The game’s development was affected by the pandemic, insider says.

It’ll soon be a couple of years since Nintendo announced that a direct sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was in development, but in all the time since then, there have been next to no updates on the highly anticipated game. With plenty of time having passed and fans getting anxious to learn more, many had been hoping that the game would launch by the end of the year- but according to a new report, that’s probably not going to happen.

Known Nintendo insider Zippo recently published a blog update, speaking about the rest of 2021 for Nintendo. When discussing the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Zippo said that a 2021 launch is unlikely, with the game’s development having been affected by the pandemic. Development on the title is apparently nearing completion, but with production having been hampered by the pandemic over the last year, apparently the development team still needs some time to finish things up.

Zippo predicts – and keep in mind that this next part is just a prediction, not based on insider information – that the game will be shown off at E3, and that it will launch some time in Spring next year.

Honestly, this doesn’t come as a surprise. Breath of the Wild’s sequel is far from the only game that’s been hit with internal delays due to the pandemic, so it’s not surprising to hear that it won’t be able to hit a 2021 launch, as many had hoped. Meanwhile, an appearance at E3 2021 also seems highly likely, not only because it’s been so long since the game’s last update (which was, in fact, its announcement), but also since Nintendo said earlier this year that they would have more to share on the sequel later in the year.