Daily Debate: If the Next 3D Zelda Title Requires as Much Development Time as Tears of the Kingdom, Would You Rather It Be Announced Sooner or Later?
Posted on April 15 2024 by Rod Lloyd
The game we now know as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was first unveiled to the world at E3 2019, roughly two years after the release of its predecessor Breath of the Wild and roughly four years before its eventual release in May 2023. Thanks in part to an ambition from the developers that no one could have expected and a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic, this hotly anticipated sequel was victim to a protracted development period, multiple delays, and a drip-feed news cycle.
I think I speak for a lot of Zelda fans out there when I say that the four-year period between Tears of the Kingdom‘s initial announcement and its release date was excruciating to wait through. With the benefit of hindsight, I can’t help but wonder if the folks at Nintendo did themselves a disservice by announcing the game so early. And looking forward to the next 3D Zelda adventure, I can’t help but wonder if Nintendo should avoid making the same mistake again.
With Tears of the Kingdom to soon celebrate its first birthday — and with the possibility of DLC thoroughly shot down — it’s about that time for fans to start looking ahead to the next major Zelda release. Though unlikely a possibility, I want to present a scenario in which the next 3D Zelda title requires as much development time as Tears of the Kingdom did, which would signal a… 2029 release date. Holy cow.
Now, if the next 3D Zelda was firmly scheduled for an early-to-mid 2029 release, would you want that game to be announced within the next year or so — roughly at the same point in development that Tears of the Kingdom was announced — or would you want Nintendo to hold off until later in the process to drop that news? The Big N no doubt has partners and shareholders to consider when making that decision, but strictly speaking for yourself and your own disposition, when do you think is the proper time to announce a game that is five years away?
There’s certainly a doozy of a what-if scenario to consider. If the next 3D Zelda requires as much development time as Tears of the Kingdom and will thus release in 2029, do you want to see that game announced sooner or later? What is your reasoning? Join the debate in the comments below!
Rod Lloyd is the Editor-In-Chief at Zelda Dungeon, overseeing the news and feature content for the site. Rod is considered the veteran of the writing team, having started writing for Zelda Informer in 2014 as a Junior Editor. After ZD and ZI officially merged in 2017, he stepped into the Managing Editor role and has helped steer the ship ever since. He stepped up to lead the writing team as Editor-In-Chief in 2023.
You can reach Rod at: rod.lloyd@zeldadungeon.net
