'The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom' Officially Announced Amid Nintendo Direct

Nintendo has finally debuted the name and release date for its highly anticipated followup to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild amid its Direct showcase this morning, September 13th. Coming on May 12, 2023, Tears of the Kingdom will enlist players on a journey through what appears to be the skies of Hyrule, made manifest in its subsequently released box art showing Link overlooking the grand scale of a new map.

There wasn't much else shown on the new adventure amid the Nintendo Direct, aside from an additional eight seconds of new footage that shows Link in action as he soars through the skies and stands tall in the face of an all-new threat. Will it be Ganon this time around or someone completely new to the franchise? All is left in secret, as fans will have to wait until its official release date next year.

In its press release, Nintendo describes potentially new mechanics, like flight capabilities and even time distortion. The new snippet of gameplay even gives way to some new Shiekah Slate abilities not seen in Breath of the Wild. Some of the press release reads as follows:

"In addition to the vast lands of Hyrule, the latest entry in the storied Legend of Zelda series will take you up into the skies and an expanded world that goes beyond that! Look forward to Link's massive adventure starting again when The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the sequel to the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, drops for Nintendo Switch on May 12, 2023."

The original Breath of the Wild first debuted in 2017 and has since sparked an immense love affair for the beloved Nintendo franchise on the firm's contemporary hardware, the Nintendo Switch. Rumors and speculation have abounded on the series sequel until Nintendo finally voiced its production in 2019.

Since then, Nintendo has released only a handful of snippets regarding Tears of the Kingdom, with a full teaser being debuted amid E3 2021, wherein Link traverses cloud-covered skies with nimble ease. Nintendo initially had plans for releasing the Breath of the Wild sequel this year, 2022, but inevitably delayed the game to 2023 due to the immense work being put forth on its features and map.

Series producer Eiji Aonuma explained at the time that "there will be an even wider variety of features you can enjoy," and "the expanded world goes beyond" both the sky and ground, making its development rather strained for a 2022 debut. Thus, there's a lot to look forward to in Tears of the Kingdom when it finally drops on Nintendo Switch come May next year.

Several other announcements graced the screen during the Nintendo Direct this morning, including the debut of Pikmin 4, which is slated for a 2023 release as well, GoldenEye 007 for Switch Online subscribers, likewise bound for Xbox Game Pass, and Fire Emblem Engage, which will release this coming January.