“The Legend of Zelda”: Media Mastery
Published on December 1, 2021 at 5:20 p.m.
by Tory Elliott
When Nintendo announced in 2019 that there will be a sequel to “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” — one of the best video games of 2017 — fans of the series waited with bated breath for the release date. Also with a surprise teaser shown at E3, where the biggest video game developers gather to release their biggest projects in the next few years, players were excited to finally hear Link cooking again.
Unfortunately, the game development was delayed due to the pandemic.
After two years of speculation about the game release, during E3’s 2021 event, Nintendo announced the official release date — 2022. Finally, fans have a time frame for when they can get back to slaying Bokoblins — and a trailer to satisfy their preparation for a legendary game.
In the midst of all of this waiting, various gaming websites have come out with predictions about what the game would feature. This attention is what public relations specialists for Nintendo can only hope for — media coverage, buzz on social networks and fans eagerly waiting for more of the action-adventure game.
Video game blogs are great for free media coverage. With a yet-to-be-titled “Legend of Zelda” game in the near future, bloggers are predicting all the adventures Link can get into before he defeats the final boss.
With only one trailer released by Nintendo, the blogs are already linking other “The Legend of Zelda” games to this release. For instance, fans are speculating that the recent remastering of “The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” is linked to the new game. This fan theory is due to producer Eiji Aonuma saying that “the setting has expanded to include the skies above Hyrule.” Skyward Sword features floating islands in the sky that players can fly Link through.
Social media, teasers from the producers and developers, and whispers from bloggers are all what keep fans intrigued to figure out this real-life dungeon — how do fans of the series solve the puzzle of what’s going in this game?
That said, the buzz on social media only adds to the intensity. Zelda Universe, a social network where fans can stay up to date with all the latest news regarding the series, frequently updates its Twitter for its followers. It can be difficult for websites to maintain a two-way communication channel, and social media is an effective way to do so.
Even with the lack of updates from Nintendo on the sequel, the game is definitely getting its media coverage and social media buzz. In response, fans are bringing out their master sword skills for this release.