The sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been delayed until spring 2023. Rumors on Breath of the Wild 2 release date have been gathering pace in recent weeks. Nintendo had hoped to release the game in late 2022. However, an official announcement was made today in a video statement with series producer Eiji Aonuma:
Why has Breath of the Wild 2 been delayed?
“We previously announced that we were aiming for a 2022 release for this game. However, we have decided to extend our development time a bit and change the release to spring 2023. For those of you who have been looking forward to a release this year, we apologize.”
Alongside news on the release date, Aonuma reiterated details of Breath of the Wild 2 and what it may entail.
“As previously announced, the adventure in this sequel will take place not just on the ground as in the previous game, but also in the skies above. However, the expanded world goes beyond that, and there will be an even wider variety of features you can enjoy, including new encounters and new gameplay elements.”
Aonuma asks fans to be patient for the release, saying the team is cooking up “something special.” It is unclear when we will next see Breath of the Wild 2. The last we saw of the game came in last June’s Nintendo Direct, where the latest trailer was revealed. A Nintendo Direct is expected for early June — the usual week E3 would take place — so an update could be possible then.
The delay of Breath of the Wild 2 until spring 2023 is not the only news out of the franchise today. Rumors are swirling around a possible name for the Breath of the Wild sequel: “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of Duality.” Some are hopeful that this will mean both Link and Zelda will be playable in some way.
The Legend of Zelda series producer, Eiji Aonuma, has an update to share about the launch timing of the sequel to The Legend of #Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Please take a look. pic.twitter.com/7OhayhiuM9
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 29, 2022
With The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel release date being pushed out of this year, 2022 has lost one of its biggest games. Thankfully, other hotly-anticipated titles like God of War Ragnarok are still locked in for 2022.
In other news, Techland has confirmed Dying Light 2 will not be getting a battle royale mode anytime soon. Meanwhile, PlayStation Plus changes will not include major “Day one” games like Xbox Game Pass.
