The Game Awards 2021 came and went, and much to Zelda fans’ disappointment, there was no mention of the highly-anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. Breath of the Wild 2 has been kept tightly under wraps since its announcement at July 2019’s E3 conference, and with only two trailers to tease the game’s development out so far, fans have their eyes peeled for any new information as they eagerly await the game’s release. The game’s title still has yet to be revealed, and with 2022 fast approaching, the chances of a release in the first half of the year are growing slimmer.
Rumors circulated about a Breath of the Wild 2 trailer premiering at The Game Awards 2021 in the days leading up to the event after host Geoff Keighly tweeted about a special upcoming World Premiere for a game that had been in development for 2.5 years. Fans quickly noticed that this time frame fit the announcement and development of Breath of the Wild 2, and with its nomination for Most Anticipated Game, some speculated that the game would make a show-stopping appearance with a brand new trailer. However, Nintendo made no mention of the long-awaited sequel and was notably absent from most of the show with no major announcements or trailers for any of their upcoming games.
It seems that Nintendo passed on an opportunity to show off the upcoming Zelda game at one of the most highly-viewed gaming events of the year, and the absence of Zelda at The Game Awards makes it more likely that the game won’t be released until much later in 2022. As of right now, it seems that Breath of the Wild’s sequel won’t be delayed into 2023 as Nintendo waited until this year to reveal its release window of 2022, and Breath of the Wild 2 already has an Amazon listing with a general release date of December 2022 despite its lack of box art and an official title. However, with the limited advertising for the game so far, Nintendo may be planning to reveal more information in 2022, making a release in the first half of the year unlikely.
Why Breath of the Wild 2 May Not Be Released Until Late 2022
Breath of the Wild won Game of the Year in 2017, but it had a history with The Game Awards in the years leading up to its release as well. The first gameplay of Breath of the Wild was shown off at The Game Awards 2014, and both a new trailer and exciting new gameplay footage were featured at The Game Awards 2016, the same year it won the award for Most Anticipated Game. After that, Breath of the Wild was shown one more time in a 3-minute trailer at the Nintendo Switch Presentation in January of 2017 before it was released two months later in March.
Looking at the company’s past, it’s likely that Nintendo will be hosting another presentation or Direct in January or February of 2022, giving them another opportunity to reveal more Breath of the Wild 2 gameplay at the beginning of the year. However, with the notable lack of trailers and gameplay footage released in comparison to the original Breath of the Wild, it’s unclear whether Nintendo is making a concerted effort to keep the game as secret as possible or if they’re planning on releasing more trailers throughout the upcoming year. Nintendo of America’s senior project marketing manager Bill Trinen stated to IGN that the Breath of the Wild sequel's title is currently being kept secret since it may reveal spoilers about the game that Nintendo doesn't want to reveal yet, such as details about what its plot might involve.
Zelda fans may be familiar by now with Nintendo’s habit of teasing new games in the series long before their intended release, with titles and information about plot and setting coming much later after initial announcements. Breath of the Wild was unnamed for a long time after the first glimpse of gameplay came in 2014, and players had to wait two whole years before the title was finally announced. When Skyward Sword was first teased at E3 in 2009, it wasn’t until 2010 that the game’s full name was revealed, a year before its release in 2011. Both titles were revealed at E3 conferences, and while Breath of the Wild 2 has been unnamed for 2 and a half years now, it falls into pattern with the previous games in the franchise, which could also suggest that players won’t be getting a name drop for Breath of the Wild 2 until the next E3 in summer of 2022.
If Breath of the Wild 2’s release follows the timelines of its predecessors, then it’s likely that the game’s release will be firmly situated in the latter half of 2022. Additionally, both of the Breath of the Wild 2 trailers out so far were featured during E3 conferences, making it seem all the more likely that the game will appear at 2022’s E3 as well. While it’s still possible that Nintendo will reveal the title earlier in the year during a Nintendo Direct, that doesn’t rule out the possibility of a late release considering the lack of information, trailers, and gameplay footage released for the game so far. With only two short trailers out so far, Nintendo’s advertising opportunities are becoming more and more limited as the year-long release window approaches, and any new information will have to be revealed in the early half of 2022.
However, there is still a slim possibility that Breath of the Wild 2 will be released shortly after a January or February presentation like the original Breath of the Wild. With Breath of the Wild 2 being nominated for Most Anticipated Game at The Game Awards 2021 without so much as a title, it’s clear that Nintendo doesn’t necessarily need a ton of advertising to get this game to sell, and the game’s long-awaited release may break the mold of the franchise’s previous installments. For now, players can only wait with bated breath as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 prepares for release next year.