IDK about you, but when I think about the games of this generation, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is right up there. Indeed, it might be my very favourite game of this generation (and it was GAMINGbible's game of the decade, too!). Whether you played it on Wii U or Switch, Nintendo's open-world romp through a devastated Hyrule was a wonderful experience, full of heartwarming characters and dramatic moments, epic battles and some fantastically natural exploration potential. I've put over 200 hours into it, and definitely haven't seen all the 2017 title has to offer.
During E3 2019, Nintendo teased a Breath of the Wild sequel with a short clip showing Zelda and Link reawakening some thought-dead horror from (possibly?) beneath Hyrule Castle. You can see that teaser below, or here. The clip ended with the words, "The sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is now in development." Since then, though, it's all been a bit quiet on the BOTW2 front.
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Now, an update. As reported by VGC and elsewhere, Spanish voice actors working on the Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel have said their contributions are done and dusted. And with voice acting sessions usually amongst the final pieces of any game-production jigsaw puzzle, this could mean that the game is coming to Switch sooner than later.
The actors, Marcel Navarro (who voices Link) and Nerea Alfonso (Zelda), appeared on an iVoox podcast and claimed that they'd wrapped their work on the project. We know that Nintendo had hoped the game would make a 2020 release, but industry insiders have speculated that it won't emerge before 2021. Nintendo is yet to announce any release date for the game beyond the industry-standard TBA - but surely we'll see more of this game in the next major Nintendo Direct, expected later this summer.
With Sony and Microsoft gearing up for huge releases this, ahem, Holiday period, in the shape of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X respectively, you have to wonder what Nintendo will have up its sleeve to ensure the Switch receives competitive support. We know there are Mario series remasters on the way, and there's long been talk of the Metroid Prime trilogy making the move to Switch. But a new Zelda game, launched in time for Christmas? It'd take a few quid away from those other consoles, wouldn't it?
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Or perhaps it'd be safer to wait until the dust has settled on those consoles, for Nintendo to come back with a big new game. I don't know - but I do know the decision on when Nintendo releases this much-anticipated sequel will be somewhat informed by the moves that Xbox and PlayStation make in the coming months. I'm personally hoping it'll come out before 2021 dawns, so I can spend my December break digging into it. But if I have to wait until spring or summer next year, heck, I do not mind at all. After all, I've still got a lot more of BOTW's Hyrule to poke around in - these few hundred remaining Korok seeds aren't going to discover themselves.
Featured Image Credit: NintendoTopics: Switch, Nintendo, Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda