A new report regarding The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 points to the game launching in November 2022, something that the series has a history with.
The rumoured release date for Nintendo Switch was shared by IGN co-founder and chief content officer Peer Schneider during episode 591 of the NVC (Nintendo Voice Chat) podcast. While Breath of the Wild 2 was notably missing from The Game Awards 2021, Schneider shared that he spoke with "some people in the industry" at the event and the game is still expected to make its current 2022 release.
The IGN boss then later on nonchalantly mentions a November release date for Breath of the Wild 2, when speaking about open-world games on Switch. If these comments are to be believed, this would be great news for eager fans, after Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma confirmed at E3 2021 that the studio is "aiming for a 2022 release".
The full podcast (and specific quote) can be viewed below:
"I was able to hang out with some people in the industry afterwards and it does sound like Nintendo is going to have a pretty good year next year. So I would not take the absence of big stuff as like a sign that maybe Breath of the Wild is delayed, or that they don't have other stuff because it sounds like people at Nintendo are very excited about 2022," the full quote from Schneider reads:
Schneider's colleagues on the podcast all immediately (and quite comically) jump in afterwards, seemingly surprised by this information as well. Nintendo does have a bit of a history with releasing mainline Zelda games in November, with A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword all launching during that month. Most recently, The Legend of Zelda Game & Watch launched on November 12th, 2021.
Unfortunately, Zelda also has a big history of delaying its games following its initial release window. I personally can see a November launch date being announced, before being pushed to somewhere near March 2023 to tie in with the six-year anniversary of the original Breath of the Wild. Nintendo usually hosts a big Nintendo Direct at the beginning of each year, so there's a good chance we'll hear more information then.
Looking forward to the next Zelda? Then make sure to check out T3's Breath of the Wild 2 hub, where you'll find the latest news, trailers, rumours, and everything else.
