Nintendo delays Breath of the Wild 2 but promises "something special"

First-look at the redesigned Master Sword in the new Legend of Zelda

Breath of the Wild 2 and Eiji Aonuma
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo has officially delayed the release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 for Nintendo Switch. 

In a new video (originally posted to Twitter), Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma confirmed that the highly anticipated game will now not arrive until Spring 2023. He did, however, provide a couple more teases, saying that Breath of the Wild 2 will have a "wider variety of features", "new encounters" and "new gameplay elements".

Nintendo has decided to push Breath of the Wild 2 back in an attempt to make the game "something special". While disappointing, it's not entirely that big of a surprise considering the Switch maker was only "aiming" for 2022. I can personally see a late March release date being revealed to coincide with the same month that the original game launched.

Watch the video uploaded by Nintendo confirming Breath of the Wild 2's delay below:

"I have an update to share on the launch timing of the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," said Aonuma. 

"We previously announced that we were aiming for a 2022 release for this game. However, we have decided to extend our development time a bit and change the release to Spring 2023. For those of you who have been looking forward to a release this year, we apologise. 

"As previously announced, the adventure in this sequel will take place not just on the ground as in the previous game but also in the skies above. However, the expanded world goes beyond that, and there will be an even wider variety of features you can enjoy including new encounters and new gameplay elements," he continued.

"In order to make the game's experience something special, the entire development team is continuing to work diligently on this game, so please wait a while longer."

While little new footage was shown, we did get a brief glimpse of Link and the Master Sword's new design. It's pretty cool and a nice little teaser. 

Breath of the Wild 2 new master sword

(Image credit: Nintendo)

This now means it will be six years since Breath of the Wild was originally released on Nintendo Switch. That still hasn't stopped players from discovering new tricks in the game like this electrifying art

To keep up with everything regarding the new Zelda, head to T3's official Breath of the Wild 2 hub.

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Matt Poskitt
Freelance Writer

Matt is a freelance writer for T3, covering news and keeping up with everything games, entertainment, and all manner of tech. You can find his work across numerous sites across the web, including TechRadar, IGN, GamesRadar, Tom's Guide, Fandom, NME, and more. In his spare time, Matt is an avid cinema-goer, keen runner and average golfer (at best). You can follow him @MattPoskitt64