Nintendo fans are convinced that amiibo have been giving away release dates for games for a while now, and I'll be damned if I'm not kind of convinced.
Despite the toys-to-life fad dying shortly after they were introduced, Nintendo's amiibo have been going strong for over a decade now. While it's not a guarantee that every game will get an amiibo like it kind of felt like back in the days where Chibi Robo or Poochie got figures, there are still multiple drops every year – with the impressive yet expensive Kirby Air Riders series being released throughout 2026. However, there's been a surprising correlation between amiibo and Nintendo release dates, and some reckon it may have revealed when The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Switch 2 remake is set to be released later this year.
As pointed out by a user on the GamingLeaksAndRumors subreddit, Nintendo has been releasing amiibo alongside new releases pretty consistently this year. The Kirby Air Riders Meta Knight and King Dedede amiibo had their release dates announced before Pokemon Pokopia and Rhythm Heaven Groove had been given dates. Next in line is the long-awaited The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Mineru's Construct amiibo, which had its date announced in May, before Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave was announced for the same date.
And now, the next two Kirby Air Riders amiibo – "Sword Kirby and Dragoon" and "Noir Dedede and Hydra" – have finally been given release dates, that being November 12, 2026. Given that Nintendo hasn't announced a release date for its 2026 Zelda game, and that October is already covered by Nintendo Switch Sports, the expectation has been it'll be a November title. The amiibo also releases on a Thursday, Nintendo's typical release day for the last few years.
Do I believe this means Zelda is locked in for November 12? Not entirely. But the fact that three major amiibo drops have coincided with three major Nintendo game releases this year is certainly the closest thing to compelling evidence we have right now. At the very least we should be finding out soon, as the game has recently gotten an age rating from the ESRB.
