The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomhas been rated by South Korean Game Rating and Administration Committee, newly surfaced regulatory filings reveal. The development comes weeks after Nintendo announced the long-awaitedBreath of the Wildsequel’s release dateand makes it more likely that the company will manage to avoid further delays.
The Japanese gaming giant started work onThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomover half a decade ago, shortly after the series' previous installmentreleased on the Wii U and Switch in 2017. And while Nintendo was initially targeting a 2022 release, theBotWsequel was hit with a big delaylast spring. Back in September, the company finally committed to a mid-2023 release, along with confirming the game’s official title.
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Earlier this month,The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomreceived its first content rating from South Korea after Seoul regulators classified the game as suitable for the ages of 12 and upward. This is the second most lenient certification allowed under Korean law, with regulatory filings stating that the game missed out on the suitable-for-everyone rating due to its “mild depictions of violence.” So, even thoughTears of the Kingdomsounds much darker thanBreath of the Wild, it would seem that its content will be as age-appropriate as that of its predecessor, which received the exact same label in the Far Eastern country.
This classification dovetails with Nintendo’s decades-long track record of putting out family-friendly AAA games. And while the original 2019 teaser depicting Link and Zelda exploring an underground cavern indicated that the upcoming title might be somewhat grimmer and scarier thanBreath of the Wild, its Korean rating also fits what littleTears of the Kingdomgameplaywas shown so far. Likewise, the product description attached to the certification reiterates some previously revealed details about the game, including the fact that a significant portion of Link’s adventures will now take place high up in the skies above Hyrule.
Between the massive success ofBreath of the Wildand the fact thatThe Legend of Zeldais one of gaming history’s most consistent franchises in terms of overall quality,The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis already all but certain to be the biggest Switch exclusive of 2023.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis coming to Switch on July 30, 2025.
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