Reggie: Wii U Launch Window is Four Months Long

I think the 3ds was like 3 months..... right. Sounds good as long as there's great games.

I JUST asked this in the Rayman Legends thread.

And if the "launch window" is 3 - 4 months long how does Nintendo explain all those release dates of "holiday" and launch window, unless the WiiU is being released by August. Or were those dates a Nintendo Life addition?

Four games in the launch window? They've slated five. Which is going to be the unlucky one, I wonder.

@GamecubeMan32 No it wasn't. Kid Icarus wasn't until a year later and Paper Mario/Animal Crossing still haven't been released.

Still confused... What does "holiday" mean then?

@rjejr That's a very good point, five are slated for launch window and five are slated for Q4, and that's coming from Nintendo. I'd suggest some of them are digital titles, but Nintendo released a list of digital titles and none of their own are on that list, so... hmm.

4 games, but only Pikmin 3 looks like a system seller.

@NintendoLee
Thats true

I feared those launch window games might not be anywhere near launch, sigh.

I fully support their decision to steer away from repeating E3 2010's unveiling of 3DS games that are still not ready. But personally, they've slammed too far in the other direction by not giving a single peek at post-"launch period" software. A good system unveiling has an evenly balanced outlook for launch and the future.

Great now there is a chance that we may not see Pikmin 3 until March 31st 2013 at the very latest. -_-

ugh, so does "launch window" mean AFTER the Holiday b/c the WiiU won't be released until Nov/Dec? Of the 4 games listed I only really want Pikmin 3, though Project P100 looked really good. Oh well, I knew when he said "Developing" during the presentation Pikmin 3 wasn't done yet.

sorry to reply to myself but this just occurred to me now

@NintendoLee Didn't Nintendo say that Animal Crossing for Nintendo 3DS was supposed to come out this fall to Japan? So there still may be a chance that NOA may release it here this year then.

that's a normal launch window

@rjejr I think it's pretty obvious that means early next year.

@Qeuix - I think they would have announced it by now, and I also doubt it since PM and LM2 are coming out at the end of this year. That'd be too many games. :0 (although Animal Crossing is my most anticipated).

Nintendo hasn't really been helping themselves lately. No Pikmin 3 at launch? ...

First of all, this is my first time posting on this site...I've been reading for a couple of weeks now and love how you guys are on top of all Nintendo news from around the globe. Also, I'd like to add that before coming across this web site, all my Nintendo news would come from IGN, whom I've been reading from for years. Sadly,I have become bored with their content as of recent, . I now look more forward to hearing news from you folks than them so just wanted to say great job with the site!...and with that said...
I don't think the Wii U launch will have any of the problems that the 3DS had for the fact that I believe it easier to develop games for the forward than the latter system. Stereoscopic 3D is something Nintendo has been toying with since prior to the release of the Gamecube and GBA SP. I think it's normal that third party developers be on the late train as far as programming goes with a system like the 3DS. Hence, the 2010 announced titles still not being released in 2012.

@Geonjaha Its already been confirmed that Paper Mario: Sticker Star is coming out this holiday season.

@BenAV Nintendo Land - it's a launch title, so going on Reggie's description it'd be one of the launch window games. Unless he's discounting it for that very reason, which'd free up at least one of those four slots depending on Nintendo's other launch titles if any.

In other words people, wait at least 4 months to buy a Wii U.

Crude. Pikmin 3 is the only system seller for me there, so Nintendo, you better release that at launch!

Welcome, Sir @idork99

I'll second the launch time curiosity of a few games being announced for "launch window" whilst the rest are holiday season. It's probably just an admin thing, playing on the safe side for most games, but it could suggest that the Wii U will launch earlier or around 4 months before the holiday season. I doubt very much that it'll roll out in August, but there's certainly a curiosity here.

Oh, and by their logic, we could have a November release and the "holiday" titles could come out before some of the "launch window" tittles. As such, the launch window titles may come in Jan or Feb, with holiday titles coming out AT launch and/or shortly afterwards.

@idork99 Welcome to the site!

Didn't Miyamoto (or the translator) say that Pikmin is "in development?" That could be the missing game.

weren't there like 8 games being published by nintendo? I thought everything shown was launch window, or did he mean 4 developed by nintendo.

The table of Wii U games is copied exactly from Nintendo's release slate — I just screengrabbed it and uploaded it.

I think they Mean developed by Nintendo and Nintendolife post a list of WiiU games and only 4 Nintendo games say launch.

OK have updated the post with Reggie's exact words, which are "Everything that we've shown from a first-party perspective is definitely launch window."

This is really confusing. Only a handful of First Party launch titles and none of them ground breaking. Let's be honest, Pikmin 3 looked very much the same game as the previous.
Nintendo is at the same time ''late'' in the game, with Sony and Microsoft having years head, and still not prepared. The Wii U should be in full force right from the start if they're going to catch up and gain the first place. But I have an ominous feeling they're not even interested being tha top dog...
This is going to be a rocky ride guys.

@steveex Pikmin is not a system seller. It sold ok on the gamecube and it is not selling good on wii. I still don't under stand what the game is (never played any of them, melee was all I mostly played on cube). And I play all types of games. So unless they do some real smart advertising with that it will not be selling on wii u. It would have made more sense to release it on the wii.

They better have Pikminm, NSMBU and Nintendoland at launch... WiiU needs it. And I seriously hope they will announce other titles that are in development...
To at least acknowledge the production of a title in works can give confidence, for players considering to buy WiiU, or developers considering to develop for WiiU.
I understand that for 3DS games were shown in 2010 that are still not out and that this is annoying some, me too to some degree. But then, it depends on how you communicate an announcement. For instance they could have (at the presentation yesterday) announced a trailer with launch window games, then with 2013 games and with future games in development. Or at least some of that. Thrown us a bone of a big gun we can look forward to and get excited about.

I'll need time for my wallet to recover after getting the Wii U. I will get around to other games later, but for now, Nintendo, all I ask is that you bundle something with the system. Whether it be NintendoLand or some random thing like Face Raiders, just bundle something so I can enjoy the Wii U on day 1.

@idork99 Welcome to the site! 3DS FC: 4639-9073-1731

Both games I want are Launch Window. So if I get a Wii U at launch, I may have to wait up to 4 months for those games to come out? No thank you. I'll wait a year or two, when they and hopefully more games are already out.

thats OK, just make sure Pikmin 3 and New Super Mario Bros U are on the launch day alongside the system, include Nintendo Land as a pack-in with the system, and release it in Black on launch day, and I'll be buying one.
Otherwise, I'm waiting for Black and more games. I know Nintendo can't have all of their major franchises have new releases right off the bat, but what I'm really waiting for has not yet been shown on Wii U.
Metroid, Star Fox, F-Zero, 3D Mario adventure, and Zelda.
When even just one of those hits Wii U, I won't hesitate to make the purchase.

Well that lit of Wii u games had "Launch Window" and "Holiday Season" as release dates??? hmm very strang.

@James are you talking about that post that list the Wii U games soo far? If soo, i wonder why the "launch window" and "Holiday Season" release dates. Also i am trying to delete the comment i made right before this one and it wont go away so i apologize!

@Assassin87 it's weird right?

So all the "launch" titles are coming out "after" the "holiday" titles. Yeah, not confusing at all. Night y'all

Zelda OOT and the 3DS eShop should have been available on launch day, but instead, they were three months late. Technically, that is still within the definition of four months launch window. It almost would have been better had Nintendo just waited an extra three months to release the 3DS. Nintendo, please don't make the same mistake twice. We need Mario and Pikmin 3 available at launch, and Nintendo Land needs to come bundled with the console starting with day one. Anything less than that is poor planning.

@StarDust Just watch... you jinxed it. O_O

I sure hope Wii U isn't released in no October 2012. For me, that's too soon. November 2012 would be better for me cause it gives me time to save up for it and for me to also have a good battle plan strategy of what games I want to get alongside the new console. I just want New Super Mario Bros. U and Pikmin 3 if possible with the Wii U and I'll be happy. Please Nintendo, make it happen.

@ville10 Hey! Yeah, what does it mean?

Lets just hope some of these stand out launch window titles,don't end up being delayed for another few months.

I hope Pikmin 3 is a launch title.

Yeah, I think we've all been reading this wrong. I think the key here is that Nintendo has said that the Wii U is coming out "Holiday 2012" (which I think would be end of October at the VERY earliest). So, if you look at that list, then you'll see that a majority of the games are coming out "Holiday" as well. This seems to imply to me that all of those games will be launching with the Wii U or very close to it.
On the other hand, the other ones labeled "Launch Window," as Reggie explains here, may not come out for a few more months after the Wii U--so that could be as late as March or April, sadly.
Also, another thing that I think needs to be clarified is Reggie's use of the term "first-party." We generally think of that as typical Nintendo franchises like Mario and Zelda. But based on that interview, it seems this encompasses anything that they are publishing. Therefore, this includes the likes of Lego City and Ninja Gaiden.
Hope that helps clear things up for some people.

Aaaaand after 4 months, a 6 month drought filled with shovelware and broken promises of games that "should've" been out during the launch window that get pushed back, crushing our hopes per usual. No offense, but I'll believe that when I see it and it hasn't changed for the last several generations of system launch windows.

Hope you've really learnt from the 3DS, Nintendo.

Still, I wouldn´t say these games are enough to keep the excitement going for 4 months. I´m sure New Super Mario Bros U will sell like crazy, but apart from that... not really system sellers here.

@Assassin87 I think that is targeted at investors, to distinguish which games are coming out during launch months and which games will be specifically released for the Holiday season, which is within the holiday season. For example, say the U is launched in November, launch titles will come with it, Holiday titles will release late November and in December, and the rest of the launch window titles will come in January and February. I think.

@C-Olimar well, i was saying could the Holiday releases BE the same as launch releases i meant.