Hasbro and Nintendo Strike Multi-Year Legend of Zelda Toy Deal

Hasbro and Nintendo have announced a multi-year licensing agreement to produce toys and games based on The Legend of Zelda franchise — and the first products will be revealed to the public at San Diego Comic-Con later this week. The deal, confirmed on 16 July 2026, marks the beginning of what both companies are billing as a broad, long-term collaboration, with the first wave of products expected to arrive in 2027.

What's being revealed at SDCC

According to Hasbro's official press release, attendees at San Diego Comic-Con — which runs from 23 to 26 July 2026 — will get the first look at three 6-inch scale figures. Beyond the scale, virtually nothing else has been confirmed ahead of the reveal: Hasbro has not announced which characters will make up the inaugural wave, nor whether the figures will draw on the look of the upcoming live-action film or the games' established visual identity.

Fans are already speculating, as fans do. Series staples such as Link, Princess Zelda, and Ganondorf seem like obvious candidates for a debut wave, but Hasbro hasn't confirmed any names. The question of design era — game-accurate or film-adjacent — is equally open. The live-action film stars Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link and Bo Bragason as Princess Zelda, so both interpretations of those characters now exist as possibilities, per reporting from Kotaku and GamesRadar+.

It's bigger than action figures

Hasbro has signalled that the Zelda licence will stretch well beyond a single figure line. Given that the company's portfolio spans plush toys, role-play replicas, and tabletop games, the deal could eventually see Link and company turn up in board games alongside traditional action figures, according to GamesRadar+. No specific additional product lines have been confirmed at this stage.

Billy Lagor, President of Toys and Board Games at Hasbro, said in the official announcement:

"For decades, The Legend of Zelda franchise has captivated fans through its deep lore, unforgettable characters and enduring sense of discovery. 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."

Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed. No quote from Nintendo appeared in the official press release.

The film connection

The timing is no accident. Nintendo is moving to build promotional momentum around a live-action Legend of Zelda film, which is currently scheduled for release in the United States in late April or early May 2027 — sources including Wikipedia and TechTimes cite 30 April, while Nintendo Everything points to 7 May; the final confirmed date has not been pinned down at time of writing.

The film is directed by Wes Ball, known for The Maze Runner and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and written by T.S. Nowlin. It is produced by Columbia Pictures, Nintendo, Arad Productions, and OddBall Entertainment, with Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto and co-producer Avi Arad having developed the project for several years before Nintendo formally announced it in 2023. Principal photography began in November 2025, wrapped in April 2026, and — in a detail that will delight a certain kind of film fan — used some of the same New Zealand locations as Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Nintendo's confidence here is clearly shaped by the extraordinary performance of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which took more than $1.3 billion at the global box office. The studio is now pursuing a second animated Mario film alongside the live-action Zelda project.

Why Zelda toys have been so hard to find

For all its cultural weight, The Legend of Zelda has historically received far more cautious merchandise treatment in the West than Mario. While Mario has appeared in McDonald's Happy Meals, across LEGO sets, and in an active Jakks Pacific toy line, Zelda has never had a major Western toy company deliver a proper collector-grade action figure range at this scale, according to Nintendo Life. UK fans have largely been limited to items from the Nintendo Store or replica accessories from brands such as Paladone.

Hasbro's arrival changes that picture substantially. The company's collector credentials are hard to argue with — Marvel Legends and the Star Wars: The Black Series are among the most respected figure lines in the hobby, noted for articulation, sculpt quality, and consistent retail availability. That same infrastructure is now being pointed at Hyrule.

What remains unknown

Quite a lot, for now. Here is what has not yet been confirmed:

• Which three characters will appear in the first wave
• Whether the figures will be based on the film or the games
• UK retail prices or US prices
• Which retailers will stock the range in the UK or elsewhere
• Any product lines beyond the initial figures

It is also worth noting that Hasbro has been on something of a licensing surge recently. According to Nintendo Life and GamesRadar+, the company has recently secured the Harry Potter merchandise rights and a licence for KPop Demon Hunters toys, making the Zelda deal one of its most high-profile new video game partnerships in years.

The SDCC reveals — just days away — will answer at least some of those questions. A full product picture, including UK pricing and retail partners, is unlikely to emerge until closer to the 2027 launch window.