Tears of the Kingdom could be Nintendo Switch’s last major game

Recent reports suggest The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom could be the Nintendo Switch’s last significant game.

Nintendo launched an OLED version of the Switch in late 2021, complete with a better screen, improved sound quality, and more storage space.

It constituted a nice step up for existing users and the perfect jumping-in point for newcomers to the platform. However, hopes for a mid-gen refresh lingered until recently when Digital Foundry claimed that Nintendo had planned but scrapped such a project.

Now, as rumors of mid-gen upgrades for PS5 and Xbox Series pick up steam, many can’t help but wonder when Nintendo will move into the latest console generation.

Will Tears of the Kingdom be Nintendo Switch’s last big game?

GamesRadar notes that in recent weeks, two prominent journalists have hinted at hearing rumblings about the future of Switch. Apparently, said talk suggests the next Zelda game could serve as the hybrid console’s swansong.

Head of GamesIndustry.biz, Christopher Dring, noted in November that “Nintendo doesn’t have a significant game [planned] for quite some time” after Zelda hits stores.

VGC editor Andy Robinson echoed this sentiment just last week. Robinson said that based on what he’s heard, “I’m not convinced another huge first-party game other than Zelda is left on Switch (usual Nintendo prediction caveats apply…).”

Of course, the terms “huge” and “significant” mean different things to different players. Pikmin 4’s eagerly-anticipated release, for instance, may serve as a big deal to core Nintendo fans, yet general audiences won’t flock to it like a Zelda or Mario Kart outing.

Either way, all of the above is pure conjecture for now, especially since Nintendo remains mum about its future hardware plans.