Nintendo has announced a Breath of the Wild sequel delay. The upcoming sequel to 2017's influential open-world game was due to arrive this year, but will instead now launch in Spring 2023, as Nintendo needs a little more development time on the project.
What's the reason for this Breath of the Wild sequel delay?
The Breath of the Wild sequel was first announced back in 2019. Nintendo subsequently released a trailer showing the game off in 2021, but since then, we've heard very little about it. Now, series producer Eiji Aonuma has revealed that the game will be delayed; it's now set to launch in Spring 2023 rather than its original release window of 2022. In a video announcing the delay, Aonuma, who speaks directly to camera against a black background, says that the team is working to make the game "something special", but that more time is needed to achieve this.
Aonuma points to the expanded mechanics of the Breath of the Wild sequel, as well as the massively expanded play area, although he never explicitly states that these are the reasons for the delay. However, we can infer that development perhaps isn't as far along as Nintendo would have liked, given the scope and ambition of this sequel. As compensation, we did get to see what looks to be some new footage, albeit just snippets. This includes Link examining what looks to be a broken Master Sword, although of course, we don't know how that's going to fit into the wider plot (nor, indeed, what the wider plot actually is).
What do we know about the Breath of the Wild sequel?
The upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel is relatively shrouded in mystery. While we've seen some gameplay footage, we still aren't sure what the plot will be, but we do know the game will take place after Breath of the Wild and will allow Link to explore both the land of Hyrule and the skies above it. Nintendo spokesman Bill Trinen says there is an official subtitle for the game, but that it's not being revealed yet in order to retain an air of mystery. Gameplay-wise, Link will have an expanded set of tools, including the ability to phase through solid ground. There's no word yet on whether the game will feature the much-coveted multiplayer mode, despite a YouTuber famously offering a $10,000 bounty for a multiplayer mod for the original game.
We'll likely learn more about the Breath of the Wild sequel in the coming months. In some ways, this announcement is a blessing; while a 2022 release window is pretty vague, "spring 2023" at least nails things down to some degree. While you wait for the Breath of the Wild sequel, you can, of course, play the excellent original on Switch right now. It's also well worth checking out the musou spinoff Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, which is a Breath of the Wild prequel. Don't worry if you're new to the series; this is an easier recommendation to a newbie than even the original Hyrule Warriors was.
