Nintendo fans rejoiced when the company finally broke its long silence and came out with a Nintendo Direct earlier this year. It was a pretty successful Direct at that, delighting fans with new titles like Splatoon 3 and returns to old spinoff series like Mario Golf: Super Rush. However, what fans were really waiting for was news on how the company planned on celebrating The Legend of Zelda's 35th anniversary. 2021 is expected to be a huge year for the franchise, and to many fans, it's obvious how Nintendo should celebrate. Hopes are high that Nintendo will finally address and possibly even release The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2.
Nintendo hasn't done a sequel to a Zelda game in a little while, but Breath of the Wild was such an overwhelming success that there's no surprise fans are hyped for it. Although Nintendo hasn't had anything new to say, it did address the game in the Direct briefly, making fans hopeful that it'll be out in 2021. However, it might turn out to be way more successful in 2022. It's sure to be a huge hit whenever it releases, but Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 has a very exciting long-term lifespan ahead of it, and might shine the brightest after the 35th anniversary of Zelda is over.
The Star of the Show
Because 2021 is the whole franchise's anniversary, Breath of the Wild 2 certainly won't be Nintendo's only way of celebrating. Fans already know that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is coming to the Switch with an HD remaster. It's highly appropriate that the game released for the 25th anniversary is making a comeback. However, the drawback of such an important Zelda title coming back is that it'll make some fans choose between playing through Skyward Sword again over waiting for Breath of the Wild 2. Since Skyward Sword is a familiar title, though, it likely won't hold fan attention for as long as Breath of the Wild 2 will. Skyward Sword will be a fun piece of nostalgia, but BotW 2 is something fans are desperate for, so they'll be talking about it well into 2022.
It won't just be fans whose attention will be captured by Breath of the Wild well beyond 2021. Odds are that Nintendo has a lot more planned for the game in 2022, assuming the game manages a 2021 release. The first Breath of the Wild was supported by DLCs, a break from Zelda's norm, but a welcome one. Since the DLCs for the first game did so well, it's likely that Nintendo will decide to come up with some expansions for the sequel too. That means 2022 will be filled with more quests to fascinate and entertain Zelda fans through Breath of the Wild 2. The game will have continued playing value well outside 2021 if Nintendo returns to DLCs.
Hope for the Super Switch
There's one more important thing about Nintendo's 2022 that could have something to do with Breath of the Wild 2. Rumors about a Super Switch or Switch Pro continue to float around. If these rumors are true, then Nintendo will surely be stocking the Switch Pro with some really attractive games, and one of them would surely be Breath of the Wild 2. Exploring Hyrule in 4K is something that fans have only dreamt of until now. Supposing the Switch Pro releases in late 2021 or early 2022, odds are that Breath of the Wild 2 will get a big boost from being on this new console. Fans would be more than happy to pick up a next-gen copy of the game.
Breath of the Wild 2 can't be delayed forever. While it makes sense that Nintendo, like so much of the game industry, has had to take its time developing the game recently, it's got to be getting to a presentable state by now. After all, it was announced nearly two years ago, and somehow Nintendo has managed to remain completely silent. It seems exceedingly likely that Breath of the Wild 2 is meant to release in 2021. It would certainly be a good capstone for the franchise's anniversary. However, what fans should really be excited for is how the game could continue to grow into 2022. Nintendo knows it has something really impactful on its hands, and it's sure to capitalize on the game to the benefit of its fans.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is in development for Nintendo Switch.
