Fans ofThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildreally hoped that 2022 would be the year that its long-awaited sequel released, and for a while, it looked like that would be the case. Leaks and rumors strongly suggested that Nintendo was committed to launching the sequel this year, but at long last, Nintendo has confirmed that its plans have changed. Thanks to a new statement from longtimeLegend of Zeldadirector and producer Eiji Aonuma, fans now know thatThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2won’t release until spring 2023. At the very least, the mention of spring provides fans with a decent release window.
Since spring 2023 is about a year away, Nintendo probably won’t provide an official release date forthe delayedBreath of the Wildsequelfor several months, but there is one strong candidate. It could be that Nintendo now plans to releaseBreath of the Wild 2on March 3rd, 2023. Not only would that be a generally good day for a video game release, but it also happens to be the date of a couple important Nintendo anniversaries. Since it’s relevant to these anniversaries, and it’s a hotly demanded game overall,Breath of the Wild 2would be the perfect way to celebrate.
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Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Upcoming Birthday
March 3rd of next year seems like the perfect day to launchBreath of the Wild 2because it’s the same day that the firstBreath of the Wildreleased. As soon asZeldafans got their hands onThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,it made a tremendously positive impression, and it has since gone on to become one of the most highly acclaimed titles in the franchise.Breath of the Wild 2ought to revel in that success. It wouldn’t exist without everything thatBotWhas achieved, after all, so it ought to acknowledgetheZeldafranchise’s growthhowever it can.
Nintendo couldn’t ask for a more perfect day of the week tocelebrateBreath of the Wild’s birthdaywith a new game. March 3rd lands on a Friday next year. Game developers of all kinds love releasing games on Fridays, and for good reason, since it encourages fans to pick up the game on launch so that they can play it through the weekend.Zeldafans who have spent years hungry forBreath of the Wild 2would certainly be eager to use the whole weekend to play this long-awaited game. Nintendo and theZeldacommunity could both benefit from a March 3rd release, so it’s a clear choice.
The Anniversary of the Nintendo Switch Release
Breath of the Wildisn’t the only thing that made its debut on March 3rd. Crucially, it wasa launch title for the Nintendo Switch. On March 3rd, 2017, Nintendo’s curious modular console finally made its debut and impressed fans everywhere.Breath of the Wildwas pivotal in drumming up interest in the Switch; such a well-received launch title made a strong argument for investing in Nintendo’s experimental new console.
SinceBreath of the Wildand the Switch have such a strongly interconnected history, it only makes sense thatBreath of the Wild 2would borrow its predecessor’s launch date, encouraging fans to consider how far both theZeldafranchise and Nintendo’s thriving console have come. It would be a great occasion for Nintendo to celebrate both theZeldafranchise and the Switch itself. WhileZeldafans get their hands on a new game, Nintendo could announce some major new Switch content, whether it makes plans fora large-scale update to Nintendo Switch Onlineor it finally reveals the elusive rumored Switch Pro.
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A March 3 Nintendo Extravaganza
Nintendo would certainly be wise toannounce the Switch Proon the same day thatBreath of the Wild 2releases. WhileBreath of the Wild 2will be available on the standard Switch, Nintendo could reveal that it’ll also get a second release on a new Nintendo console with even better graphics and performance. Considering how the firstBreath of the Wildgame helped the Switch,Breath of the Wild 2has lots of potential to be a similar poster child for a Switch Pro or any other upcoming Nintendo console.
It would be great to see Nintendo turn March 3rd into a major celebration of Nintendo games.Breath of the Wild 2’s launch could be accompanied by announcements of major new games bound for both Nintendo Switch and a new Nintendo console.Pikmin 4andMario Kart 9could finally rear their heads, while Nintendo could finally give fans a new look atthe long-lostMetroid Prime 4if it doesn’t crop up in 2022. A sequel toSuper Mario Odysseywould also be an excellent game to announce on the same day thatBreath of the Wild 2releases, sinceOdyssey 2would also stem from a game that helped define the Switch in its first year of life. The bolder Nintendo gets withBreath of the Wild 2’s release, the better.
Fans shouldn’t hold their breath for aBotW2release date confirmation. The game could definitely make an appearance atNintendo’s E3 2022 presentation, but with the release window so far away, it wouldn’t be surprising it Nintendo waited to confirm the date until late 2022, after some of its other upcoming titles have released. Once the air has cleared, Nintendo could start discussingBreath of the Wild 2in more detail, potentially providing fans with a proper release date sometime in Q3 or Q4 of this year.
As sad asBreath of the Wild 2’s delay is, it’s still a good sign.Nintendo is taking this title very seriouslyand clearly wants to get it right, rather than disappointing fans with a sequel that’s rushed to meet demand. In development terms,Breath of the Wild 2will be just fine. The real question is how Nintendo plans on marketing the game next year. A March 3rd release seems like it would provide some excellent opportunities to push bothBreath of the Wild 2and other Nintendo products, so hopefully that’s the date that Nintendo has in mind. Fans will just have to wait and see for now.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2releases in spring 2023 for Nintendo Switch.
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