Most of the internet is overjoyed about the announcements of the February 9th Nintendo Direct. As they should be—there was something in there for everyone, from a reboot of “Wii” Sports, to Xenoblade Chronicles 3, to a new Mario Strikers, to a bunch of deeply nerdy classic RPGs.
But there was exactly one thing I wanted more than anything out of that Direct. I know I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. I’ve had my starry-eyed hopes ruthlessly dashed so many times now. And yet, every Direct, I find myself waiting for that final announcement with bated breath, only to suffer crushing disappointment. Yes, my fellow Zelda lovers, all I wanted was another fleeting glimpse of Breath of the Wild 2.
We were told last summer that Breath of the Wild 2 is coming out this year, but there’s two major details we still don’t know about its release: what the exact date is, and what the actual name of the game is. Breath of the Wild 2 is just a placeholder title, used as shorthand by well-meaning-but-lazy internet reporters such as myself. Nintendo has been very carefully referring to the game as “the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.” This is probably because the game’s true subtitle reveals a crucial detail about its central conceit, a la Ocarina of Time or Skyward Sword.
Of course, BotW2‘s absence from the Direct tells us nothing about the subtitle, but it does give us some idea of when we might find out. The likelihood Nintendo is saving the announcement for E3 is now approximately 99.99%. E3 Directs are where the other two trailers for BotW2 have dropped, after all, and it’s where gaming companies show off their biggest titles. BotW2 is, almost inarguably, Nintendo’s most anticipated title. Unfortunately, E3 is in June. So while saving more BotW2 information for E3 makes sense, more waiting is… very lame.
As for when the actual release date may be: the February 9th Direct was largely focused on games coming out in the first half of the year, with the exception of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, which comes out in September. If that’s the next Big Date announced for a Switch release, it seems likely that we’re looking at an October / November / December release for BotW2. I’d put my money on November, which tends to be a big month for releases. Either way, that would make Q4 absolutely massive for the Switch, because Bayonetta 3 will probably also be released in that window.
Honestly … 2022 in general is massive for the Switch. This is fortunate, because it means that Zelda fans like myself will have a lot to keep us busy while we continue our diligent wait. Car Kirby will be a lovely distraction from my impatience.
(Image via Nintendo)
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