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E3 2019: Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel 'already in development'

Nintendo confirmed that the next Zelda is in active development for Switch.

David Craddock

June 11, 2019 9:35 AM

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Nintendo capped of its E3 2019 Direct with confirmation that the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is in development for Nintendo Switch.

Now, this news in and of itself isn’t exactly a shocker. Most development studios shift key members of their teams onto new projects once a current game is content complete. That means long-time Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma and other leads have been laying groundwork for this game since winter 2017 at the latest. Likely sooner.

What is intriguing is that the game appears to be a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild. Link and Zelda were shown in the Breath of the Wild forms, and shots of the world map made an appearance as well. This could mean that the game—call it “Breath of the Wild 2” just as a working title—could use bits and pieces of the original game: characters, areas, items, you name it.

If “Breath of the Wild 2” does recycle assets from its predecessor, that could mean a shorter-than-expected development time. I don’t expect a release date earlier than, say, holiday 2020—a perfect way to keep Nintendo in the conversation while Sony and Microsoft have much of the industry talking about Xbox “Scarlett” and PlayStation 5. 

Should Nintendo let any other details slip during E3 2019, you can be sure Shacknews will bring you the info. We’ve been covering the show extensively so far, including recaps of Bethesda’s conference and other Nintendo announcements such as a release date for The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening coming out this fall.

David Craddock

Long Reads Editor

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.