The Legend of Zelda Tarrey Town
The completed Tarrey Town in Breath of the Wild. Nintendo

Fans who have been clamouring for "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2" release date announcement finally got their wish answered during the Nintendo Direct 2022 presentation on September 13. However, the sequel is actually named "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" and will be launched next year.

'The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom' release date

Nintendo finally announced "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" release date during its Nintendo Direct 2022 presentation this week. Fans will finally get to play the highly anticipated sequel when it launches on May 12, 2023. However, the game will only be launched exclusively for Nintendo Switch.

'The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom' trailer, gameplay

Nintendo also dropped a new trailer for the upcoming game during the event showing a bit of the "Tears of the Kingdom" gameplay. Link can be seen diving down from what appears to be a city in the clouds and effortlessly gliding through the air with the help of some bird-like vehicle.

Some eagle-eyed fans also pointed out that Link appears to have replaced his Sheikah Slate with a cool glowing sword arm, Kotaku reported. What's more interesting is that Shiekah Slate's abilities seem to have transferred to his sword arm.

'The Legend of Zelda: Tears of Kingdom' theories and speculations

Now here comes the interesting part. As expected, fans of the franchise have come up with numerous theories and speculations based on the brief trailer.

Birds and flying will be two themes to watch out for in "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom." The trailer's first shot show what appears to be an owl-like person, which is a very important bird in Zelda lore. "Kaepora Gaebora being the most important one, and his owl-like Skyward Sword ancestor Headmaster Gaebora, who is Zelda's dad in the times before Zelda is even a Princess," Nintendo Life pointed out.

It also appears the bird person is dressed to suggest someone important, like a royal or even a god. It also appears that the person has Sheikah markings on his face. "In Breath of the Wild, the Sheikah are an ancient mystical race whose technology is buried under Hyrule, ready to awaken for the chosen hero (that's you). So, this owl lad (if he is Sheikah, and he's not just got cool eyelashes) is from the past. Got it," the publication added.

Rito soldiers are also spotted but what's interesting is that they're holding shields that look like the Hylian Creast without the Triforce. It's actually called the Goddess Crest that first appeared in Skyward Sword, and represents the goddess Hylia. This could suggest that the game might take place in the Skyward Sword era.