'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' release date, latest news: Game to launch with Nintendo Switch on March 3

Nintendo will be releasing the much-awaited video game "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" on the same day that the highly-anticipated Nintendo Switch gaming console will also go on sale.

As announced by the company in a global live stream from Tokyo last Jan. 13 and by Nintendo of America on Twitter, both the newest "Legend of Zelda" game and the upcoming Nintendo console will be released on March 3. It was also confirmed that the "Breath of the Wild" will also be made available for Wii U on the very same date.

"The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" is the 19th main installment in the long-running game franchise. As reported by IGN, the game was previously scheduled to roll out in 2016, but it was delayed until 2017 when the company also revealed that the game will have Nintendo Switch (codenamed as NX at the time) and Wii U versions.

Nintendo never previously offered an exact release date for "Breath of the Wild." Neither did it explicitly ever mention that the game will be a launch title for the upcoming Nintendo Switch. What Nintendo did say was that the game is expected to be released sometime in 2017.

As reported by The Verge, "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" will be a significant departure for the entire "Legend of Zelda" game franchise. The upcoming game installment has an open-world design, which is very different to some of the most popular role-playing games in recent years. It also differs from the typical "Zelda" formula, with its crafting and other survival features which add to the game's overall feel as an adventure and free-roaming video game.

"The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" is scheduled to be released on the Nintendo Switch and Wii U on March 3.