Developer Exits Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Following Nintendo’s Announcement

A fan-driven remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which has been in the works for ten years, is coming to a halt. This decision follows the announcement of an official remake of the iconic Nintendo 64 game set to launch on Switch 2 later this year.

Developer CryZENx shared the news in a recent Patreon post, stating, “I would like to tell you that [the] Ocarina of Time Project is officially stopped.” Since 2016, CryZENx has been developing an Unreal Engine remake of Ocarina of Time, regularly updating fans through YouTube.

Before the cancellation news, development was progressing, albeit slowly. Just this past May, CryZENx released a new playable demo for fans to try out.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is widely regarded as one of the finest entries in the franchise. Since its debut on the Nintendo 64 in 1998, it has set a benchmark for subsequent titles. The demand for a remake has been strong since the game’s original release. In 2011, fans received a taste of this with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for the Nintendo 3DS, which updated the graphics and introduced some quality-of-life improvements, but it wasn’t a full remake for home consoles. The lack of a modern remake kept CryZENx’s project in the spotlight, as it seemed to fulfill what many fans had been hoping for.

With Nintendo’s official remake announcement for Ocarina of Time on Switch 2, CryZENx feels the project has lost its purpose. In response to a comment, CryZENx expressed confidence in Nintendo’s remake, stating, “I’m actually very confident that their remake looks 200% better than mine, I’m very impressed with their realistic art style; I think we the community won!!!”

While the developer humorously acknowledged Nintendo’s reputation for being protective of its IP, they also noted, “it’s better to just stop the project for now or I would [have] been [disappeared] because of Nintendo ninjas.” The conclusion of the decade-long Ocarina of Time project is not a setback for CryZENx or fans, as it paves the way for a modern remake—just not the one they anticipated.

Looking ahead, CryZENx is leaving future projects up to the community. The announcement post about the Ocarina of Time project’s end includes a poll for fans to vote on which game CryZENx should tackle next, featuring other Zelda titles like Twilight Princess and The Minish Cap. However, CryZENx believes a Majora’s Mask project is unlikely, as it seems poised to receive an official remake from Nintendo after Ocarina of Time. Fingers crossed for that!

As for the release date of Nintendo’s Ocarina of Time remake, that information is still under wraps.

Not everything about the Nintendo 64 classic needs tweaking.