All options remain on the table for the system's library
For over a decade, one of the most beloved entries in the Legend of Zelda series has remained stranded on a console most players never owned. Now, as Nintendo's Switch 2 prepares to define the next chapter of the company's hardware story, a senior executive has quietly signaled that the enhanced Wii U remaster of Wind Waker HD may yet find its way to modern hands — a small but meaningful gesture toward a fanbase that has learned to read hope in careful corporate language.
- Wind Waker HD has been locked to the largely forgotten Wii U since 2013, leaving millions of players without access to the most polished version of a celebrated Zelda classic.
- The original GameCube version's arrival on Nintendo Switch Online threatened to feel like a consolation prize — a lesser substitute quietly closing the door on a proper remaster port.
- Nintendo SVP Nate Bihldorff pushed back against that assumption, telling media at a Switch 2 hands-on event that a Wind Waker HD port remains firmly on the table.
- Nintendo's own release history supports the possibility — NSO availability has never stopped the company from launching standalone or enhanced versions of the same game.
- No announcement has been made, and Nintendo is characteristically noncommittal, but for a fanbase that has waited twelve years, 'all options remain open' is the most encouraging signal in recent memory.
Nintendo isn't closing the door on bringing The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD to Switch 2. At a recent hands-on event for the new hardware, Nintendo senior vice president Nate Bihldorff told Kinda Funny Games that a port of the Wii U remaster remains possible, with all library options still being considered for the system.
The statement carries particular weight given the timing. Wind Waker HD has been confined to the Wii U since 2013 — a console that few owned and Nintendo has long since moved on from. The original GameCube version's recent addition to Nintendo Switch Online might have seemed like a quiet substitute for a proper port, but Bihldorff's comments suggest Nintendo still sees value in bringing the enhanced version forward. Twilight Princess HD, another Wii U exclusive, finds itself in a similar limbo.
Precedent is on the fans' side. Nintendo has routinely released standalone versions of games already available through its subscription service, meaning NSO access alone doesn't foreclose a dedicated port. The distinction matters for Wind Waker HD specifically — the Wii U remaster brought refined visuals, gameplay adjustments, and quality-of-life improvements that meaningfully elevate the experience beyond the original.
Bihldorff stopped well short of a promise, and Nintendo rarely commits before it's ready. But for a fanbase that has spent over a decade watching the Wii U library slowly migrate to Switch, the signal is the most encouraging one in years — a quiet acknowledgment that Wind Waker HD's exile to obsolete hardware may not be its final chapter.
Nintendo isn't closing the door on bringing The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD to Switch 2, even though the original GameCube version of the game just arrived on Nintendo Switch Online. During a hands-on event with the new hardware last week, Nintendo's senior vice president Nate Bihldorff told Kinda Funny Games that a port of the Wii U remaster remains possible, with the company keeping all options open for the system's library.
The timing of this statement is notable. Wind Waker HD has been trapped on Wii U since 2013, a console that few people owned and that Nintendo has long since abandoned. Fans have been asking for a Switch port for years—sometimes alongside Twilight Princess HD, another Wii U exclusive that has similarly resisted porting. The addition of the original GameCube Wind Waker to Switch Online might seem like it would satisfy that demand, but Nintendo's willingness to discuss the possibility of a dedicated port suggests the company sees value in bringing the enhanced version to modern hardware.
There's precedent for this approach. Nintendo has released multiple versions of the same game on Switch without the availability of one version on Switch Online preventing another from launching. This pattern suggests that having a game available through the subscription service doesn't automatically rule out a standalone port or remaster. For Wind Waker HD specifically, the distinction matters. The Wii U version includes substantial improvements over the original—refined visuals, gameplay tweaks, and quality-of-life adjustments that make it the most polished way to experience one of the Zelda series' most distinctive entries.
What makes Wind Waker HD particularly compelling as a candidate for Switch 2 is how well it could translate to the new hardware. The game's cel-shaded aesthetic has aged remarkably well, and the improvements made for the Wii U version addressed some of the original's pacing issues. A Switch 2 port could potentially enhance the visuals further while maintaining the art style that made the game memorable in the first place.
Bihldorff's comments don't constitute a promise. Nintendo is careful about what it commits to, and saying that options remain on the table is a measured way of keeping possibilities alive without making guarantees. But for a fanbase that has watched the Wii U library slowly trickle onto Switch over the past eight years, the statement carries weight. It suggests that Wind Waker HD's exclusivity to an obsolete console may not be permanent. Whether Nintendo actually moves forward with a port will likely depend on how the Switch 2 launch performs and what other priorities the company has for the system's first year. For now, the possibility remains alive—which is more than fans have had to work with for the past twelve years.
Citas Notables
All options are on the table for Switch 2's library, including a potential Wind Waker HD port— Nintendo SVP Nate Bihldorff
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why would Nintendo even bother porting Wind Waker HD to Switch 2 if the original is already on Switch Online?
Because the Wii U version is genuinely different. It's not just a resolution bump. There are gameplay improvements, visual refinements, quality-of-life changes. It's the definitive version, and it's been locked away on hardware almost nobody owns.
But doesn't having it on the subscription service satisfy the demand?
Not entirely. Switch Online is a rental—you lose access if you stop paying. A port is permanent ownership. And some players simply won't subscribe. Nintendo knows this, which is why they've released multiple versions of games before.
So this is just Nintendo hedging its bets?
It's more than that. Bihldorff saying "all options are on the table" is Nintendo's way of signaling they're thinking about it. They're not saying no. That matters to fans who've been waiting twelve years.
What would make Nintendo actually do it?
Strong Switch 2 sales, probably. And if the fanbase keeps asking. But also: it's a proven game that already exists in enhanced form. The work is mostly done. It's not like developing something new from scratch.
Is this likely to happen?
Honestly? It's possible but not certain. Nintendo's being deliberately noncommittal. But the fact that they're not ruling it out, and that they have a precedent for releasing multiple versions of the same game, means it's more than just wishful thinking.