When The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild released, it was met with a lot of critical and commercial success. So when the sequel was announced, Nintendo fans were pleased their journey with Link and Zelda would continue. However, since the initial reveal there has been limited news on the game. With E3 2021 around the corner, and the reported reveal of a Nintendo Switch Pro incoming, it could be time fans finally see some new footage of Breath of the Wild 2.
During E3, Nintendo could show Breath of the Wild 2 gameplay taking full advantage of the Nintendo Switch Pro's reported 4K capabilities to get fans hyped for the release of the game and console the same way the original game did in 2017. When Breath of the Wild came out, it was the first major game released for the Nintendo Switch and was a great showcase of the new console's capabilities.
Now, the Nintendo Switch Pro is reportedly being announced before E3 to release in the fall, and while Breath of the Wild 2 could potentially drop around the same time, it doesn't necessarily have to. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are set to release in November and will help drive initial sales of the Nintendo Switch Pro. However, showing footage of Breath of the Wild 2 at E3 2021 on the Nintendo Switch Pro could help drive console sales in a different way.
What's Known About Breath of the Wild 2 So Far
Announcing a later release date for Breath of the Wild 2, like in March 2022 to celebrate the original Switch's five-year anniversary, could drum up excitement and drive sales. Gamers could also theoretically use this time to land their own Nintendo Switch Pro if a shortage of consoles occurs when it launches.
Breath of the Wild 2 was revealed during Nintendo's E3 2019 presentation. A short trailer featured Link and Zelda exploring a cave where it appears remnants of Calamity Gannon reside. The clip did confirm the game would be a sequel and not DLC. Since then, though, details have been pretty scarce. However, during a February 2021 Nintendo Direct, viewers were given a short update on the Breath of the Wild sequel and told that production on the game was going smoothly and more information would be revealed later this year.
Showing footage of Breath of the Wild 2 running on a new Nintendo Switch Pro could be just what Aonuma is referring to. While it's still a bit too early to know for sure if the Breath of the Wild sequel will be shown off at E3 this year, it's certainly possible more footage is being held until after the Switch Pro reveal.