Hasbro and Nintendo have struck a multi-year licensing partnership to bring The Legend of Zelda to toy store shelves for the first time at collector scale, with the first figures set to make their world debut at San Diego Comic-Con just six days from now. The collaboration is scheduled to launch its full product line in 2027 — a window that aligns directly with the live-action Zelda film hitting theaters on April 30, 2027.
Three 6-inch scale figures will be revealed at SDCC, which runs July 23–26. No character names, designs, or images have been released yet — and that silence may be the most significant detail of all: if the figures turn out to be movie-accurate rather than based on a game installment, Saturday’s reveal would mark the first public look at what Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf look like in the live-action adaptation. No trailer for the film has been released as of today.
Nintendo’s Biggest Licensing Expansion in Zelda’s History
For a franchise that has sold more than 150 million units across four decades, The Legend of Zelda has been unusually protected in the toy market. Jakks Pacific has operated a World of Nintendo toy line since 2014, but that contract was never exclusive and the line has focused primarily on smaller-scale, children’s-segment products. Hasbro’s entry into Zelda at the 6-inch scale marks a meaningful strategic shift — not a replacement of the existing toy infrastructure, but a premium-tier layer placed on top of it.
The 6-inch format is the same scale Hasbro uses for its Marvel Legends and Star Wars Black Series lines — its most collector-oriented, adult-targeting product families, typically priced in the $22–$35 range per figure. Choosing that format for Zelda signals that Hasbro is primarily targeting the franchise’s adult fanbase — the same generation of players who grew up with the original NES cartridge in 1987 and now spend serious money on the collectibles market.
“For decades, The Legend of Zelda franchise has captivated fans through its deep lore, unforgettable characters and enduring sense of discovery,” said Billy Lagor, President of Toys and Board Games at Hasbro, in the official press release. “By combining Nintendo’s iconic storytelling with Hasbro’s leadership in action and role-play, we’re delivering toys that invite fans to play, explore and forge their own epic adventures.”
Why This Deal Happened Now
The timing is not coincidental, and the context goes deeper than the film release date alone.
The franchise turned 40 in February of this year — its most significant milestone since Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka created the original for the Nintendo Famicom Disk System in 1986. Nintendo has anchored previous anniversary years with flagship releases: the 30th brought Twilight Princess HD, the 35th delivered Skyward Sword HD. The 40th has already brought confirmation of a Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for Nintendo Switch 2 slated for 2026, and now this toy partnership.
The structural link between Hasbro and Nintendo also predates this deal. Doug Bowser, who served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Nintendo of America from 2019 until his retirement in January 2026, joined Hasbro’s board of directors on January 20, 2026 — just six months before this announcement. Bowser led Nintendo’s Americas operations through the entirety of the Nintendo Switch era and oversaw the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, giving Hasbro a board member with direct knowledge of how Nintendo thinks about franchise licensing and retail partnerships.
Hasbro’s own financial trajectory makes this partnership strategically urgent. The company saw a 17% revenue decline in 2024, then returned to 14% full-year growth in 2025, driven primarily by a 45% surge in its Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming segment. Its Consumer Products segment — where the Zelda toy line will live — declined 7% in Q3 2025. A franchise the size of Zelda, anchored by a major theatrical release, is exactly the kind of IP partnership Hasbro needs to reverse that trend.
Nintendo, for its part, watched The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) demonstrate that its gaming IP translates into theatrical audiences at scale. Zelda is next — and a Hasbro toy line ensures the merchandise infrastructure is in place before opening weekend.
What SDCC’s Reveals Might Signal About the Film
The figures debuting at Comic-Con on July 23 represent the practical first test of something the press release does not say directly: whether the Hasbro Zelda line will be game-accurate or movie-accurate.
The Legend of Zelda has appeared in different visual styles across its lifespan — the cel-shaded aesthetic of The Wind Waker, the painterly realism of Twilight Princess, the sculptural design language of Breath of the Wild — and fans have developed strong attachments to each. The live-action film, directed by Wes Ball (The Maze Runner trilogy, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) and starring Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link and Bo Bragason as Zelda, has been described by Ball as aiming for Hayao Miyazaki-inspired aesthetics. Filming wrapped in New Zealand in April 2026. No trailer has been released.
If Hasbro’s SDCC figures are movie-accurate — a possibility gaming media have widely raised, given the 2027 release timing — then Saturday’s toy reveal at San Diego Convention Center will double as the franchise’s first look at the film’s character designs, well ahead of any official marketing push from Sony Pictures. A report from Kotaku noted the uncertainty, observing the figures “could look similar to the movie versions of Link and Zelda portrayed by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Bo Bragason, or they may be based on the characters’ game appearances.” If they’re game-accurate instead, that signals Hasbro is building a line with a longer runway beyond the film’s theatrical window.
Hasbro has not announced which characters will be depicted, at what price points the figures will sell, or how wide the full 2027 product roadmap will extend beyond the initial three.
Hyrule, the Toy Aisle, and What Comes Next
Nintendo’s approach to Zelda licensing has historically been more conservative than its approach to Mario — which has had McDonald’s Happy Meal appearances, LEGO sets, and an active Jakks Pacific line for years. The Hasbro partnership changes that calculus significantly. By bringing in Hasbro — whose collector-line infrastructure is among the most robust in the industry — Nintendo is signaling that Zelda is ready for a mainstream merchandise footprint comparable to what Star Wars and Marvel have maintained for decades.
The deal joins a year in which Zelda appears to be having its broadest cultural moment yet: a remake of its most critically acclaimed title, a first-ever live-action film, and now a premium collector figure line from one of the world’s largest toy companies. For collectors who have waited since the franchise’s North American debut in 1987, the SDCC reveal six days from now will be the first concrete answer to what all of that looks like in 6-inch plastic form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the Hasbro Zelda figures be based on the movie or the games?
Hasbro has not specified which Zelda designs it will use. Given the 2027 launch window aligns directly with the live-action film’s April 30, 2027 release, most analysts and gaming media expect the line to be at least partly movie-accurate — but whether it includes game-based figures alongside movie figures has not been confirmed. The SDCC reveal on July 23 should answer this directly.
What does 6-inch scale mean, and why does it matter for collectors?
Six-inch scale is the format Hasbro uses for its highest-profile adult collector lines, including Marvel Legends and Star Wars Black Series. Figures in this scale are typically more detailed, articulated, and higher-priced than the smaller formats aimed at children. Choosing 6-inch scale signals Hasbro and Nintendo are primarily targeting adult fans and collectors — not the children’s toy aisle segment that Jakks Pacific’s World of Nintendo line has served since 2014.
Does Hasbro replace Jakks Pacific’s existing Nintendo toy line?
No. Jakks Pacific’s World of Nintendo contract was never exclusive, and Jakks Pacific continues to produce Nintendo-branded products. Hasbro enters alongside that existing line, not in place of it, adding a premium collector tier that Jakks Pacific has not occupied. The two lines appear complementary: children’s-segment products from Jakks, adult collector figures from Hasbro.
If the figures are movie-accurate, what would they reveal about the Zelda film?
The Zelda film has no released trailer as of July 17, 2026. If Hasbro’s SDCC figures depict Link, Zelda, or Ganondorf in their movie-accurate designs, those figures would represent the first public look at the live-action film’s character aesthetics — well ahead of any official Sony Pictures marketing materials. Director Wes Ball has described his vision as inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s aesthetic sensibilities, but no visuals from the production have been made public beyond confirmed cast photos.
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