The Legend of Zelda is one of the longest-running gaming franchises of all time. Constantly reiterating on its core ideas, The Legend of Zelda games have remained relevant throughout their run, and fans remain ever-excited to see what Nintendo plans to do next.
There's little doubt that the next mainline game in the series is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, but Nintendo is keeping its secrets pretty close to the chest. Since information is paper-thin right now, it's quite possible that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 might not see the light of day until 2022. However, it might just be a blessing in disguise for a multitude of reasons.
The Switch Pro Should Launch Alongside Breath of The Wild 2
The heavily-rumored Switch Pro seems to be becoming more of a reality than ever, with new reports regarding the console coming in at a consistent pace. Nintendo has been spending more money on R&D for the next platform, which suggests that the company might be onto something. There's a high likelihood that the Switch Pro might be more than a "Switch with a 4K screen," since reports suggest the use of a DLSS 2.0 equipped Nvidia Tegra chip along with 8 GB of RAM.
This is sure to give players a significant boost in performance, which should bode especially well for huge titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. While 2017's Breath of the Wild was great in a lot of aspects, the game's technical performance wasn't perfect. Players shouldn't expect much better for the sequel, as the game would probably double down on the open-world aspects.
However, launching the game alongside the new Switch Pro could help fans who feel bothered by these issues. It's likely that Nintendo might use something akin to Xbox's FPS Boost to give players on powerful hardware performance gains and Breath of the Wild 2 could really use the added benefit.
There's also a possibility of the rumored Switch Pro actually being the successor to the Nintendo Switch. Even if that turns out to be the case, the looming possibility of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 being a launch title for the console can't be denied. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was announced in 2014 as a Wii U game, but was quickly met with a lot of delays leading up to the game being a launch title for the Nintendo Switch alongside the Wii U.
Breathing Room For The Legend of Zelda Second Wind Mod
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild might be more than four years old at this point, but fans are still finding new and interesting ways to interact with the game. In addition to the plethora of undiscovered secrets and glitches, the modding community has steadily been growing at a rapid pace. Many of these modders have now joined forces in an effort to create an unofficial expansion pack for the game, titled Second Wind.
The Second Wind mod aims to add a bunch of new things to the Zelda experience which includes new side quests to tackle, areas to explore, armor pieces to collect, and bosses to fight with a brand new martial arts fighting style. There's a lot more to it, and lead developer CEOBrainz has teased traditional Zelda dungeons being included in the package as well.
The expansion is scheduled to release in two parts, with the first Labors of the Hero already being in beta testing by a community of over 5,000 players. While the mod might be only compatible with the emulated version of the Wii U port of the game but remains an interesting one to check out nevertheless. With Breath of the Wild 2 being potentially slated for next year for release, players might just jump into the Second Wind expansion and it hopefully gets ample time to shine.
Space and Time Away From Horizon Forbidden West
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 and Horizon: Forbidden West might be exclusive to different platforms, but their similarities can't be ignored. Both games are open world with a focus on exploration and combat, albeit with some unique bells and whistles. While information about Horizon Forbidden West is still paper-thin, the game is still targeting a 2021 release window.
If that's the case, a 2022 release date for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 might just be better off. Not only will fans have the time and willingness to purchase both titles, but the spacing should also help in making sure fans aren't burnt out by these strikingly similar-but-radically different open worlds.
All The Time Needed For Development
It's most likely that the silence surrounding The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 can be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic. Game development isn't an easy thing, and the shift to a work-from-home culture has certainly caused many internal delays. While there's not much evidence to prove that in the case of Breath of the Wild 2, the surrounding silence more or less explains it quite a bit.
Many have speculated that Nintendo internally planned for a 2021 release date, which seems unlikely after the last Nintendo Direct. Provided that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is instead now targeting for a 2022 release, the team could have the required time to polish the final product and fix any bugs or issues that the team might have encountered in development. Most fans have now come to terms with a delay being a far better option than a rushed release, so the option shouldn't likely come with many negative repercussions.
In the meantime, players have a lot to look forward to. Nintendo is re-releasing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Nintendo Switch, which should scratch the Zelda itch for fans who never owned a Nintendo Switch. While some fans might consider Skyward Sword to be one of the lower points in the series, many ideas of Breath of the Wild such as a stamina meter stem from the game, making it a must-play for series fans.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2Â is in development for Nintendo Switch.