‘Zelda: BOTW 2’ Release Date Delay Could Hint at a New Nintendo Switch Console

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 fans sighed when Nintendo delayed the BOTW 2 release date to Spring 2023. However, some think Nintendo has even bigger plans for the next Princess Zelda and Link adventure. Rumors popped up online that BOTW 2 will not only release on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch OLED but on an entirely new console, too. The rumors suggest fans might restore the Master Sword to fight Ganondorf on a Nintendo Switch Pro in 4k soon.

Along with the ‘BOTW 2’ delay, fans noticed other hints at the rumored Nintendo Switch Pro

While Nintendo first announced BOTW 2 for Nintendo Switch at E3 in June 2019, the game suffered several delays. The delay pushed it back so much it became the longest development time between console Legend of Zelda games (even though the gap between A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time was padded by some odd entries like the CD-i games).

However, fans finally felt confident that they could return to Hyrule in 2022. Unfortunately, the gaming community ran into a string of disappointing announcements, with Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 delayed and 2022 E3 canceled.

There might be a silver lining, though. A NVIDIA leak sparked rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2, Pro, or another new console coming sooner than later.

Tom’s Guide reported “Nvidia suffered a serious data breach” in early March, “but most relevant to Nintendo fans is the reveal of the Nvidia DLSS source code.”

“This source code includes reference to something labeled ‘NVN2’ … the current Nintendo Switch is referred to as ‘NVN’ in the same database,” Tom’s Guide noted. “This would certainly suggest that a successor to the Nintendo Switch is in some stage of development.”

Fans suspect the new Nintendo Switch game ‘BOTW 2’ is already nearly complete

While the Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 delay strengthens the Nintendo Switch Pro rumors from the NVIDIA leak, something else caught fans’ attention.

Nintendo revealed new footage for BOTW 2, including a look at the ruined Master Sword. It sparked several wild Zelda theories, but more importantly, the footage looked like completed cutscenes.

Longtime fans of Nintendo know that the company puts fun gameplay first and story second, even in Legend of Zelda games. Nintendo showing off cutscenes for the Breath of the Wild sequel made fans think the game is already nearly complete.

BOTW 2 is one of the most anticipated video games. The only reason for Nintendo to delay and mostly finished the game would be to release it on a new console.

However, this conflicts with some earlier information.

Despite ‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2’ delay, Nintendo maintains the console has life left

The facts seem to line up if Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD to tide fans over. They could work on the rumored Nintendo Switch 2 or Pro and guarantee an incentive for fans to buy their new console.

However, President Shuntaro Furukawa said the Nintendo Switch was only “in the middle of its lifecycle.”

“Switch is just in the middle of its lifecycle, and the momentum going into this year is good. The Switch is ready to break a pattern of our past consoles that saw momentum weakening in their sixth year on the market and grow further,” Furukawa said on a call after the earnings report (via Bloomberg).

With Nintendo teasing tiny bits of information, fans can only dig more on their own for what comes next for Link, Zelda, and the Master Sword.