Majora's Mask remake: could it arrive sooner than expected?

A remake of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is looking all but confirmed at this point. After seeing what Nintendo has done with its Ocarina of Time remake, I think it's only a matter of time before we get an official announcement, and I think Majora's Mask could release a lot sooner than people expect.

The original Majora's Mask came out in 2000. There's a pretty big reason I think a remake could come quickly, and it comes down to how that original game was built.

The Ocarina of Time remake's Happy Mask Salesman shows what Majora's Mask could look like

Something I find interesting is how much Nintendo has improved the character designs in the Ocarina of Time remake. Take the Happy Mask Salesman. He was obviously in the original game, but look at how creepy they made him in the remake. The facial expressions, the lighting, everything about him looks so much more unsettling.

I can already picture how incredible Majora's Mask would look with this level of detail.

Reused Ocarina of Time assets could give a Majora's Mask remake a head start

Here's the biggest thing. The original Majora's Mask reused a ton of assets from Ocarina of Time, and Nintendo could potentially do that exact same thing here.

They've already built the foundation, which could give them a pretty significant head start on development. I'd go further than that: they're probably still developing it.

Nintendo says classic remakes are a Switch 2 priority

Nintendo has confirmed that more classic remakes are a major priority for the Nintendo Switch 2, with a Nintendo executive saying new games and remakes are of equal importance.

On timing, the original 3DS remakes of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask released, I think, about four years apart. This time, I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if the Majora's Mask remake arrives within the next couple of years.

Could Majora's Mask be revealed at the Game Awards?

Here's one possibility: "what if we get an announcement at the Game Awards this year?" Nintendo could be up for a game of the year award for Ocarina of Time. I can picture them showing up and saying, "Hey, wait, there's one more thing," and then revealing Majora's Mask.

Obviously, nothing's confirmed. But I do think a Majora's Mask remake is inevitable at this point.