A recent advertisement for the highly-anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom implies that the game will contain Nintendo Switch Online support. The reveal has led to fan speculation on whether this new information hints at something bigger for gameplay. Sadly, there’s possibly a much simpler answer than what most fans are hoping for.
Not much has been known until now about Nintendo’s newest Zelda adventure. Since the announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo has released the bare minimum, with the most exciting information shown in brief ambiguous sneak peeks at gameplay. However, there was a lot of speculation on what it will involve. Now a recent advertisement has caused a stir and even more speculation as to what the game holds for fans.
One fan snapped a picture of the advertisement that shows the Nintendo Switch Online promo as part of the main highlights of the game. It’s possible that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom could introduce the first multiplayer capabilities in a first-party Zelda game. However, it’s more likely that the Nintendo Switch Online support is to showcase that Tears of the Kingdom will have a cloud save option. Another possibility is that it's simply for future downloadable content.
Nothing is confirmed yet about the game's potential online features, so any explanation for the up-front Nintendo Switch Online advertisement is pure speculation. Nintendo has kept The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom details hush-hush for a while now. It’s possible that the company could go the extra mile with its most anticipated title of 2023 and surprise fans with something major. Either way, the advertisement is enough to make fans raise curious eyebrows.
There’s less than a year before The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom releases. Hopefully, Nintendo will host a Nintendo Direct or Treehouse event to offer more details to solve some mysteries surrounding what the sequel will hold for fans. Though, due to the tight-lipped approach by the company since Tears of the Kingdom's announcement, it’s unlikely too many details will be revealed before the game’s release. Maybe the Nintendo Switch Online feature will be elaborated on at least.
What fans have seen in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom trailers so far teases a familiar yet exciting new side of the Zelda franchise as a whole. Nintendo appears to be expanding Breath of the Wild by combining it with other Zelda titles, such as Skyward Sword. It’s been a long time coming, and high expectations have been built for what Nintendo will deliver next in the series. With less than a year away from the Tears of the Kingdom’s release, fans will soon see if the sequel will meet or exceed those expectations.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches May 12, 2023 for Nintendo Switch.