FromSoftware's Elden Ring is a Game of the Year frontrunner for 2022, both because of the game's inherent qualities and because much of its potential competition has been pushed to 2023. Bethesda's Starfield, Square Enix's Final Fantasy 16, and Rocksteady's Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League have seen delays among others, likely in-part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, one of the biggest delays came this March when Nintendo announced The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 will release in spring 2023.
The Zelda series is no stranger to delays, particularly the first Breath of the Wild. It was originally in development for Wii U, teased as early as 2013, and planned to release in 2015. After numerous small showcases, the game officially released in 2017 as a Switch launch title - though its subtitle "Breath of the Wild" was not announced until E3 2016. With Breath of the Wild 2's prospective release date approaching, Nintendo should take a cue from BioWare and reveal the true title for its long-anticipated sequel.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's Title Reveal and Speculation
BioWare is an acclaimed studio best known for its slate of single-player, choice-driven RPGs, with the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises being its bread and butter. While the studio's reputation took a hit off the back-to-back failures of Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem, many are still hopeful about its upcoming slate with Mass Effect 4 and Dragon Age: Dreadwolf.
Dreadwolf is a particularly interesting case, having been revealed at The Game Awards 2018 with a short teaser that didn't lead to much beyond a couple of snippets during events like The Game Awards 2020. BioWare did not unveil the name Dragon Age: Dreadwolf until June 2022, and while there is plenty more to learn about the upcoming adventure, a lot can be gleaned from its title. As BioWare's official announcement blog post discusses, Dreadwolf is a reference to elven mage Solas: the titular Dread Wolf who has earned "a reputation as something of a trickster deity - a player of dark and dangerous games."
However, fan speculation has suggested this title may indicate more than appears on the surface. For one thing, the title Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is a departure from prior entries given their titles often put emphases on the player-protagonist rather than the villain. BioWare confirms Solas will still be an antagonist, but the balance of power is likely more in his favor. Another fan pointed out that Dreadwolf is an anagram for "Fade World," which caught the attention of former producer Mike Darrah on Twitter. Given the game makes Solas' moniker one word rather than two, it's possible there could be even more to pick out.
How Zelda Games Have Used Their Titles
There's a lot of power in names, and BioWare's Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is just one example of creative video game titles defining their experiences. Dreams Uncorporated's Cris Tales is another recent example of a name with lots of layers behind it, referencing the main character Crisbell as well as her control over time crystals. Creative director Carlos Andres Rocha Silva told Game Rant the title was also intended to work as a pun in multiple languages, being pronounced either like "crystals" or its Spanish translation "cristales." That said, there are times when numerals alone can sell a concept. Goat Simulator 3's title drew interest after its announcement at Summer Game Fest 2022 because Coffee Stain Studios skipped over "Goat Simulator 2" to emphasize its comedic bent.
Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series leans in the direction of fitting a name to each entry's unique elements. More often than not these titles are surface-level references to major plot elements, from Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker being the instruments Link uses to affect the world to Twilight Princess' twist that its title is referring to Midna rather than the series' namesake. Further examples include A Link Between Worlds where players literally travel between Hyrule and Lorule, or Skyward Sword pointing to Link's journey above the clouds - as well as the game's iconic Skyward Strike technique tied into its motion controls. Even spin-off titles follow this trend, with Tri-Force Heroes making reference to its three-player cooperative conceit.
Breath of the Wild 2 Would Benefit from Its Subtitle Announcement
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild clearly followed suit, primarily being a reference to the wilderness and ruins of Hyrule that Link explores after he wakes up from a 100-year slumber in the Shrine of Resurrection. The game's open-world environment and sense of exploration was its chief selling point, serving as a "breath of fresh air" following numerous entries focused on getting to the next dungeon with more linear narratives.
Nintendo is keeping Breath of the Wild 2's subtitle secret specifically because it contains integral information akin to its predecessors. While that's fine as a creative decision, it has been frustrating to many fans. The Breath of the Wild sequel was first teased at E3 2019, and as of this writing it isn't scheduled to release until nearly four years after that reveal. That's a long time to keep a game's name under wraps, and Nintendo has already missed its chance to make a parallel of Breath of the Wild, which had its subtitle announced during the E3 season prior to launch.
If Dragon Age: Dreadwolf proves anything, it's that revealing a game title years after initial teasers can do wonders for reinvigorating interest. Hype for any given video game is often contingent on how much is available for fans to discuss and theorize about, and a title like Dreadwolf leaves plenty of room for speculation. Breath of the Wild 2 would benefit from similar attention before it releases next year, so Nintendo would be wise to announce an official subtitle sooner rather than later.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 releases spring 2023 for Nintendo Switch.