Secrets Of The Zonai Officially Announced

The Legend of Zelda series turns 40 years old this year. It’s quite a feat for any gaming franchise, and Nintendo has kept the series relevant for decades through strong mainline releases and oddball spin-offs.

Now, we’re about to get something a bit different. Per IGN, we’re getting another Zelda release, and this is one fans might want to take note of.

Zelda Is Returning To The BOTW Era For A New Release

While We Wait For Another Reveal

Zelda fans should be familiar with the Dark Horse series of reference books, and now we’re getting a new one: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom—Secrets of the Zonai.

The full title is a mouthful, but this hardcover book contains a whopping 424 pages, including art from Tears of the Kingdom, sketches, designer notes, storyboards, concept art, and other general notes. Secrets of the Zonai will also sport “80 pages of Hyrule History,” including lore information on what happened before Tears of the Kingdom. Zelda alumni Eiji Aonuma, Hidemaro Fujibayashi, and Satoru Takizawa are slated to contribute.

For reference, the Zonai are a mysterious ancient civilization in the continuity of the Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom universe, who have a ripple effect on subsequent kingdoms. Their timeline is explored extensively in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, though their presence is felt very muchin Tears of the Kingdom, often directly.

As is the case with many Zelda releases, you’ll have a standard edition and a deluxe edition to choose from:

• Standard Edition – $59.99 (hardcover)
• Hero’s Edition – $119.99 (slipcase, world map, art print)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom—Secrets of the Zonai is slated for release on October 20, 2026. Pre-orders should be available later today on the official Dark Horse website and other online retailers.

Zelda’s 40th Anniversary Is In Full Swing

Now We’re Starting To Cook

Things started off very slowly with the announcement of the Ocarina of Time LEGO set, but now we’re finally in the throes of the Zelda 40th anniversary. While we didn’t think we would get any major game announcements, it seems like Nintendo could be poised to announce, and eventually release, a remake of Ocarina of Time later this year.

Even if Nintendo does nothing but reveal merchandise for the next six months, an Ocarina of Time remake would make a huge splash for the 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda.