The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel has been postponed until spring 2023. Many fans are outraged by this news, as Breath of the Wild is widely regarded as one of the finest games published in recent years, if not ever. Regardless of how you feel right now, the fact that the sequel to Breath of the Wild has been delayed may wind up working in its favour. 
The original Breath of the Wild is a difficult act to follow. It changed not only the Legend of Zelda model but also the open-world genre as a whole. The sequel to Breath of the Wild intends to innovate even more by moving Link into the sky, therefore extra time in production is beneficial to achieve the finest quality possible. Furthermore, a slew of excellent open-world games has already been launched this year, so the successor to Breath of the Wild would benefit from standing apart from the pack and releasing in its own right. 

The Impact of Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the most influential games of our time. The game was initially released in 2017 for the Wii U and as a Switch launch title, and it received widespread critical praise. The non-linear open-world structure of Breath of the Wild changed the genre, as the ability to tackle Hyrule in any order, complete puzzles with a variety of creative strategies, and the surprisingly deep combat system gives players an unprecedented amount of freedom; it's why countless players still play Breath of the Wild over five years later. All of the acclaim for Breath of the Wild have resulted in one thing: an impossibly high bar for its sequel to clear. 

Expectations for a sequel to Breath of the Wild

Breath of the Wild 2 is cloaked in so much mystery that it's no surprise that gamers will have to wait even longer to get their hands on it. Having said that, it would be a pity if the game was published too soon. Nintendo would never hear the end of a Cyberpunk 2077-style situation, in which a highly anticipated game is launched with several flaws - especially because Breath of the Wild's sequel is perhaps even more highly anticipated. These delays should help to eliminate the issue entirely.

The year 2022 will see the release of open-world games

In 2022, there were plenty of big open-world games. Horizon Forbidden West and Elden Ring were launched only a week apart last month, and while both titles are more than enough to satisfy anyone's open-world needs, there are still more coming in 2022. The next Saints Row remake will be out this summer, while Scarlet and Violet, the first truly open-world Pokemon games, will be available at the end of the year. The sequel to Breath of the Wild should take its time. Distance from 2022 games is prudent, especially when some depend heavily on the original Breath of the Wild for inspiration. 

In any case, Nintendo appears to be deliberately keeping the game vague. The title of Breath of the Wild 2 remains unclear over three years after the game's announcement. The trailers certainly reveal some gameplay, but they also create additional questions. Link's fresh tattoos and shattered Master Sword notably confuse viewers in the most recent clip. All of the unknowns will almost certainly be revealed in a huge reveal around the game's debut to properly pique people's interest. 

  The sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been delayed until spring 2023.