Long-Running Zelda: Ocarina of Time Fan Remake Canceled After Nintendo’s Statement

Nintendo’s recent announcement of a remake for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has sparked excitement among fans, but it has also led to disappointment for one developer. CryZENx, a YouTuber who has spent the last decade working on an Unreal Engine remake of the beloved title, has decided to halt his project.

In a message on his Patreon, CryZENx shared, “I would like to tell you that the Ocarina of Time Project is officially stopped.” He explained that he plans to shift his focus to multiple new projects and will be polling his supporters to determine which games they’d like to see reimagined with modern technology. This means that the extensive work he put into Ocarina of Time is now set aside.

CryZENx had been chronicling his progress on YouTube and even released a demo for the remake, showcasing hours of gameplay footage that fans can still view.

Earlier, he expressed his excitement about Nintendo’s official remake, stating, “I don’t really want to step on Nintendo’s toes,” and suggested that stepping back from his project was the best course of action, as he believed Nintendo would handle it properly this time.

However, he also acknowledged the harsh reality of the situation, noting, “It’s better to just stop the project for now or I would have disappeared… because of Nintendo ninjas.”

It’s impressive that CryZENx’s project lasted as long as it did without legal intervention from Nintendo, but as he hints, it seems likely that the company would have taken action as the official remake neared its release. (Nintendo has previously taken down some YouTube content related to their games.)

Interestingly, many fans reacted to the June 9 reveal of the Switch 2 remaster by suggesting that Nintendo should “hire this man,” given how closely the brief footage of Link resembled what one might expect from an Unreal Engine fan-made trailer.

Fortunately, CryZENx isn’t stepping away from creating remakes altogether. His backers will have the chance to vote on new projects, which include Zelda titles like Twilight Princess and Minish Cap, as well as classics such as Diddy Kong Racing and Metroid Prime Hunters. Additionally, he’s considering remakes of the Turok series and, intriguingly, MDK and its sequel developed by BioWare.