The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's sequel may not release before God of War: Ragnarok next year despite its years-long development time.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's sequel doesn't yet have a confirmed release date, and neither does God of War: Ragnarok. It's only known that both games will be released at some point in 2022. Both games are being heavily eyed as successors to massively successful games in big franchises, so it's only natural that anticipation is building for both - and that players are antsy for release dates. Luckily, there may be some clues to help decipher which game will be released first.
Breath of the Wild 2 news is an interesting case. BOTW was a key release for the Nintendo Switch. Its Switch version - it was also released for the Wii U - coincided with the console's launch, and the Switch has BOTW in part to thank for its success as a console. However, the development of BOTW's sequel has been long, and discussion around it has been little. Its 2022 release wasn't even revealed until summer 2021, four years after Breath of the Wild's 2017 release date. Because details have been sparse, a release in early 2022 isn't looking likely.
At present, it appears as though Breath of the Wild 2 will be released after God of War: Ragnarok. BOTW2 has potentially been in the public discussion longer, but more is currently known about God of War: Ragnarok than the upcoming Zelda game. Moreover, matters of titling and behind-the-scenes changes make Ragnarok's release appear more imminent than Zelda's, though it's still possible that Nintendo could surprise players with an earlier-than-expected release date for BOTW 2.
The first thing God of War: Ragnarok has going for it is simply its title. Breath of the Wild's sequel remains untitled at present, though the game's developers have revealed that it has a title; it just hasn't been revealed to the public yet. Official game titles are typically revealed well before a game's release, so the lack of a title right now may indicate that this sequel won't see the light of day until late 2022.
Then there's the matter of God of War: Ragnarok's delay. In September, it was announced that Ragnarok, which was expected to hit the market in 2021, would be delayed to 2022. While this was initially a bummer for excited fans, this delay likely means the game won't release any time after late 2022 because much of it would have already been completed if the game was slated for a 2021 release. If God of War: Ragnarok is simply being finished up and polished, an earlier release in the year could be possible, meaning it would definitely be released before BOTW2.
Ultimately, both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's sequel and God of War: Ragnarok will probably prove to be fun titles that were undoubtedly worth the wait. In the meantime, Breath of the Wild is worth replaying before BOTW 2's release. At the same time, it's important to remember that game delays typically result in the final game being polished and encapsulating the developer's full vision. They also had to maneuver development for these games around a global pandemic, so no matter which order they're released in, both games are true labors of love.
