Nintendo reveals Expansion Pass for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Nintendo is going all-in on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild being a next generation entry in the Zelda franchise for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U… for better or for worse.

A gorgeous open world environment, modern-style gameplay and features and optional downloadable content via a $20 Expansion Pass. At launch, Nintendo will be offering up the Expansion Pass that will include a pair of downloadable content packs for the game that will be made available during the year.  The content will not apparently be made available a la carte.

There will be a Cave of Trials challenge, a new hard mode and a “new feature for the in-game map” in the first content drop scheduled for this summer, and “new challenges that will let players enjoy a new dungeon” and a new story-based chapter, slated for holiday 2017.

Those who purchase the Expansion Pass will immediately get access to a few treasure chests that will contain exclusive content, such as a shirt with a Nintendo Switch logo.

See the details below!

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U consoles is one of the largest, most engaging video games Nintendo has ever created. While the main game offers players an engrossing quest that will keep them entertained for hours, as well as the freedom to explore the vast Hyrule at their own pace, the game world provides a rich canvas that offers the opportunity for additional adventures. As a result, the first-ever downloadable content for the main-line Legend of Zelda series is in development.

Starting when the game launches on March 3, players will be able to purchase an Expansion Pass for $19.99, granting access to two new sets of downloadable content for the game when they become available later this year. Immediately upon pre-purchase or purchase of the Expansion Pass, three new treasure chests will appear in the game?s Great Plateau area. One of these treasure chests will contain a shirt with a Nintendo Switch logo that Link can wear during his adventure, exclusive to the Expansion Pass. The other two will deliver useful items. The first content pack is scheduled to launch this summer, and will include the addition of a Cave of Trials challenge, a new hard mode and a new feature for the in-game map. The second content pack will launch in Holiday 2017, and adds new challenges that will let players enjoy a new dungeon and a new original story. The Expansion Pass will be available for both the Nintendo Switch and Wii U versions of the game and are identical. Content packs cannot be purchased individually.

?The world of Hyrule, which we created for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, is so large and vibrant that we wanted to offer more for players to experience within it,? said Nintendo developer Eiji Aonuma, the longtime producer of the series. ?With this new Expansion Pass, we hope that fans will play, explore and enjoy the game even more.?

Aonuma also created a brief video to share more details about the Expansion Pass. It can be viewed at http://zelda.com/breath-of-the-wild/expansion-pass/.

For more information about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, visit http://www.zelda.com/breath-of-the-wild.