Nintendo delays Breath of the Wild sequel to 2023

Bad news, Zelda fans: the follow-up to the immensely popular Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild won’t be here until next year.

In a video posted today, Eiji Aonuma (the producer of the Legend of Zelda series) stated that the sequel to 2017’s Breath of the Wild (BotW) will be delayed until Spring 2023. The game (which still lacks an official title) was originally slated for release sometime in late 2022. Aonuma apologized for the delay in the video.

The sequel, which was first announced in the summer of 2019, will directly follow the events of BotW. Little detail has been released outside of a teaser trailer, which shows what appears to be a desiccated skeleton (possibly some version of Ganon or Ganondorf) coming back to life and consuming the Master Sword and Link’s right arm (which appears to get replaced with a Sheikah-style robotic appendage). Link is also expected to get a few new Sheikah powers, including one that allows him to tunnel through surfaces and platforms.

The announcement video gave a few more broad details about the game, though. According to Aonuma, the game will take place not only on the ground but also in the skies and “beyond,” suggesting that there will be at least two separate realms for Link to explore (a la Skyward Sword). As mentioned above, details are very scant.

Hopefully the game will get here before the sequel to the Nintendo Switch arrives. In the meantime, you can always tackle the 120 Shrines or hunt for the hundreds of Korok seeds in the original game while you wait.

What do you think about the delay of the sequel to Breath of the Wild? Have you played the original game? Let us know in the comments.

Buy The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or a Nintendo Switch at Amazon.