One of the most critically-acclaimed and popular games of all time is Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, an open world take on the Legend of Zelda franchise. With The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild being such a hit game, it's no surprise that many Nintendo fans are hotly anticipating the currently untitled Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel, which was announced at E3 2019 and expected to release at some point later this year. Unfortunately for those hoping to play Link's latest adventure in 2022, that's no longer in the cards.

The Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma announced today that the Breath of the Wild sequel's release date has been pushed out of 2022. Nintendo is now aiming for a Spring 2023 release window for the game, though a specific release date was not announced. Aonuma apologized to fans for the delay, and then treated them to some Breath of the Wild sequel gameplay.

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Speaking over the gameplay clips, Aonuma reminded fans that the Breath of the Wild sequel will have players traveling through the air as well as the ground, which is going to greatly expand exploration capabilities. Aonuma hinted at other new gameplay features and "encounters" that fans will find in the Breath of the Wild sequel, but stopped short of providing specifics on what exactly those will be.

The gameplay clips are brief, but one interesting clip at the end shows Link holding what appears to be a busted-up version of the Master Sword. Since Link obtained the Master Sword during the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild; perhaps something will happen to the iconic weapon so that players aren't able to utilize it right off the bat in the sequel. More information on what exactly is going on in that clip will have to wait for a later date, however.

It's unclear when exactly fans will learn more about the Breath of the Wild sequel. However, if Nintendo plans to have a presence at the upcoming E3 2022 event, then one would think that the game would be a safe bet for that show. After all, Zelda has historically had a major presence at E3, and so it would make sense for Nintendo to hype fans with a new Breath of the Wild sequel trailer at the show, especially since it's already softened the blow about the release date delay.

But that's just speculation at this time. It's possible Nintendo will wait much longer to show fans the Breath of the Wild sequel, so those looking forward to the game will just have to stay tuned.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel is in development for Nintendo Switch.

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