Rumor: Zelda for Nintendo Switch to Launch In March?
By Alexander Pan 04 January 2017
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is reportedly scheduled for a March 2017 release in North America and Japan, and will be launched alongside the Nintendo Switch.
Now that the new year is well underway, many fans are rubbing their hands in anticipation as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild inches its way towards its expected 2017 launch window. While Nintendo have yet to confirm an official release date for the long-awaited title, fans may not have to wait for much longer as the game may be launching sooner than expected if a new report is to be believed.
According to sources who spoke to Eurogamer, it appears that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be launching in March 2017 in North America and Japan alongside the release of the Nintendo Switch. European Zelda fans may have to wait a bit longer though as a launch date has yet to be locked in due to issues related to localization, as well as the need for Nintendo of Europe to provide multiple language translations.
Despite earlier rumors that Breath of the Wild won’t be released in March 2017, multiple sources claim that Nintendo changed its mind at the end of 2016 and decided that the Nintendo Switch needed the strongest possible launch line-up in order to ensure success right out of the gate. Another source states that the company had always intended to release the game in March, but the decision to move ahead with this launch window, regardless of Europe, was only finalized at the end of last year.
Should this Breath of the Wild release date rumor indeed turn out to be true, it appears that Nintendo is pulling out all the stops in order to ensure a successful Switch launch, especially with rumors that a new Super Mario game will also be a launch title for the upcoming new console. Given that the next Zelda title is among the most anticipated games of 2017, releasing Breath of the Wild alongside the Switch will undoubtedly help Nintendo accomplish its goal of shipping 2 million units of its new console by the end of March 2017.
Nintendo has yet to confirm these launch date rumors at the time of writing, but fans won’t have to wait long for an official announcement as the company is expected to formally announce the Switch’s launch line-up, as well as the console’s release date, price, and hardware specifications at its upcoming January 12 Switch news event. It remains to be seen whether or not Breath of the Wild will indeed launch alongside the Switch in March 2017 in North America, Japan, and possibly Europe, so stay tuned for more announcements and updates.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is currently scheduled for launch in 2017 for the Wii U and Nintendo Switch.
