On March 29th, 2022, Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma announced that the launch of the highly anticipated sequel to 2017’s The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild is being delayed to Spring 2023, out of its target 2022 window. This announcement came from a video posted on Nintendo’s various Twitter accounts.
Aonuma reiterates in the video that the game will “take place not just on the ground as in the previous game, but also in the skies above.” Elements of this are shown in the gameplay reveal trailer released last summer. Aonuma also states, “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.”
This news doesn’t come as much of a surprise due to the ambitions that the Zelda team usually has for new installments in the series, along with the daunting task of making sure fan expectations are met after the wild and continued success of the original Breath of the Wild. The targeted 2022 release date that was previously announced seemed loose to begin with so news of a delay shouldn’t really surprise anyone, even though it may be disappointing to those who are waiting eagerly for the sequel.
It will be interesting to discover just how expanded the sequel becomes in its gameplay. It sounds like the team is hard at work creating a bunch of new experiences for the sequel to allow it to be more representative of a sequel vs. an expansion to the original game. Here’s hoping we get to see some more details (and maybe an actual title) at this year’s summer gaming events.
