Zelda jolts fans: Dark Horse locks in Tears of the Kingdom artbook release as remake chatter grows
zelda fans now have a concrete release on the calendar: Dark Horse Comics has licensed The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom—Secrets of the Zonai, a hardcover artbook slated to arrive in English on October 20. The announcement, made on Tuesday, centers on a 472-page package built around artwork, development sketches, and interviews tied directly to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. For readers tracking the franchise’s next moves, the timing lands as separate talk circulates about a major zelda remake plan for 2026.
Zelda artbook: What’s confirmed right now
Dark Horse Comics’ Tuesday announcement outlines a substantial hardcover release: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom—Secrets of the Zonai will run 472 pages and is positioned as an English-language edition of the artbook material connected to Nintendo’s 2023 game.
The contents breakdown provided with the licensing announcement includes:
- 50 pages of artwork
- 300 pages of behind-the-scenes sketches offering a look into the development process
- 80 pages detailing Hyrule’s history up to the events of the game
- Interviews with Eiji Aonuma (Producer), Hidemaro Fujibayashi (Director), and Satoru Takizawa (Art Director)
A premium package is also set: the Hero’s Edition will include extra features, specifically a slipcase and an art print.
Immediate reactions from the people behind the pages
The announcement names the key creative leaders featured in the book’s interview section, anchoring the project in direct testimony from the team behind Tears of the Kingdom: Eiji Aonuma (Producer), Hidemaro Fujibayashi (Director), and Satoru Takizawa (Art Director). Their inclusion signals that the release is not only a gallery of finished images but also a guided record of how the game was developed, presented through the voices of the production leadership.
For readers who prioritize process, the stated 300 pages of behind-the-scenes sketches are the central promise here—an unusually large portion of the book reserved for iterative design work rather than final promotional art.
Quick context: Where this fits in the larger Zelda moment
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launched on Nintendo Switch in May 2023. The related Master Works book launched in Japan in August 2024, setting a precedent for a large-format companion release before this newly licensed English edition.
Separately, the game won the grand prize for Engineering at the CEDEC2025 awards last July, underlining the continued institutional recognition around its development work.
What’s next to watch for
With the English release locked for October 20, the immediate next step is straightforward: details about the rollout and editions will matter most for buyers deciding between the standard hardcover and the Hero’s Edition. Meanwhile, discussion of a major zelda remake plan for 2026 continues to circulate in the wider conversation around Nintendo’s future lineup, even as the only concrete, dated item in hand is this Dark Horse artbook release.
As of 6: 00 PM ET on April 3, 2026, the confirmed near-term checkpoint for zelda fans is the October 20 publication date for Secrets of the Zonai—a tangible, page-by-page look back at Tears of the Kingdom while attention stays split on what Nintendo may or may not announce next.
