A Legend of Zelda Game for Smartphones is In The Works

Since the first game debuted in 1986, Legend of Zelda has allowed fans to battle as Link on the NES, the Gameboy, the Switch, and more. For his latest adventure, Link is going mobile, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

Sources familiar with the project said that one of Nintendo’s upcoming smartphone games will be an installment in the Legend of Zelda franchise. The project is part of the Kyoto-based company’s plan to break into the mobile gaming sphere by releasing two to three apps a year.

Other titles Nintendo has adapted for smartphones include the sensation-making Pokemon Go, the underperforming Super Mario Run, and the lucrative Fire Emblem Heroes. Before Legend of Zelda comes to Android and iOS, Nintendo will first launch their long-anticipated Animal Crossing game for mobile. After the release date was pushed back twice, Animal Crossing mobile is now rumored to arrive in the last half of 2017. That means mobile gamers can look forward to seeing the new Zelda, which is scheduled to roll out after Animal Crossing, sometime in 2018.

And 2017 is shaping up to be a good one for Legend of Zelda players. The newest game in the series, Breath of the Wild, came out for the Nintendo Switch in March and so far has been met with fawning reviews. The games features an open-world layout of Hyrule that takes full days to explore. No details have been shared on the mobile Zelda game, but fans can expect it to be less overwhelming than its predecessor.