Breath of the Wild is getting the one major update Nintendo couldn't even master

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is getting a multiplayer mode later this year, thanks to a new mod by one dedicated Twitch streamer and a couple of fans of the open world Nintendo Switch game. 

Last year, Eric 'PointCrow' Morino put a $10,000 bounty up for anyone that could successfully create a multiplayer mod for Breath of the Wild. As part of the agreement, the new functionality must be able to support two people, have no restraints on map movements and either run on Switch or CEMU (a Wii U emulator). 

The competition drove a lot of interest and subsequently, a number of concerns surrounding the requirements and costs needed to actually make a multiplayer mode arose. Now after lowering the conditions for completion, two Zelda modders under the name "AlexMangue" and "Sweet" are now working on the project alongside Morino. 

The multiplayer mod for Breath of the Wild is now expected to release in summer later this year. 

"Breath of the Wild multiplayer is happening. Coming to my channels summer 2022," wrote Morino (via Twitter). Responding to user comments, he further confirmed that "eventually it will be made publicly available for everyone to play for free." 

While both modders will receive the $10,000 bounty as promised, the pair have been hired at a further hourly rate to help build out the multiplayer mod as much as possible. The costs are now estimated overall to be "multiple times higher" than the $10,000, yet Morion believes it will still be "well worth it". Anyone interested in playing the multiplayer version of Breath of the Wild will need to buy the game to gain access to the mod.   

Nintendo did not include any multiplayer component in Breath of the Wild and with Breath of the Wild 2 now on the way, is highly unlikely to add one. Whether Breath of the Wild 2 will have any way to play with friends is yet to be seen. I must admit though, being able to explore Hyrule as both Link and Zelda would be pretty great.  

The sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is now scheduled for release in spring 2023, after being delayed from 2022 only at the end of March. To keep up with all the latest news, rumours and everything else, head on over to T3's Breath of the Wild 2 hub