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Zelda makes analyst's list of 2009 releases

Lazard Capital Markets' Colin Sebastian expects Link's next adventure to help push modest industry growth next year; GTAV potentially arriving in 2010.

With this year's release of Wii installments for Super Smash Bros., Animal Crossing, and Mario Kart, there are few cherished Nintendo series in need of a new-generation debut. That means it's about time for the publisher to start a second lap of its greatest hits, and if one industry analyst's prognostication is accurate, leading off that lap could be a second installment of The Legend of Zelda.

In a note to investors this morning, Lazard Capital Markets' Colin Sebastian listed a slate of 22 games that could potentially help drive a 5 percent growth in game sales for 2009. In addition to heavily anticipated games like Resident Evil 5 and Starcraft II, Sebastian included a new Princess Peach adventure and an as-yet-unannounced Zelda game.

In the report, the list of games was sourced to Lazard's research, as well as to company reports. Speaking to GameSpot, Sebastian clarified that the inclusion of a Zelda game on his 2009 list was speculation on his part.

The last Zelda installment, The Twilight Princess, was a launch game for the Wii in November of 2006. It was originally announced as an exclusive for Nintendo's previous console, the GameCube, but was adapted to headline the slate of traditional gamer offerings at the Wii launch. Twilight Princess did arrive on the GameCube, but its release was staggered a month after its Wii counterpart.

Sebastian's note also referenced Grand Theft Auto V in passing.

"Looking ahead to 2009, we expect mid-single-digit growth in software sales on a tough growth comparison and potentially fewer hit titles (e.g., no GTA V until 2010)," Sebastian wrote.

When asked for clarification on that remark, Sebastian said he wasn't so much specifying 2010 as a release window for the game as telling investors that it would definitely not be coming out in 2009. However, he also pointed to Rockstar Games' release schedule of Grand Theft Auto games in the previous generation, which saw GTAIII released in 2001, GTA: Vice City in 2002, and GTA: San Andreas in 2004.

569 Comments

  • ando2k7

    Posted May 9, 2009 9:26 am GMT

    Yeah, I also agree with Brawl578, Twilight Princess is just as good as Ocarina of Time. Whether you think either of them is better than the other is an opinion. I personally prefer Twilight Princess and would love to see some of the characters such as Midna appear in other Zelda installments in the near future.

  • goldensunfan

    Posted May 5, 2009 8:30 pm GMT

    Let me first start off by saying... Zelda is a franchise that is in today's world something unique and to be cherished. Truly im sure many zelda fans remember the epic adventure that was to be had in ocarina of time. As a few of you have mentioned about it being repetitive... Perhaps a little. But when it comes down to it the entire zelda franchise is based on the dungeons and boss fights. Take them away and you dont have a zelda game really. Also It is because of Nintendo's incredible ability for reworking a simple hero saving the princess story into a unique and viable story for each game. While twilight princess is simillar to ocarina of time in the fact link goes on a grand quest to save the world and princess zelda the way they retell the tale is amazing. Twilight princess as well as windwaker stand alone as their own unique tale. So really I think that the possibilties are endless and that there is room for many more zelda games. We are talking about 20 years of zelda games. Thats a track record most game companies are envious and strive to attain themselves. However I do feel that some things can and will inevitably need to be changed. For instance one common complaint is link never talks. Well... there is a up and down side to this. The fact they dont need voice actors cuts down on production time and costs and they can devote more time to the plot. Dont get me wrong the text bubble is a tried and true formula and it works. But I think there will come a time when it would be nice to hear the characters in the zelda series talk. For example Metroid Prime 3 corruption was the first metroid game in the series to have actual voiced dialogue and it worked well. Which brings me to the point about those complaining about no metroid or mario for wii. Havent you heard about Metroid prime 3 corruption and Super Mario Galaxy? Both of these titles further prove Nintendo's mastery at reinventing their top selling franchises. I dont say this to sound like a fan-boy but to hear fans of a series like legend of zelda start to write it off this early is a bit dissappointing. I do admit though it is always nice to see change but it shouldnt come at the cost of sacrificing core elements of the game that made the previous installments so entertaining. No offense to Halo or its fans in anyway but just to draw an example, 60 dollars for a game is a fair bit of money. And most action games today run 10-15 hours at best. To pay 50 dollars for Twilight Princess and get 70+ hours you are honestly getting your money's worth.

  • jamesknoxpolk

    Posted Apr 8, 2009 12:00 pm GMT

    GTA V will be the first game to get a 11

  • Impostorzim

    Posted Mar 11, 2009 6:36 pm GMT

    Geeez these analysts are about as useless as the Weather Man. Don't pay attention to this article.

  • Rockking123

    Posted Mar 7, 2009 7:23 pm GMT

    Wow, A new link game?! I think there will be a few more, but each one is getting better and better.

  • Brawl578

    Posted Feb 18, 2009 9:47 pm GMT

    Come on, guys. Ease up on Twilight Princess a little. That was my second favorite Zelda game I've ever played. *sigh* Now TP is getting to the point where it's becoming underrated.

  • Sonic7777777

    Posted Feb 8, 2009 3:01 pm GMT

    Don't get me wrong, I love the Wii exclusives like smash bros, mario kart, the mario sports games, and zelda. But its going to get to a point where people are going to want new stuff. I mean come on, are they going to keep remaking these games for each next gen console. 50 years from now it'll be like the 9th mario kart and I think people will have enough.

  • awarapanmovie

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 9:38 am GMT

    gta 5 coming in 2010 yes it gonna break all records
    .

  • sackfan

    Posted Jan 30, 2009 8:56 am GMT

    i sure hope they make a new zelda game if they dont nintendo just dosnt have the brains to be a game company

  • Samurai_Kirby

    Posted Jan 27, 2009 5:47 pm GMT

    oh, and as for a modern zelda game, I wouldn't buy it. I made the mistake of Shadow The Hedgehog. it was an ok game,but it was dissapointing. (Most recent sonic games tend to be anyway.) All I want is the same zelda games iv'e been playing since orcarina. Im happy with that formula. Just thow in new features and for the love of god do not give link a gun. (or mario, or yoshi, or DK, or kirby, or any nintendo character except Fox and Samus.) you get my point.

  • Samurai_Kirby

    Posted Jan 27, 2009 2:05 pm GMT

    ok. maybe not everyone is looking for another cartoon zelda. But I would like to see at least on toon game. I don't know why, but i really liked wind waker, I just wished it had more depth. And toon link is pretty bad ass. He stabbed the ganon in the freakin brain.

    (note to self: fix picture icon)
    any way, They should really remake orcarina and just trick out the graphics and features. I think it's too early for a Twilight sequel. Just a bit. On second thought, i've never played twilight because i don't have my own wii, and im trying to finish collecting all major flagship gamecube titles. I jumped into the whole gamecube thing a little too late.

  • darkvoid1234

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 5:21 am GMT

    what no metroid or mario? they can make a new zelda but they cant make a game of there one and only mascot of nintendo. AND WITH 2 NEW HALOS ABOUT TO BE REALESAED. BUT NO METRoID!?!?!!? and and what about a new star fox for the wii? that is if they dont make another consle before then. and dont dont even get me started about the idea for ANOTHER smash bros game my reponse:LOOK AT THE REALESE DATE FOR BRAWL LESS THAN A YEAR AGO THEY MADE IT....and what about another princess peach the original sucked so why make another. the point is nintendo needs to focus on hits and let some time go between games. oh yeah and IM ROOTING FOR ANOTHER KID ICARUS

  • brendanhunt1

    Posted Jan 19, 2009 9:44 am GMT

    Apprently gta v might not be on Xbox due to lack of disk space and harddrive

  • republicftw

    Posted Jan 18, 2009 6:49 am GMT

    gta sucks i dont care about story and get bored of shooting random civilans and zelda is teh best i not a pure fan that gets one hundred percent but i still try to go abit above just beating it lots of things to do afterwards

  • TreMattic

    Posted Jan 14, 2009 10:43 pm GMT

    GTA 5 is what I'm waiting for, forget Zelda.

  • itachi100

    Posted Jan 12, 2009 5:37 pm GMT

    i think zelda has ended with TP....

  • TomatoShadow

    Posted Jan 12, 2009 5:27 am GMT

    Too bad Rockstar is dead...

  • tamir1014

    Posted Jan 10, 2009 2:44 pm GMT

    Hey guys is it just me or is Zelda Twilite princess was alittle on the boring side? I mean i bought the game with the wii system the first day it came out on November 17th (ahhhh memoriessss) anyways and im not into it like any zelda game. all these years and im at the 3rd mirror peice finding how to get to the sky. LOL

  • Hydro_Electro

    Posted Jan 8, 2009 3:16 pm GMT

    I agree with you, Gh05t. A modern time LoZ would be weird. Seeing Link with a gun(most likely,hence modern time) would just be too awkward for my liking. I'd still buy the game though, since it's Zelda =)

  • solid_shark88

    Posted Jan 7, 2009 12:25 pm GMT

    let's be serious here. LOZ repeats the same plot, kill 3 bosses go get the master sword, kill 6 more, kill ganon or vaati or some other gay villain. seriously, I LOVED OOT but Majora's Mask will always be my fav because of the time system and the mask transformations (especially Oni Link.) If they could make something as inventive like that, my $60 will go to Nintendo. The only good LOZ titles are as followed;

    1. Majora's Mask (GC from collector's edition)
    2. Ocarina of Time (64 ONLY)
    3. Twilight Princess (wii not GC)
    4. Wind Waker 5. Phantom Hourglass

    If I ever play a game like Faces of Evil ever again, DAMN! The RPG one kinda sucked too. They need one where you can be evil or a hero, that would be cool!

  • bobbyb2003

    Posted Jan 6, 2009 12:51 pm GMT

    @Gh05t While I see where you're coming from and agree that Nintendo desperately needs to come up with something new and awesome, the Zelda series has a fan group that grows constantly. TP was the first Zelda game I played (though I remember OoT from when my friend's older brother used to play it back when it came out) and I became totally engaged with the series. Basically, the market isn't completely limited to buyers of past Zelda games.

  • godzillavskong

    Posted Jan 5, 2009 8:59 pm GMT

    Zelda is a HUGE franchise and when I went to Gamestop to get my copy of Twilight Princess, it was still 39.99.That says a lot right there. I was buying the Gamecube version,heck, for $20 more I could get another cube.

  • Blood_Diamond

    Posted Jan 5, 2009 5:23 pm GMT

    GTA 5!!! when did this happen?

  • the_elements600

    Posted Jan 5, 2009 12:33 pm GMT

    I'm all for this, but for god sakes nintendo, get it right this time. Honestly, Zelda TP was the poorest zelda game I've ever played.

  • aquajet16

    Posted Jan 5, 2009 11:12 am GMT

    Is this the start of the sheep's rise from the ashes?

    BTW, I think that this is pretty plausible. Nintendo was once very quiet with TP and we were much surprised when it came.

  • Cloud_in_midgar

    Posted Jan 5, 2009 10:47 am GMT

    a new pricess peach oh yeaaaaah! lol
    but awesome a new zelda, though id like a propper pokemon

  • i_am_chromas

    Posted Jan 5, 2009 6:35 am GMT

    what erikegg said.... Zelda games are getting shorter and shorter... To be honest, I hope they wait til' the next generation of consoles for this series, if only we knew for sure what next gen will hold. What would be interesting would be if they added an element to the new Zelda that wouldn't over used or under used (not a plot twist like the wolf) but some gameplay option that wouldn't repetitively cheesy over time. *sigh*... Only time will tell though.

  • AweWiiGamer1

    Posted Jan 5, 2009 6:24 am GMT

    Yay! Zelda ftw! Lol. I hope they keep the darker and more cinematic focus as they did in Twilight Princess, and make Link more emotional, as they did too. C'mon, Nintendo! New sequel, please?

  • daveg1

    Posted Jan 5, 2009 1:26 am GMT

    a zelda game would be good im playing phantom hour glass on the ds and i cant put it down..last game i played was wind waker..

  • MrPretzel

    Posted Jan 4, 2009 11:30 pm GMT

    Putting Zelda back on top? Seriously?
    This isn't Sonic the Hedgehog. The Zelda franchise is still churning out high-end games that surprise and please us every time.

  • MrPretzel

    Posted Jan 4, 2009 7:14 pm GMT

    Does anybody realize that the focus on Zelda is shifting us away from the REAL news? Super Princess Peach might have a sequel?! Why on earth would they make such a horrible mistake!

  • rogue_OGR3

    Posted Jan 4, 2009 5:31 pm GMT

    Oh and zaveline...
    This article was in 2008. So when they say "this year" they meant 08.

  • rogue_OGR3

    Posted Jan 4, 2009 5:30 pm GMT

    A new zelda for the Wii!!!
    YES....

  • zaveline

    Posted Jan 4, 2009 5:15 pm GMT

    WHAT!? another Zelda Game and Super Smash Bros Game!? but they Released a Super Smash Bros Game in March Of Last Year THIS IS INSANE!! but a Zelda Game Coming out this year!? THATS AWESOME!

  • shadowpivot

    Posted Jan 4, 2009 1:23 pm GMT

    SO FREAKING AWESOME!!!!

  • Dreggsao

    Posted Jan 4, 2009 12:14 pm GMT

    @Gh05t_ if nintendo would let link die they still could make another zelda games... coz there is no continuity in this franchise

  • Killer2401

    Posted Jan 4, 2009 11:01 am GMT

    I played my first Zelda game on the Wii after I bought it, and now I'm a big fan of the series, can't wait for a new one.

  • beamme

    Posted Jan 4, 2009 8:27 am GMT

    As for voiceacting, I think they should go the ICO/Shadow of the colossus route, with just a made up Hyrulian language. You could get dramatic cutscenes without it getting cheesy, cause you're only reading the subs anyway. Still having the voices there would add a level of drama.

  • erikegg

    Posted Jan 4, 2009 7:57 am GMT

    yaaaaaa Zelda I hope this ones not as short as the others I realy liked the ocarena of time it was long fun and unpridictable.

  • HQRNET

    Posted Jan 4, 2009 5:30 am GMT

    The Zelda franchise is immense, but please please work on the graphic content Nintendo. Please? ...

  • fartzombie

    Posted Jan 4, 2009 4:14 am GMT

    holy crap another zelda and ssb all i can say is sweet

  • Nzilla

    Posted Jan 4, 2009 2:39 am GMT

    Another Zelda, another Mario, and another Metroid game please!!! Wouldn't mind seeing more of Starfox too. If even one installment of any of the above come out in 2009 i'll be a happy camper. Of course, i'm still praying that Starcraft 2 comes out this year.

    Oh, and what's with all the wolf hate? I rather liked the shape shifting. And who didn't love rolling around as an unstoppable Goron or diving like a fighter jet underwater as a Zora. Of all the bad shape-shifting in games over the years, I think that the Zelda series did some of the best.

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