Nintendo's latest financial report confirms that the highly-anticipated The Legend of Zelda game Breath of the Wild 2 is still on track for a 2022 release. While the company still hasn’t set a definitive date for the game’s release, the report corroborates earlier rumors that placed BOTW 2’s release at the end of this year.
Financial reports are internal documents where companies explain to shareholders when they can expect their investments to pay off. By publishing quarterly reports, big companies such as Nintendo give shareholders an update of the sales numbers in the last couple of months and the most significant product releases they can expect for the future. For example, the recent report confirms the success of the Nintendo Switch remakes Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, which sold 13.97 million units. Older games such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are also still holding firm on the console, with another 7.96 million units sold in the last quarter of 2021.
For the future, Nintendo also underlined how it will keep releasing highly-anticipated titles this year, such as Splatoon 3, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Bayonetta 3, and the sequel to Breath of the Wild. However, the only big releases with specific release dates are TRIANGLE STRATEGY, on March 4th, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land, on March 25th.
While Nintendo's financial report doesn’t bring any new information for players, the fact that Breath of the Wild 2 is still on track for release is excellent news. With Nintendo reiterating its 2022 release for the shareholders, we can be confident the company is determined to respect the window. Nintendo knows you don’t mess with money, and making sure shareholders are happy is the best way to keep the company afloat.
The latest financial report also underlines how the component shortage that every tech company suffers from should extend through the year, with the production of the Nintendo Switch lower than anticipated. However, the company renewed its promises to invest more in digital products, which can be developed and released despite the chip shortage. That’s also a good sign that Nintendo is focusing its efforts on releasing more titles from their leading franchises in the near future, as the gains coming from games sales could compensate for the losses caused by the lack of stock of the Nintendo Switch console.
The sequel to Breath of the Wild was first announced in 2019. After that, Nintendo kept silent about the project until 2021’s E3, when the company released a trailer filled with secrets. While we still don’t know details about the sequel, the trailer confirms that Ganon’s evil influence threatens Hyrule once again, and this time his dark energy will literally shatter the land. However, the destroyed world brings new possibilities, as Link is seen gliding in the wind to reach distant lands, and even reversing gravity to explore this new version of Hyrule. By the looks of it, Nintendo doubled-down on the sense of freedom Breath of the Wild was able to create by adding new mechanics that’ll allow the player to wander around however they like.
If things keep on track, the sequel to Breath of the Wild will hit the Nintendo Switch sometime this year.