Hasbro and Nintendo have confirmed a multi-year Legend of Zelda toy deal, with three six-inch figures set for a San Diego Comic-Con reveal before the 2027 launch.
Image: nintendo.com
Hasbro’s Zelda deal starts with three figures and one unanswered question
Hasbro has confirmed a multi-year licensing partnership with Nintendo to make toys based on The Legend of Zelda, with the collaboration scheduled to begin in 2027. The first concrete reveal is coming sooner than the product launch window: multiple outlets citing Hasbro’s announcement report that three six-inch-scale figures will be shown at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, which runs from July 23 to July 26.
That is the clean news beat. The tension is in what Hasbro has not shown yet. GameSpot reports that Hasbro has not released images or details for the figures. Nintendo Everything likewise says the first look is expected at Comic-Con, while Polygon frames the reveal as the debut of a new line of six-inch-scale figures. None of the cited reports identify the characters, the specific visual era of Zelda being used, pricing, retail availability, articulation, accessories, packaging, or whether these first products are tied to the games, the upcoming live-action film, or both.
For collectors, that makes the Hasbro Nintendo partnership unusually loaded before a single product photo exists. Zelda is a franchise where the silhouette of a shield, the cut of a tunic, or the shape of a villain’s armor can point to an entire generation of fandom. A Breath of the Wild Link, an Ocarina of Time Ganondorf, a Tears of the Kingdom Zelda, or a movie-styled hero would each tell a different story about who Nintendo and Hasbro think these Legend of Zelda toys are for.
What Hasbro actually confirmed
The confirmed announcement is narrow but significant. Hasbro is producing toys based on Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda franchise under a multi-year licensing partnership. The collaboration begins in 2027. The first public look is planned for San Diego Comic-Con in July, where three six-inch-scale figures are set to be revealed.
Hasbro Toys and Board Games president Billy Lagor described the pitch in the company’s announcement, saying that The Legend of Zelda has captivated fans for decades through “deep lore, unforgettable characters and enduring sense of discovery.” Lagor added that the companies are combining “Nintendo’s iconic storytelling with Hasbro’s leadership in action and role-play” to deliver toys that invite fans to “play, explore and forge their own epic adventures.”
That quote is worth reading carefully. Hasbro is not merely describing shelf statues in the language cited by the announcement. It is talking about action and role-play, two categories where the company already has broad experience. Investing.com’s report notes Hasbro describes itself as a games, intellectual property, and toy company with 165 years of experience, and lists brands in its portfolio including Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, Monopoly, Nerf, Transformers, and Play-Doh. The Zelda license now enters that machinery, but the actual product mix remains unannounced beyond the initial six-inch figures.
GameSpot reports that specific terms of the Hasbro and Nintendo partnership, including financial details, were not disclosed. That leaves the commercial scale of the deal opaque. We know the agreement is multi-year. We do not know how many waves are planned, whether the line will be global from launch, or whether Nintendo will approve products across multiple Zelda eras.
San Diego Comic-Con is the first real checkpoint
The next meaningful moment for Zelda collectibles fans is San Diego Comic-Con 2026. The show runs July 23 through July 26, and the sources agree that Hasbro will use the event to reveal three six-inch-scale figures.
That timing matters because Comic-Con is built for visibility. A reveal there can frame a toy line as part of a larger entertainment rollout rather than a quiet licensing sidebar. GameSpot notes that the 2027 start and the Comic-Con tie-in have led some people to believe Hasbro’s line may focus on the upcoming live-action The Legend of Zelda movie, but the outlet also states that Hasbro has not revealed images or details. Kotaku makes the same practical distinction: the figures could resemble the movie versions of Link and Zelda, or they may be based on game appearances, but the announcement does not specify which characters or which Zelda era will be represented.
That distinction is the first collecting fork in the road. If the figures are movie-based, they become part of Nintendo’s film merchandising push and will likely be judged against actor likenesses, costume design, and how the live-action adaptation translates Hyrule’s fantasy language. If they are game-based, the conversation shifts toward which chapter of the series Hasbro and Nintendo consider the foundation: the mythic N64 iconography of Ocarina of Time, the open-air survival look of Breath of the Wild, or another part of the franchise entirely.
Until Hasbro shows the figures, the practical advice is simple: wait for the Comic-Con reveal before assuming character selection or scale compatibility beyond the stated six-inch format. Six-inch figures can sit in many collectors’ displays, but sculpt style, articulation, and accessories will decide whether this line feels built for play, photography, boxed collecting, or all three.
The movie connection is plausible, but still unconfirmed
The Zelda toy announcement arrives in the shadow of Nintendo’s live-action film, but the sources do not support treating the first Hasbro figures as confirmed movie merchandise. GameSpot reports that the live-action The Legend of Zelda movie is a joint production between Sony Pictures and Nintendo, with Benjamin Evan Ainsworth playing Link, Bo Bragason portraying Zelda, and Wes Ball directing. GameSpot also reports that the film shot at New Zealand locations associated with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings franchise.
The release date is less clean across the provided reports. GameSpot’s article says the film is currently scheduled for May 7, 2027. Nintendo Everything also says the film’s date has shifted and is currently set for May 7, 2027. Polygon and Kotaku, however, cite April 30, 2027. Rather than smoothing over that mismatch, the safest reading is that the sources agree on a 2027 theatrical window but conflict on the exact date.
That uncertainty feeds directly into the collectibles story. A 2027 Hasbro launch lines up with the reported movie year, and GameSpot says that timing has led some to believe the toy line may be film-focused. But belief is not confirmation. Nintendo has not confirmed a Comic-Con movie trailer in the provided source material, and GameSpot specifically says some fans are hoping for a trailer while Nintendo has not confirmed those plans.
So the film is context, not proof. The confirmed fact is a Zelda toy partnership beginning in 2027. The expectation is that Nintendo may be aligning toys, film promotion, and franchise anniversary activity. The unresolved question is whether Hasbro’s first three figures will be the opening shot of a movie line or a broader Zelda collectibles program that can draw from four decades of game history.
Nintendo licensing gives this deal a bigger charge than routine merch
Routine merch deals usually live or die by logo placement and seasonal retail space. This one has a different pulse because it sits at the crossing point of Nintendo licensing, a major toy company, a film adaptation, and Zelda’s 40th anniversary period.
Polygon notes that The Legend of Zelda turned 40 in 2026, with the original game released in Japan on Feb. 21, 1986. The same report says the game came to North America on Aug. 22, 1987, leaving room for anniversary momentum to carry into 2027 depending on region and campaign timing. Polygon also points to other Zelda collectibles activity around the anniversary window, including a Lego set depicting the final battle from Ocarina of Time and a deluxe vinyl release for the Breath of the Wild soundtrack in September. The required Nintendo media for this article also reflects that broader collectible push, showing Nintendo’s own storefront promotion for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild vinyl.
Nintendo Everything adds another major piece of context, reporting that a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 later this year. GameSpot likewise describes a new Ocarina of Time remake as the next game entry in the franchise and says it is coming to Switch 2 this year. Taken together, the sources describe a franchise entering a dense commercial corridor: anniversary, remake, vinyl, Lego, live-action film, and now Hasbro-produced toys.
That is why the Hasbro Nintendo partnership lands differently from a standard Nintendo merch announcement. Zelda collectibles have always carried a kind of artifact energy, because the series itself is built around objects with memory: swords pulled from pedestals, masks with identities trapped inside them, instruments that bend time, shields worn down by travel. A strong figure line can tap into that language if Nintendo lets Hasbro work across eras and not only chase the nearest screen release. Whether that happens remains unannounced.
What collectors should watch before committing money
For now, there is no price, preorder date, retailer list, regional availability, or final product photography in the provided reports. Hasbro has confirmed the partnership and the planned Comic-Con reveal, but the buying decisions will start only when the figures are shown.
The first thing to watch is character selection. Polygon guesses series staples like Link, Zelda, and Ganon could be first, but that is explicitly speculation. Kotaku says the announcement does not identify the characters. If Hasbro opens with the core trio, it signals a broad entry point. If it opens with film likenesses, the line may be tied more closely to the 2027 movie campaign. If it pulls from a specific game, such as Ocarina of Time or Breath of the Wild, that will suggest Nintendo is using Hasbro to reinforce one era of Zelda iconography over another.
The second thing to watch is how Hasbro interprets “action and role-play,” the phrase used in Lagor’s statement. Six-inch figures may be only the first category. The wording leaves room for accessories or role-play items in the future, but Hasbro has not announced those products in the source material. Fans should treat any talk of Master Sword replicas, shields, Nerf-style items, deluxe beasts, horses, playsets, or additional waves as speculation until Hasbro or Nintendo confirms them.
The third thing is the movie date and tie-in strategy. The provided sources conflict between April 30 and May 7, 2027 for the film’s theatrical release, while agreeing that the movie is part of the near-term Zelda landscape. If the toy packaging, costumes, or marketing copy revealed at Comic-Con mention the film, the line becomes easier to read. If they avoid the movie entirely, Hasbro may be building something broader, closer to a long-running collector and play line.
The safest expectation is that San Diego Comic-Con will answer the first questions and create several new ones. Hasbro has the license. Nintendo has the franchise moment. Zelda fans now have a date to circle, but they do not yet have a figure to judge.