begin work, “ in the initial proposal, we clearly stated ‘the setting will not change’ as an important concept.”

Some of the additional concepts also came up. The team specifically mentioned the ability to go from the sky to the ground and back again. They also cited the ability to dive from above to below. Aonuma and Fujibayashi also noted this entry will still be welcoming to old and new players, with Fujibayashi specifically referencing the Character Profile option to find out who people are.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will come to the Nintendo Switch on May 12, 2023.

The post Nintendo Went into Tears of the Kingdom Committed to a Sequel appeared first on Siliconera.

At the end of March 2023, Nintendo announced that it would hold four online quizzes on a variety of topics regarding The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The Breath of the Wild Test of Knowledge quizzes are scheduled to run throughout April 7-9, 2023 in Japan, and the quizzes are available in English so people worldwide can participate. A Nintendo is required to participate in the quizzes. New rounds are about to begin on April 7, 2023 and last over the weekend.

While the first round of tests has already finished, people can still participate in the rest of the rounds. The rankings will be announced at 6am PT/9am ET on April 9, 2023. Each round lasts 30 minutes, and the remaining three rounds of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Test of Knowledge start at the following hours:

• April 7, 2023 at 6pm PT/9pm ET
• April 8, 2023 at 6am PT/9am ET
• April 8, 2023 at 6pm PT/9pm ET

In anticipation of the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo has been promoting both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its sequel. Recently, the company showed some of the new abilities Link can use in Tears of the Kingdom, like the Fuse ability.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is immediately available on the Nintendo Switch. Its sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will appear on May 12, 2023 for the Nintendo Switch as well.

Related: Are There Horses in The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom? on Gamer Journalist

The post You Can Still Participate in the Zelda: Breath of the Wild Test of Knowledge appeared first on Siliconera.

Do you think you know everything there is to know about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild? Then, you can consider participating in the official nationwide quiz about it. Nintendo will hold a The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nationwide Quiz Event from April 7-9, 2023. It will be available in both Japanese and English.

In total, there will be four rounds. You can participate in any or even all of them, and your highest score will be the final result. In order to participate in the quiz, you need to have a Nintendo . Here are the times for the The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nationwide Quiz:

• April 7, 2023: 10:00 PM - 10:30 PM
• April 8, 2023: 10:00 AM - 10:30 PM, 10:00 PM - 10:30 PM
• April 9, 2023: 10:00 AM - 10:30 PM

The rankings will be announced at 10 PM on April 9. These are all JST, so for those outside of Japan, the quiz will be at 6 AM and PM PT/9 AM and PM ET.

If you use your phone to scan the QR code on the website for the quiz, you can look at some practice questions. They are all multiple choice. Questions range from identifying an enemy from a picture to trivia about the monsters and geography of Hyrule.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WIld is available on the Nintendo Switch and its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom will come out on May 12, 2023. The The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nationwide Quiz will run from April 7-9, 2023.

Related: All New Abilities Confirmed in The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom on Attack of the Fanboy

The post Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Quiz Tests Your Knowledge appeared first on Siliconera.