Given the sheer popularity of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it comes as no surprise that a sequel is in development. Rumors and supposed leaks run amok about the game, but if there's one thing that is all but guaranteed, it's that Breath of the Wild 2's release date is far off. Curiously, it appears late 2021 or even 2022 are the most concrete windows at this time, emphasis on at this time. Development is a fickle game, and it seems that Nintendo likely announced it early in this cycle.
After all, the original BotW released in 2017, so it was barely 2-years-old at the time of Breath of the Wild 2's announcement. Information since then has been sparse as well, with the real only concrete information being that the original's map is being re-used. There are rumors on how that map is going to change, whether Zelda is going to be playable or not, and much, much more, but as far as concrete information goes, there's still next to nothing.
This is all to say that it's early in development and likely won't have a serious marketing campaign for sometime. It's overdue for more information, though, and while more is likely to drop during an Nintendo Direct this summer, a release date is not likely for quite a while longer. The question becomes why reveal it so early when the industry's natural rumor-mongering would have purported this anyway, and the answer may surprisingly be with The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.
Breath of the Wild 2 and Link's Awakening
Breath of the Wild 2 was first shown off with a small teaser trailer at E3 2019, and it was a surprise, to be sure. No one expected it so soon, and it was just a teaser. The internet ran amok with Ganondorf memes and the like, and even though the original was enough to keep the "great games on Nintendo Switch" conversation alive, announcing this game kept the future of the hybrid console on a lot of tongues. Of course, this translated well to the next release: Link's Awakening.
It released in September 2020 and its reception was, at the time, somewhat surprising. Link's Awakening broke Nintendo Switch records upon release, and given that it's not a bigger name like Ocarina of Time (though still with a respectable presence in the Zelda universe), many were shocked. Its record sales were a combination of things though: nostalgia and general love for the franchise's past and excitement for its future. Revealing games early in a development cycle can usually be risk, because as things go awry, anticipation fades. But for something as classic as The Legend of Zelda, that's an actionable weapon. Revealing BotW2 at E3 2019 helped slam Link's Awakening in September 2019, and its development alone being known can help with more.
How Many Zelda Games Are On the Nintendo Switch
Now, The Legend of Zelda is arguably Nintendo's biggest franchise and easily one of its flagships. Its Switch is one of its biggest releases in years. Combining the two seems like a recipe for success, but at this time, only the highly rated Breath of the Wild and Link's Awakening have officially released for it. A Link to the Past is available, but only as part of SNES Online. So the question becomes: how many MORE games will come to the Nintendo Switch?
Breath of the Wild 2's development cycle is a known fact, but what else is up Nintendo's sleeves remains to be seen. It could be that Zelda remakes aren't that big of a focus, or it could be that alongside BoTW2, more could end up on the console in the next few years. Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask would all make a splash if appropriately remade for the Nintendo Switch, all bolstered by the idea that out there in the intangible spaces of the the internet, Breath of the Wild 2 exists.
Granted, this may just be a pipe dream and is certainly nothing more than speculation, but Zelda is a console seller, the Switch is a Nintendo property seller, and Breath of the Wild 2 is a Zelda seller. It's not hard to draw those connections.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is in development.
