Alongside the main document that announces Nintendo's latest financial results, there's also typically a 'Supplementary Information' document; it's as exciting as it sounds, but does occasionally have snippets of interesting information. Mostly this revolves around the upcoming games list, which provide the latest release windows for key games on Wii U and 3DS.
The latest list doesn't contain any big surprises, with most games maintaining the release windows given to them during E3 or beforehand. A little more surprising are those with vague release statuses, or titles that we're surprised are still on the agenda.
The Legend of Zelda for Wii U, for example, is still being dealt with cautiously. Following its delay Nintendo's said little about its release window, merely re-affirming that it will come to Wii U; it currently has a 'TBD' window, as it did in the last financial reports. It's an interesting choice, though, as Nintendo is happy to list games such as Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with a vague '2016' window. This is the second update in a row to opt for TBD for Zelda, though we'd class it as an 'intriguing' choice rather than any reason to be overly concerned right now.
A couple of titles are on the list that we thought may have quietly disappeared, too, given their complete absence from the public eye since E3 2014. We're referring to Project Guard and Project Giant Robot, which were both revealed as GamePad concept games over a year ago. Project Guard has once again been given a 2015 window, though Project Giant Robot joins The Legend of Zelda with a TBD status. It'll be interesting to see what form these games take when they eventually arrive.
Beyond that, various games seem on course for their announced release windows; we'll just have to wait and see what happens with The Legend of Zelda, in particular.
[source nintendo.co.jp]
Comments 76
Zelda with TBC is needed when somebody says: "It is finished when it can deliver".
I still think the Project games will be part of Star Fox. Zelda probably won't have a release year or new info until the NX is revealed.
@Grumblevolcano I think so too, and also i guess no new nintendi direct :/ because Kirby titles are coming to the VC tomorrow
Dr. Kawashima's TBD listing for Europe is a farce.
@Tsurii Well, yes of course, that statement applies to pretty much every Nintendo game released since Nintendo started developing games. Zelda in particular is no stranger to delays.
Zelda will be a launch game for NX, hopefully alongside DQXI and a few other heavy hitters. I know Nintendo doesn't want to jeopardise Wii U sales further, but at this point it's dead in the water and they should probably rev-up the hype train for NX already.
Which would include showing more footage of Zelda.
Weird, Project Giant Robot wasn't even mentioned in their last financial results.
@Mogster What are the chances of DQXI getting localised? Don't get your hopes up.
I know I'm going to cop alot of flak for this, but I hope Zelda has been moved to NX just so it can look as beautiful as it did in the initial reveal trailer. There's no way the Wii U is pulling that off!
@Octane 100% likely considering it's a main numbered title, which recently have all been localised.
Zelda will be the last game on the Wii U, and most likely the first on the NX. Any suggestion of a release date will tell us when the Wii U will stop being supported, and the NX will be launched.
@Mogster Sure, on successful consoles, like the DS. However, X never made it out of Japan either.
@97alexk I'd say no Nintendo Direct because the main points have already been announced. The Smash and Splatoon updates have been almost fully revealed.
Actually, I am really hoping it launches on the end of May 2016, so it would be the big summer game for the wii u in 2016 just like mk8 and splatoon before.
I don't think we will hear anything else on Zelda until NX is revealed next E3 at which point a joint release with NX/Wii U could be revealed.
@Ichiban
As long as the NX and the game will support gyro-aiming, I don't mind.
@Ichiban facepalm
Wasn't that trailer based on the Wii U or something...?
In the past, the TBD really didn't mean much. One could as well find it for games which were actually coming earlier than those with a "next year" window.
@VeeFlamesNL I hope your forehead hurts really bad!
Zelda and Retro Studios are at the center of a strategic reappointment of projects, I just know it. Let's go NX!
There isn't really any question about if this game will be on Wii U or not, it is more if it will be given the Twilight Princess treatment or not. (I say it will)
TBC, as in, whenever the NX has a release date.
Some people (not many here) still just don't believe it will happen. It's pretty obvious that it will.
That TBD isn't a surprise to me, but it must really annoy people who over a year ago thought Nintendo was telling the truth when it said 2015 for Zelda U and now it doesn't even have a year. Though I bet not a single person who believed them then remember they did so now.
Every console needs a swan song, aka eulogy.
Anybody else th ink that Zelda U photo on Wii U looks a lot like the main promotional shot of DQXI on NX?
I wonder if they plan to split this between the Wii U and the NX like the did Twilight Princess.
I wish they would scrap those "Project" games. Guard was clearly inspired by Star Fox because of the matching robots. Giant Robot gameplay seems shallow.
@Ichiban 'I know I'm going to cop alot of flak for this, but I hope Zelda has been moved to NX just so it can look as beautiful as it did in the initial reveal trailer. There's no way the Wii U is pulling that off!
I totally agree with you. It's all about making money with a solid launch. Zelda WILL be on the NX at launch. Might come to the WiiU 6 months later, IDK. But they need Zelda. The WiiU is dead. We all love it, but the other 7billion people on the planet don't and that doesn't make money sense for Nintendo.
I say we had a Zelda on the WiiU already, sure it was a remake but it was still a Zelda that many hadn't played on the GC. They do not want THAT again. I say bring it! It's just plain logic.
NX launch title. Calling it.
@rjejr I wasn't surprised when they delayed Zelda U - apart from Majora's Mask every home console Zelda has been delayed. Still disappointed though. I reckon Nintendo delayed Xenoblade X in the West to try and soften the blow. Next year is the 30th anniversary of Zelda so I'm predicting a collector's edition akin to the Gamecube one , then Zelda U releasing in November 2016. Hopefully the collector's edition will include HD upgrades of Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword.
@kingofthesofa Only in Europe and Japan to soften the blow of Europe never getting the Kirby collection
I really wish that they would give serious consideration to going back to the idea they wanted to do during the N64 era. Build an engine for a new Zelda and then reuse it and most of the assets to remix the game into something new and unique gaiden game.
It appears to be the difference between a 4 year window to a new game and a 2 year window. Plus it would give them an opportunity to do some interesting things such as everyone's request to play as Zelda and/or allow a younger team to try their hand at the franchise while the regular team works on the next main entry.
Nonononono PLEASE do not hold Zelda for the NX
It'll release cross gen when NX launches most likely. TP treatment. Ready or not we're probably gonna see a shiny new Nintendo box next holiday~
@readyletsgo The original E3 trailer was in-game footage, not a pre-rendered cut-scene.
I hope that zelda becomes an NX a launch title.
Do I want to play zelda right now on my wii u?
Damn right I do.
Is wii u userbase sufficient in size to get the return on a game like zelda is capable of? Absolutely not.
Do I want NX to launch and be armed to the teeth with system selling software?
Damn right I do.
Does this zelda fit that model?
File your own answer here, to This rhetorical question.
@Ichiban
What do you suppose is happening here then?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXnTYsHOd5E
Seems to be working just fine and it's running on a Wii U. Granted, I would also like to see it take full benefit of the superior hardware that the NX will undoubtedly have, but I think it is also safe to say that if anyone can make this game look and run beautifully on Wii U, it is Nintendo themselves.
Their own efforts outshine any third party offering by multiple factors.
In the end it will probably get the same treatment as Twilight Princess though, and will appear for both Wii U and NX, so you can choose.
@Ichiban Bayonetta 2 would like a word with you, maybe Zelda will look better on NX, but the Wii U is capable of beautiful graphics.
I really don't care if Zelda U gets the TP treatment, as long as it also available for Wii U. I'm not buying the NX before a good game catalogue is available.
@Octane 'The original E3 trailer was in-game footage, not a pre-rendered cut-scene.'
Yup, I know that. Well it just might have been running on a dev kit, just because the WiiU was there under the tv does not mean it was running from the WiiU, perrecorded clip remember.
It most likely was on the WiiU but I'm sure development has been shifted to whatever the NX is since then. Clearly.
@readyletsgo Guess this one is also for you then:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXnTYsHOd5E
There is no way in hell the Wii U is pulling that off! Better? Lol
@ichiban A very fine answer I'm sure, when evidence pointing to the contrary is presented. I would be interested to know what makes you think this couldn't be done on Wii U. The 4 minute play session did run on the original hardware and it didn't seem to suffer for it.
That is not to say that the entire game could sort of "outgrow" the system during the development process and might have to be ported to the NX after all, but for now it is still on target for Wii U as well.
@TheRealThanos the one and only trailer? Ok.
Ugh, (I have to say this every time on this site) I love Nintendo, for decades, I have nearly every WiiU game and love them, but things are going badly for Nintendo. Why can't fan boys realise this and except that Ninty are a company that like making money like any other company in the world. The WiiU is failing. ZeldaU will not get the audience it deserves on the WiiU. Best thing to do is bring it to NX and port it 6 months later to the WiiU, common sense.
And remember boys and girls, Nintendo lie all the time, especially this 'gen'.
@TheRealThanos that 4 minute demo looked nowhere near as good as the initial trailer, & did indeed suffer with random slowdown & awful looking textures (despite being an off-screen demo it was clear as day)
I bet the farm this is now an NX launch title. Nintendo needs to move systems at launch & this is the game to do it. Nintendo are a business, not our friend. They don't give a crap that the userbase of their lowest selling home console may be upset, they just wanna shift units and make money.
I hope this doesn't come across as harsh towards you, I just get a bit into it at times!
@readyletsgo it's not a trailer, it's 4 minutes of actual gameplay. And I'm not one of those fanboys you describe. Way too old and smart to still be busy with dumb stuff like that...
@Ichiban No worries, man. It's your opinion and I respect that. Personally, I also think it would be better to put this on the NX, I just want to keep a glimmer of hope for Wii U owners (I'm not one of them) that aren't to keen on putting away their Wii U in favor of the NX. And another Twilight Princess deal could happen, we are talking about Nintendo after all...
Also, besides the ground textures, I don't think it looks that bad. If I remember correctly, there's also another demo that is full screen, but I haven't found it yet.
@GraveLordXD Nintendo confirmed it would definitely come to the Wii U. Chances are based on what we know, it will receive the TP treatment. Don't worry to much about it.
Wow. If this isn't a NX launch title I'll be shocked. The fact 2 NX games have been announced means it's probably coming in 2016.
At this point, I would be shocked if Zelda U doesn't pull a Twilight Princess.
@kingofthesofa - I'll get an HD SS if they correct the over-site of not letting us fly at night. I spent that whole game waiting for Link to finally be able to fly at night and it never happened.
@ichiban I can't find the exact video I was looking for, but GameXplain did an enhanced full screen version of that 4 minute gameplay video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF9xDrQ9gKQ
If I compare that to the earlier footage, there really isn't that much difference imho:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUFFVATu9Lg
But opinions can differ, so I won't be offended if you disagree...
It is entirely possible that Zelda will make it to both Wii U and NX. I guess it depends on how far along NX really is. Though they could easily release it for Wii U next Summer and then NX in 2017.....worked well for Sony and The Last of Us.
At this point every thing about NX is a guess though. Could be a gamepad 2.0 that allows you to play 3DS games through your Wii U in upscaled HD.
@ichiban as a tip to avoid bad playback of the videos when watching online: just download them using a YouTube downloader and watch them on your PC with your own media player. Don't know which browser you use, but in Firefox I either use "Easy YouTube Video Downloader Express" or "Flash Video Downloader".
@Captain_Gonru - "competitors stealing their ideas"
My first thought - it was just a smoke screen, like a fat chick on Match dot.com telling you she's thin.
Second thought - their "idea" is "play anywhere - save once", a 3DS w/ HDMI out, but they're afraid Sony will add HDMI out to Vita if they announce it. 1 console for home and away.
And I think it has to be sooner 2016 rather than later 2017 b/c by early 2018 the Sony hype machine will be in full force for the PS5 and NX will be buried. See Dreamcast and PS2. NX has to be holiday 2016, Wii U is a failure, not even a price cut to $199 is getting it to Gamecube numbers as Gamecube had to hit $99 to generate sales.
@Gerbwmu - "worked well for Sony and The Last of Us"
Quick, what game didn't Sony do that with?
If you came up blank that's b/c it's a trick question. PS2 HD versions on PS3, PS3 remasters on PS4. With more to come.
@TheRealThanos lol I know what it is, seen it at Christmas or January or when ever they did the gameplay footage.
For what it's worth, I know the WiiU can run Zelda U without a doubt. And sorry for calling you a fan boy, you're a fan man/woman, just like my good old self.
I realize Zelda would look incredible on the NX, especially if it's hardware is between Xbone and PS4(or on par with PS4). Although they've stated that it's coming to Wii U, it was suppose to come out this year however they decided to delay it to add new things. We've seen gameplay footage that works around the Wii U's gamepad.
I'm really hoping that Nintendo doesn't delay it even more to the point they decide to just put it on the NX. The soul reason why I bought my Wii U in 2013 is because they finally mentioned Zelda U was in the works. Even though I have a few other games like MK8, Smash, Splatoon, and soon I'll be getting Super Mario Maker as well as Xenoblade Chronicles X. The whole point of me having the Wii U was to play Zelda. I'll be pretty crushed to hear Nintendo holding it back even more just to release it on the NX. I have plans to get a PS4 at the start of next year to play games outside of Nintendo, I'll hate to see the NX come out during Holiday 2016 or early 2017 with Zelda U as one of it's launch titles.
@readyletsgo No need to apologize, I was just making sure you knew I wasn't on a fantasy trip for the Wii U and blindly discounting all the negatives. (like a true fanboy would) I'm more of an all-round gamer. I'm not a Nintendo exclusive gamer: I have a bunch of different consoles (none of the new ones, by the way) and I do some gaming on the PC, nothing too heavy, mostly RTS, soccer, racing and some puzzle games.
@Zyon I'm guessing Zelda U will get the Twilight Princess treatment. I'll bet the U version get's released after the NX launch. I'll wait for the Wii U version. Zelda U was one of the reasons I bought a Wii U as well.
Oh Zelda U... I don't know how much longer I can wait!
Calling it... No Exclusive Zelda For Wii U.
It'll be a repeat of the Twilight Princess launch all over again.
They could at least show some more Zelda. Ugh.
What an awkward situation. It has to be a Wii U exclusive. What else are they gonna do? Release it on the NX side by side with Dragon Quest XI and assassinate third party support? NX, if it is indeed starting from 0, needs it's own Zelda and completely severe any ties with the Wii brand and this means zero tolerance on a TP situation.
...or...
Have some sort of differentiation. GC and Wii TP was flipped. So...if NX is some sort of vr device, then the WiiU and NX versions could be third and 1st person respectively....
@Grumblevolcano Lol. I know NOA get some bad press online but if they didn't release a Zelda Collection in the US , the internet would break !!
@rjejr I never understood that either. Would have been sweet to fly around at night , under the moon and stars. I assume they chose to do this , rather than it been an oversight. As to why , who knows ? Lol to comment #57 - perhaps Nintendo are catching on ? GOTY versions of Zelda U , MK8 and Smash for the launch of NX in 2017 ?
Im the only one waiting to hear about Project Guard
@Captain_Gonru - I don't know what Tindr is, but I was set up on a blind date to my wife, and my friend got married via Match.Com so to me it's just an extension of the newspaper ads, which I did use back in the 90's I think. Technology isn't as new as it sometimes like to think it is. There were swinger parties in the 70's before Ashley Madison came along. The video evidence is better now though, but people could always get themselves into trouble.
On topic: "third parties"
Ha ha. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. As if they're coming back. Just Dance, Skylanders, Disney Infinity, Lego Dimensions, 18 months is more than enough for them. And while I probably have at least half a dozen NX concepts at this point, all of them are based on handheld quality graphics, which probably don't take as long to produce as home console. Yokai Watch and Pokemon probably only need a year, 18 months is long. So no, I'm not worried in th eelast about a short time frame adn 3rd aprty support.
If it makes you feel any better, PS4 launched at $400 w/ about 5 or 6 remasters and hardly anything new besides Knack, and in 1 year it sold twice as many consoles as Wii U in 2 years, 22mil to 10 mil, so a console doesn't even need new games to launch. Zelda U and DQXI (3DS port) should be plenty.
Ive said this numorous times but I will say it again. If Zelda wii U does not come to wii u Im DONE with Nintendo. No NX for me no matter what. I will have been burnt one too many times if the new zelda is pushed to be a NX launch game
@Marshi I'm sure it will. You're just going to have to wait for the Wii U version. Nintendo is going to use Zelda to help push NX sales.
Zelda will still be coming to the WiiU but it will be going to the NX too. The NX version might be tempting enough to get some fans to spring for a NX and Zelda on the NX.
Wow, you guys are really great here! Its so good to see others' opinions taken so well, even if they are a tad insane such as mine!
If this Zelda even touches the NX I'll be bummed. That means they did the Twilight Princess crap again. C'mon Nintendo... focus.
I will believe Project Robot once it's out on the Wii U. Though they might want to put it out before people stop playing the Wii U. I also think Nintendo will very much Twilight Princess the crap out of this new Zelda game and put it on both old and new consoles.
Assuming Retro studios is working on a new Metroid title for the NX, like some believe, couldn't they also do a duel release on Wii U as well. If Nintendo decides to do a Wii U/NX duel release with Zelda then why not Retro and Metroid?
That's if Retro is doing a new Metroid. If their next game is an NX exclusive, that means they only did one game for the whole Wii U lifespan.
I remember the last generation when SS was being developed for the Wii and everyone was convinced that it was releasing for the Wii U. All this craze over the fact that Nintendo has never explicitly said "Zelda is releasing in 2016" is just ridiculous. Literally nothing has changed between this financial report and the one released in March.
But seriously, everyone acts like just because the Twilight Princess ordeal happened once in the history of Zelda, that it's happened multiple times. I predict that Zelda will remain a Wii U exclusive and release November 2016, with the NX being announced at E3 2016 and releasing sometime in 2017(probably Fall or Winter).
@triforcepower73 Why wouldn't Nintendo save Zelda as a launch title for the next system. The company needs some strong launch titles to accompany NX to avoid another Wii U launch.
They can still deliver the game on Wii U at a later date. As a Wii U owner I don't like the idea, but from a business stand point launching NX with a Zelda title makes sense.
it's really not the first time a game has no release date. One thing is sure, the next zelda will be availalble on WiiU, if not early 2016 then it will be late 2015
Please, this reeks of the "Twilight princess will be for GameCube" thing. Then they delay it until they can simultaneously release it for Wii. Zelda U will be for NX guys. Come on we all know how Nintendo works.
@readyletsgo I think it's more likely that it will be a double release, like Twilight Princess. I think they've made promises it would be released for the Wii U, there would be huge backlash if they didn't.
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