Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Trademark Renewals & Merch Speculations

If you've been keeping tabs on Nintendo Switch 2 news lately, you know things have been moving fast, and The Ocarina of Time Remake is right at the center of it all. Between fresh trademark activity and a wave of merchandise teasers, it looks like Nintendo is preparing to treat this release as a genuine flagship moment rather than a quiet re-release.

There's a lot to sort through, so it's worth breaking down exactly what's been surfacing and why it matters for anyone following The Ocarina of Time Remake closely. Let's start with the trademark side of things, since that's where the latest movement is coming from.

It starts with a handful of filings that have quietly surfaced across multiple countries.

According to an insider tracking Nintendo's filings, the company has been renewing and, in some regions, re-registering the trademark for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. One filing went through in Brazil on July 30th and is still awaiting approval.

A separate application is also working its way through the Madrid System via WIPO. On its own, a trademark renewal might not mean much, but stacking multiple filings across different territories right as the release window approaches suggests Nintendo is locking things down ahead of a bigger push for The Ocarina of Time Remake.

It's the kind of legal groundwork companies usually handle quietly, so seeing it pop up across several regions at once is a pretty strong signal that something bigger is being planned behind the scenes.

This isn't the first time trademark activity has hinted at a company's next move well before an official announcement, and Nintendo in particular tends to be careful about locking down naming rights before ramping up marketing.

Taken together, these filings point to something bigger than a routine renewal.

Given how recognizable The Ocarina of Time name already is, protecting it across multiple regions makes sense if a broader international rollout is coming for The Ocarina of Time Remake, rather than a smaller, more limited release.

You might already have a favorite entry in the Zelda series, and it doesn't have to be this one for you to be excited about what's coming. Plenty of players who grew up with a different title in the franchise are still eager to see how this project turns out, especially given how much attention Nintendo appears to be putting into it.

Whether your personal favorite is a newer entry or one of the earlier games, the scale of this remake seems big enough that it's generating interest well beyond the players who consider Ocarina of Time their all-time favorite. Speaking of that attention, there's also chatter about more merchandise tied to this release.

A separate insider shared new photos of the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller packaging made for the 40th anniversary, and tucked into one of the images is a covered object that reportedly hints at another product that hasn't been revealed yet.

That mystery object is exactly what's fueling the newest round of speculation.

Naturally, that's sparked plenty of guessing about whether it could be an amiibo, a set of Joy-Con, or something else entirely tied to The Ocarina of Time Remake. Given that Nintendo hasn't announced a brand-new mainline Zelda game yet, it wouldn't be surprising if this remake is being positioned as the company's big tentpole release for the foreseeable future, which would explain why they seem willing to go so far with the rollout.

If you had to bet, an amiibo feels like the safer guess, mostly because Nintendo has never really slowed down on producing those figures, and that alone suggests they keep selling well. It also wouldn't be out of character for Nintendo to release a themed amiibo lineup alongside a major remake, especially one tied to an anniversary celebration like this.

A Joy-Con remains a possibility too, particularly if Nintendo wants a themed hardware set to sit alongside the console bundle already rumored for this release. Whatever this mystery item turns out to be, it's just one more sign that Nintendo wants Ocarina of Time Remake to feel like an event rather than a simple port, and the packaging teasers alone suggest there's more product news still to come.

It's also worth wondering what comes after this. A 2D Zelda title feels like a reasonable next step before another full 3D mainline entry, and there's always the possibility that a future game ties back into the world of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, or even that Majora's Mask gets its own remake down the line.

Nintendo has done this kind of sequencing before, and the timeline lines up.

Considering how closely tied the two games are in the timeline, it wouldn't be surprising if Nintendo eventually treats a Majora's Mask remake as a natural follow-up once The Ocarina of Time Remake has had its moment. For now though, all eyes are on The Ocarina of Time Remake itself as the next major milestone for the franchise on Switch 2, and it's easy to see why fans are treating it as the biggest Nintendo story of the year so far.

Shifting gears, there's a rumor surrounding The Duskbloods that's worth keeping an eye on. An insider pointed out that a German gaming program broadcast on Rocket Beans TV currently has a video preview of The Duskbloods listed for Thursday, August 20th.

That lines up with how FromSoftware typically handles embargoes, since their network test press restrictions usually lift one or two days before previews and hands-on impressions go live. If that pattern holds, new information on The Duskbloods could realistically surface within the coming days, and given how tight-lipped FromSoftware tends to be, even small details are likely to spread quickly once they're out.

FromSoftware has built a reputation for keeping details close to the chest until embargoes lift, so a scheduled preview slot like this one is often one of the more reliable signs that new footage or hands-on impressions are close.  Anyone who has spent significant time with FromSoftware's earlier titles knows how much anticipation builds around even small scraps of new information, and The Duskbloods has been no exception.

Duskbloods isn't the only game worth watching on that front, though.

If the preview does go live as scheduled, it would mark one of the more substantial looks at the game since its initial reveal. Then there's Crimson Desert, which is currently targeting a Switch 2 release sometime in the first half of 2027.

Details pulled from Pearl Abyss's latest earnings report indicate the game has already hit a basic level of playability on Switch 2 hardware, with development now focused on performance optimization and quality checks to stay on track for that release window.

For anyone who hasn't followed this one closely, Crimson Desert stands out for how immersive its open world feels rather than just how much content is crammed into it, which is often what separates a memorable open-world game from one that just feels padded out with busywork.

Since Nintendo typically holds a Direct around January or February, there's a decent chance a more formal reveal or partner showcase for Crimson Desert lines up with that timing. Getting the game to a playable state on Switch 2 hardware this early is generally a good sign for the release staying on schedule, since performance optimization tends to be one of the longer stretches of any console port.

Put all of this together, and a clear picture starts to emerge for what's ahead on Switch 2.

If Pearl Abyss continues hitting these internal benchmarks, a more polished showcase build could realistically be ready in time for whatever Nintendo has planned early next year.  Between The Ocarina of Time Remake trademark activity, the mystery merchandise, and updates on The Duskbloods and Crimson Desert, there's a lot lining up on Nintendo Switch 2 in the near future. 

All signs point to the Zelda remake being one of the biggest releases on the horizon, and it looks like Nintendo has no plans to treat it as anything less. With this much movement happening across trademarks, merchandise, and other high-profile titles all at once, it's shaping up to be one of the busiest stretches of Nintendo Switch 2 news in quite a while, and there's likely more to come as the release window for The Ocarina of Time Remake gets closer.