The Nintendo Switch game lineup was primed to have one of its most exciting years to date, but it looks like the Zelda Breath of the Wild sequel release date is going to slip. Having already dropped Pokémon Legends: Arceus and with the Gen 9 Pokémon Scarlet and Violet titles on the way, among others, 2022 was set to be massive year for Nintendo’s biggest franchises. And while it will still be quite a notable lineup, arguably the most anticipated title of all has now been confirmed for a 2023 release. Head below for more details.
Zelda Breath of the Wild sequel release date slips to next year
The Legend of Zelda series producer, Eiji Aonuma, took to the official Nintendo Twitter feed just a short time ago to deliver the bad news. Citing the need for more development time, Aonuma has now confirmed the Zelda Breath of the Wild sequel release date will slip into next year. After being set with a 2022 launch – most folks expected it in the latter half of the year – and it making our best of E3 2021 list, the game is now been slated for a “spring 2023” launch window.
Here’s the (not so) special message from Eiji Aonuma:
As disappointing as this is, in the end, it will just give the team more time to polish the experience. The Zelda Breath of the Wild sequel will take place on the ground (in Hyrule?) and up in the skies, as we saw both from the previous E3 trailer and teased as part of today’s release date update above, and it sounds the folks on the Zelda team are going to need more time to ensure it lives up to the massive expectations the original Breath of the Wild set back in 2017.
In the meantime, go score this rare deal on Nintendo’s Game & Watch Zelda handheld console and check out the recent release of Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask for Switch Online.
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