The Legend of Zelda is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026, and Nintendo’s legendary franchise certainly isn’t slowing down. With another Nintendo Direct approaching, an Ocarina of Time remake on the horizon, and rumors of an entirely new Zelda adventure, fans have plenty to watch.
However, one of the biggest Zelda releases arriving this fall isn’t actually a game.
Dark Horse is preparing to release The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — Secrets of the Zonai, a massive 472-page book packed with artwork, development material, lore, and new insight into one of the biggest mysteries surrounding Tears of the Kingdom.
For players who spent hundreds of hours exploring Hyrule, the Depths, and the sky islands, this could be one of the most interesting Zelda collectibles released in years.
Secrets of the Zonai Goes Deep Into Tears of the Kingdom
The upcoming Secrets of the Zonai book is much more than a traditional collection of artwork.
Across its enormous 472 pages, the book features illustrations, character artwork, promotional material, sketches, concept designs, development notes, and information covering the history of Hyrule.
Most importantly, it promises additional insight into the mysterious past of the Zonai.
The ancient civilization played a massive role in Tears of the Kingdom. Despite that, plenty of questions remained unanswered after players completed Link’s adventure.
Secrets of the Zonai could finally provide additional context surrounding how Nintendo designed the civilization, its technology, characters, architecture, and connection to Hyrule.
Zelda Developers Are Included
Dark Horse also received access to several of the most important people behind modern Zelda.
The book includes interviews with Eiji Aonuma, Hidemaro Fujibayashi, and Satoru Takizawa, providing additional behind-the-scenes information about the creation of Tears of the Kingdom.
That alone could make the book particularly interesting for longtime Zelda fans.
Concept artwork can show what changed during development, but developer commentary can explain why those decisions happened.
Considering the enormous scale of Tears of the Kingdom, there should be plenty to talk about.
Secrets of the Zonai Is Expected This October
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — Secrets of the Zonai carries a retail price of $59.99 and is available for pre-order through Dark Horse.
An exact release date hasn’t been announced yet.
However, the book is currently expected to begin shipping sometime in October 2026.
That places its arrival right in the middle of what could become a very busy period for Zelda fans.
Tears of the Kingdom Has Already Moved to Switch 2
Meanwhile, Tears of the Kingdom itself has received another lease on life through the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.
The upgraded version introduces graphical and performance improvements while also adding support for Zelda Notes and its associated achievements.
Players who already own the original Nintendo Switch version can upgrade for $9.99.
The upgrade is also available at no additional cost through the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership.
It gives Nintendo another opportunity to keep Tears of the Kingdom relevant while the franchise moves toward whatever comes next.
And that “next” could become much clearer very soon.
A Zelda Nintendo Direct Is Coming September 8
Nintendo has scheduled a Zelda-focused Nintendo Direct for September 8, with the presentation expected to run for approximately 30 minutes.
The broadcast is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. CST.
Two projects are naturally attracting much of the attention: the upcoming live-action Legend of Zelda movie and the previously announced Ocarina of Time remake.
Both could receive significant updates during the presentation.
However, fans are already hoping Nintendo has more surprises waiting.
Could Wind Waker and Twilight Princess Finally Return?
Two names inevitably appear whenever Nintendo announces a Zelda presentation: The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess.
Fans have requested modern Switch versions of both games for years.
Their HD editions remain trapped on the Wii U, making them obvious candidates for another release on modern Nintendo hardware.
A 40th anniversary celebration would certainly provide Nintendo with an excellent opportunity to bring them back.
However, neither game is currently guaranteed to appear during the September 8 Direct.
Until Nintendo announces something, expectations surrounding these ports should remain firmly in rumor territory.
And Then There’s the Mysterious New Zelda Game
Perhaps the most interesting rumor concerns something completely new.
Recent claims suggest Nintendo may be developing another Zelda game featuring a dimension-hopping mechanic.
The rumored project could potentially become a third entry connected to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, effectively turning the modern “Wilds” era into a trilogy.
That would be a major development.
Breath of the Wild completely transformed Zelda’s traditional structure when it introduced its enormous open world. Tears of the Kingdom then expanded that formula vertically, adding floating islands above Hyrule and the gigantic Depths underneath it.
A third game built around travelling between different dimensions could give Nintendo another way to radically change exploration without simply making Hyrule larger again.
There is one important problem, though.
Nintendo hasn’t announced this game.
The dimension-hopping project remains a rumor, and fans should treat it accordingly until official information appears.
Zelda’s 40th Anniversary Could Still Have Some Major Surprises
Few gaming franchises have reinvented themselves as successfully as The Legend of Zelda.
The series moved from its original 2D adventures into revolutionary 3D games such as Ocarina of Time before eventually transforming again with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
Forty years later, Nintendo appears to have plenty more planned.
Secrets of the Zonai will give fans an enormous behind-the-scenes look at Tears of the Kingdom this fall, while the September 8 Nintendo Direct could reveal what the immediate future of Zelda looks like.
Between the Ocarina of Time remake, the live-action movie, possible classic Zelda ports, and rumors surrounding another completely new adventure, the 40th anniversary may only be getting started.
And if Nintendo really does have a third Wilds-era Zelda waiting behind the curtain, September could become much more interesting than anyone expected.
