Wii U's release line-up on a slippery slope?

When talking about upcoming releases that will give the Wii U a timely boost and sell systems, one that's been consistently mentioned, including here on Nintendo Life, is Ubisoft's Rayman Legends. In a blow for Nintendo's system, it's been revealed that not only is the title now also coming to the Xbox 360 and PS3, but it's also delayed until September.

Below is an extract from the press release confirming the news:

Today, Ubisoft announced that its forthcoming title Rayman Legends, already announced for the Wii U system from Nintendo, will also be released on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. All versions will now hit shelves in early September 2013.

The Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 versions of Rayman Legends are being developed by Ubisoft Montpellier, the same team behind the Nintendo Wii U game. Rayman Legends has been praised for its stunning visuals and innovative gameplay by media around the world and labelled as one of the most anticipated platformers of 2013.

“We heard from many Xbox & Playstation owners and Rayman fans who told us they really wanted to play Rayman Legends on their current system”, says Geoffroy Sardin, EMEA Chief Marketing & Sales Officer. ”We decided to give the fans what they wanted while at the same time broadening the audience exposed to this innovative and memorable game.

Although Ubisoft was careful last year to avoid saying this title was definitely a permanent Wii U exclusive, this news and subsequent delay is undoubtedly disappointing. With gameplay elements that incorporate the GamePad so predominantly, we certainly hope the Wii U version will keep those distinctive features, especially as "all versions" are now set to arrive together later in the year; clearly changes are required to remove these touch screen sections from the 360 and PS3 versions. This follows the news that Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge is also going multi-platform.

What do you make of this cross-platform release and delay? Is it a minor disappointment, or potentially a big blow for Wii U's Spring release schedule? Let us know what you think in the comments below.