Announced in 2019, a Breath of the Wild sequel has been in the works courtesy of Nintendo and Project Manager Eiji Aonuma. However, the exact details have been scarce during the past 2 years. That drought of information appears to be over thanks to a leak from a popular Austrian retailer Gameware, and some Nintendo pamphlets.
Gameware Leak
Gameware’s online retail page has an entry for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. According to the entry, the game will be released in Q2 2021. Although no official word has come from Nintendo itself, the Q2 potential release date makes logistical sense. With the COVID 19 pandemic situation projected to ease up by the mid to late 2021 period, this gives a more likelihood for a comfortable shipping schedule. This makes more sense than the earlier rumors that purported the game would be released in August of 2020. Although Q2 2021 is quite vague, it may be actually be later than June and as late as September. As no official announcement has been made as of February, the marketing and promotion window for the game would not be sufficient. Should the game have a late August or September release, an official announcement will likely be around March to April. It should be noted that while Gameware is a legitimate and trusted retailer of Nintendo hardware and games, the entry on the site is currently using a photoshopped placeholder. It is not an official game cover art for the Nintendo Switch.
BOTW 2 = Super Switch Info?
An interesting probability is that the Breath of the Wild 2 release might coincide with a new version of the Nintendo Switch! With 80 million units of the Nintendo Switch sold, the most recent primary console of the video game company has surpassed its previous record with the 3DS and is at the heels of the Nintendo Wii. With the Nintendo Wii’s 100+ million units sold, the Switch will likely reach or exceed this latter benchmark by the end of 2021. At this time, there have been no specifics provided of a more advanced version of the Nintendo Switch. However, Nintendo has history of doing such during the first 2 years of its lifespan. This was the case with the Nintendo 3DS (followed by the New Nintendo 3DS and the 3DS XL, respectively). Rumors about a Pro version of the Nintendo Switch have been floating around the industry since 2018. Some have even referred to this potential console as the Super Switch (in reference to the famous Super Famicom/Super Nintendo System aka the SNES). Could the Breath of the Wild sequel be announced with news of this new version of the Nintendo Switch? Time will tell.
What We Do Know For Sure
As of now, the only exact information about Breath of the Wild 2 is a Reddit Leak from r/NintendoSwitch that it will be a darker adventure than the previous entry. As stated on the pamphlet: The Legend of Zelda itself will be celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. A huge announcement should be forthcoming. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is currently under development for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite.
