The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was 2017's game of the year for many fans and critics. Nintendo's open-world action adventure epic was praised as one of gaming's most immersive experiences, allowing players to take their own route to defeating Ganon and returning the Divine Beasts to their natural state.

At 2017's Game Awards, Breath of the Wild picked up multiple wins, including Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, and Best Action/Adventure Game, while being nominated for multiple other awards. To put it simply, Breath of the Wild was a game enjoyed by many and is still used as a comparitive for AAA open-world released, with fans noting the differences between Breath of the Wild and Red Dead Redemption 2's approaches to horseback riding, for example.

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It seems that it's not just Nintendo fans that can appreciate Breath of the Wild though, as gaming titan and platform owner Xbox recently took to Twitter to share its appreciation of the open-world adventure title. Xbox had initially begun a thread asking gamers what game makes them feel right at home. User @rogvc answered that question with Breath of the Wild, stating that they love being able to just run around and explore. Xbox agreed with the sentiment, repling that "BotW offers such a relaxing sandbox experience (punctuated with the occasional death laser)."

Xbox's praise for Breath of the Wild was met with positive responses from fans. One user wrote "this is one of many reasons why I love Xbox, they show respect and love to games in general." This is not the first time Xbox has shown cross-platform praise though. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer appeared on a podcast back in July, praising PlayStation's DualSense controller, which was introduced alongside the PS5. With Xbox even willing to praise long-time rival Sony, many were beginning to see the end of the so-called "console wars" that plagued gaming for generations.

The praise didn't just go one way though, Xbox also has received love from other platform executives. Former President of Nintendo of America Reggie Fils-Aime spoke about the impact of Xbox on the gaming industry during a panel celebrating the 20th anniversary of Xbox. As Xbox continues to take new steps like releasing the Series X/S and Game Pass, it seems Xbox will be making an impact for years to come.

Breath of the Wild is set to release its sequel in 2022, and many are speculating that the game will have some sort of reveal lined up for this year's Game Awards. With nearly five years since the game's initial release, Xbox's praise of Breath of the Wild is indicative of how much of an impact one game can have over the industry.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available now on Nintendo Switch.

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