Rumour: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Won't Be Ready by March

Wow. No way this is true. If it is they have to post pone the whole system.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a delay, but localisation? Nintendo are surely very good at estimates of that by now.

Well... as long as the waith is worth it.
Oh wait... I don't have a Wii U, nevermind.

But seriously, even If I don't have one I'm waiting for it.

Nintendo's localization department right now

How long does it take to translate text???

Launching Switch without Zelda will hurt momentum of the system I think. On the other hand they are probably planning on sending 3 Switches to every store so I won't be able to get one any way.

That's not a delay. Nintendo NEVER committed to BotW releasing alongside the Switch in March. They said "2017".

I should also point out that Emily claims that the new 3D Mario is "basically done", meaning it should be ready for launch.

lol postpone the whole system. Show me where and when they said Zelda was a launch title, or would be ready by March?

No way would they miss realeasing this day and date with the system it would be a huge miss.

Where is Mother 3 Emily?
Till then I won't trust you, sorry.

This game is going to earn the 2017 equivalent of the Halo 3 song hosted on the Sarcastic Gamer site back in the day.
Meanwhile, in Hyrule.

If this rumor is true and I doubt it. They better have a darn good game to sell with the NS. I know i'm not buying it with a Mario game. A Mario Kart game well that is another story. They never did say that it would be a launch title. I missed that one. This kind of rumor is disgusting. I don't want to think about it. Gross. This is so nasty it reminds me of the election all over again.

Very bad news if it's true. They need to have quality games at launch, we cannot have a repeat of the Wii U launch. So I hope that Mario game is ready instead. God help them if its ports of Wii U games.

"A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad." - Shigeru Miyamoto

@Blastcorp64 That depends on three main factors: the amount of text, the size of the team working on it and the number of languages it needs to be translated to. And arguably, the size of the game is also a factor, but that is more or less covered by the amount of text factor...

According to official statements of Nintendo themselves, it is their most ambitious game ever, the total size of the map and thus the game world, being 12 times that of Twilight Princess. So I could imagine that localization will indeed not be a breeze to complete.

Would be a pity, but at least I won't be buying both versions of BOTW on launch day if true, haha. XD Even though I was lucky enough to find Gamecube TP for £9, not gonna risk it for the Wii U BOTW.

From Emily's own article:

"On an unrelated note, I’ve also heard whispers of the Switch version of BoTW running more smoothly than the Wii U version."

Kicking in the open doors as usual, ms. Rogers...

First of all WHO IS Emily Rogers? Also Yes the game is not coming in March 2017. Its coming in Q3 2017 after e3. The game is not done yet.

Also "On an unrelated note, I’ve also heard whispers of the Switch version of BoTW running more smoothly than the Wii U version."
LOL Emily the game is still in development. They working on optimized the game.

So, no Black Friday deal, then?

Also this is proves the wii u is not dead. If zelda is the last game for the wii u and its not coming in March 2017 but Q3 2017, Nintendo is making games for Wii U along side with the switch.

Rumors
Mario Sunshine HD
Mario Golf
Pikmin 4
Diddy Kong racing

@Blastcorp64 Unfortunately it's not just about translating, but localizing as well. A lot of cultural norms need to be considered. The guys over at 8-4 Play Podcast - the team behind the localization of Fire Emblem: Awakening, amongst others - have mentioned how large of a task it is to localize games with a ton of text (e.g. Fire Emblem) from Japanese to English. And not just English, but to English-speaking countries like America, Great Britain, Australia, etc., and how to make text from Japan make sense, culturally, to another nation. It's weird, but interesting.

@ThanosReXXX The other interesting thing there is that the final version of the game is more difficult than the E3 demo, which was toned down to make it more enjoyable for journalists.

Makes sense considering that it was a long demo and they'd have people waiting in line behind them while playing.

@Blastcorp64 All your Goron are belong to us?

Okay in the long run waiting a few more months doesn't really matter. But on the other hand... what the hell has been happening with Nintendo lately? First the amiibo drought, then the New 3DS XL Majora's Mask debacle, then Star Fox was delayed, then Zelda was delayed, then the NES Classic shortage, and now Zelda delayed again? Seriously Nintendo get your act together! We, as your fans, are thrilled to throw our money at you but you need to give us the products for us to buy! Like I said, I can wait "a few more months" for Zelda, not the end of the world, but I'm really starting to distrust and to a certain extent even dislike Nintendo's practices. Constantly delaying things, and constant product shortages will tire us out after a while. If the Switch isn't everything that we've been waiting for all this time, then I might as well just keep my money in the bank and accept that Nintendo just isn't what they used to be.

In all seriousness, even if this is true, it doesn't bother me at all. As others have pointed out, a delayed, decent game is better than a rushed, broken game.

Ugh. Then again, we also thought Star Fox Zero would be delayed twice. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/02/rumour_star_fox_zero_facing_development_niggles_another_delay_could_happen

if zelda is delayed then very likely so is my switch purchase. i can wait a few months and the price will probably come down too.

Wow...if this becomes true, then this is the longest wait for a game I believe. Uncharted 4 was criticized a ton for it's long delay, but this Zelda title has been longer. If it's delayed, does that mean the Wii U version will disappear for good or are they delaying Zelda until summer because they really have a large gap in releases from March until then? Hmmm...something tells me that there is going to be a huge nintendo drought on the Switch (just nintendo games) from launch until summer, and that's not going to be a good sign for it.

@IceClimbers The OTHER interesting thing? I'd say it was the ONLY interesting thing. Saying stupendously obvious things like the Switch version of BoTW is going to run smoother than the Wii U version hardly counts as something interesting...

@HaNks Me too. The launch lineup will have to be pretty compelling to get me to buy in Zelda's (alleged) absence. Though there's no way the console is coming down in price that soon. That will take years to happen.

@LegendOfPokemon sure, 25 years ago when things called the internet and game updates didn't exist.

Seriously, people need to stop referencing this antiquated quote in these situations.

Aside from this, if Zelda isn't ready for Switch day 1 then Switch is DOA. 3D Mario games are not system sellers to anyone outside of the Nintendo core.

Man, ever since ~2011.….. what TF happened to Nintendo??

@KrakenSoup Keep in mind that this is just a rumor, and that Breath of the Wild was only specified to have a "2017" release date. It was never confirmed to be a launch title.

@River3636 A "delay" that isn't even a delay disgusts you as much as the recent election? Well then...

@Clownshoes Miyamoto produced Metroid Prime, one of the best games ever made, AFTER 1996. (But, really, all of his games during the Wii and beyond have stupid gimmicks!)

@gatorboi352 The quote is used so much whenever a game is "delayed" that I thought it would be a little fun to use it here.

Also, we haven't seen the launch lineup yet. There's surely more than 3D Mario.

Guys, I heard from my uncle's coworker's friend that the "localization" problem here is that the team only recently learned that Link is topless during certain segments of gameplay.

Reportedly, discussions are currently underway on whether to commission a Luigi, Samus Aran, or Princess Zelda costume for Link as a "bonus" with which to replace the shirtless model for Western markets.

@River3636 Yes!! Do that Nintendo! LOL! That wasn't sarcasm BTW! LOL!

@yomanation If it truly is a localization and bug testing problem, then don't expect the Wii U version either: that will face the exact same issues...

Noooo. I need Breath of the Wild NOW (or at least in March, a month before my birthday). Well, if it does get delayed, then it's most likely a sure sign that BOTW will be a masterpiece of a game since most of the times delayed games turn out to be beyond amazing.

I prefer a well made release over a quick release.

No other company has such issues with translating games. Nintendo has such difficulty with it yet Western developers manage to release games in multiple languages and have them all on one disc. Maybe it's time for Nintendo to make their games in English?

I wonder if this means the Wii U version will be cancelled (if the rumor is true)?

Emily has just as many instances of being wrong as she does being right, so I don't trust a damn thing she says. I remember several instances where she was flat out wrong. No Mother 3, despite what... 2 years of saying that its coming? Plus she was all over the place on Wii U rumors back when. Where is that Rockstar game and Soul Caliber 4?

@yomanation Then what did you mean by "I can play it on the Wii U"? Perhaps you can see why I responded the way I did, since delayed Switch version = delayed Wii U version.

I have faith in you Aonuma...

@Jayvir Not to mention full voice acting in Breath of the Wild and a selectable female character as the main protagonist...

@Mega_Yarn_Poochy . You are right, but it still gives me that hopeless feeling inside where you think you are in a alternative Universe.

Zelda Breath Of The Wild NEEDS to be at launch! Also, everyone in this comment section, if Nintendo has to delay Zelda, do any of y'all think they would delay the Switch along with Zelda? Cause Zelda BOTW is a would be a GREAT launch title!

This seems unlikely, IMO. So when the heck will the Wii U version be released, Christmas 2017?

Emily Rogers again?

lol
I'll wait for actual news.

@yomanation Aha, so what you actually meant was: "I can play it on the Wii U when it finally arrives". That small distinction wasn't there in your original comment, so I took it as you magically expecting there to be a Wii U version before the Switch version, which you will understand came across as ever so slightly odd to me...

@NintendoEan ?

On the bright side, this would give me a few more months to pay off my preorder...

I was going to get the Switch at launch if Zelda was there, but if it isn't, I will most likely wait on getting the Switch later. Even if the new 3D Mario is there at launch, it probably wouldn't be enough to really tie me over. I will have to wait till Nintendo says something, which seems to be January 12th

I think if this is true, a lot of people will do the same thing as me and not get the system at launch and just wait to get it, so I do think this will hurt the launch.

Bottom line, this has got to be one of the worst rumors I have ever heard. I cannot even fathom it. Yuck. Gag. Blahk. Nintendo knows they need great launches. Nintendo better get this right. I don't want to be singing ..Hallelujah...... Hallelujah....like I'm in mourning or something.

If true then that means the next Wii U retail release will be at least another 7 months away.For the first time I'm starting to think the Wii U version will be cancelled.

@LegendOfPokemon So you thought something along these lines: "Every single time in the past 20 years a game gets delayed, someone makes a fool of themselves by posting this same old, tired, and by now with the internet and DLC nearly irrelevant, quote. I know they look foolish because they think they look smart by saying this, but I think it would be pretty fun to use it for the 7 millionth time on THIS particular delayed game!"

Release the new Mario at launch and save Zelda for Holiday 2017 with a special bundle.

@onlyonemello
To hell with cultural norms

@LegendofPokemon

Well, you were right it was pretty fun! Thanks!

@LetsGoRetro Yep! You hit the nail right on the head 😝

This is unfortunate if it's true. However, if they rush to get it ready by March, we'll be left with a lesser product than we could have had. Nintendo needs quality games, now more than ever. Besides, Mario is hardly an unpopular series, and we haven't had a quality 3D Mario like Sunshine or Galaxy in quite a while. I'm not saying it's a positive thing that BoTW won't be a launch title, but I don't think it'll cause the Switch to fail or anything, especially considering there will probably only be a 3/4 month gap between the release of the Switch itself and of BoTW.

http://effsalt.blogspot.com/2011/09/take-it-with-grain-of-salt.html?m=1

@yomanation I'd be OK with it too,it wont affect me as I'll be getting the Switch at launch but if it is cancelled it'll be a PR disaster for them.

While waiting for BotW, let's play ACNL Welcome Amiibo. You can use Zelda amiibos (Especially Wolf Link) to feel BotW in mini version.

Guess we'll see if this rumor is true or not. But I won't be surprised if it's true and it gets delayed.

Maybe it's only delayed on the Wii U, like back when Twilight Princess came out and they delayed it on Gamecube to punish people who didn't get a Wii.

Mostly kidding, I really have no clue.

Oh that's right, because nintendo never uses voices in their games, we'll probably be reading walls of text. Oh well, no sweat off my sack.. I'm not getting the Switch for zelda anyway.

Of all the delaying factors, localization? Really? They finished Paper Mario: Color Splash's localization by E3 last year, and besides unannounced Switch games they literally have had no major localization jobs since.

Usually I don't mind postponing..
But I think BotW will greatly disappoint the huge hype growing everyday if it does again. I honestly don't think it'll be as meaty as other 'open word' games and as people want it.

Ah, this takes me back to Ocarina of Time and look how that turned out. 😉

@Prizm
Ew.

Couple things:

1) If this is true, it's not a delay. Nintendo has only stated "2017" as the release window. This was never confirmed as a Switch launch title.

2) I'm a longtime Zelda fan, and I'm not bothered by this one bit. Zelda games are ALWAYS worth the wait.

At first I thought hell no. Once reading the reason it might not be quite that much of a stretch. Quite honestly that would be a bad start for the switch. As that game alone was gonna move a bunch of units. After launch people might have found a lot of things not to like about the system. That means that not even Zelda will move units. It has to be at launch, just has to be.

The "launch window" is usually around 3 months,so if it's coming Summer 17 then it could still be within the window.Mario 3D and a few other titles day one and Zelda 2 or 3 months later.

This is not a delay.

Nintendo never committed to a March 2017 launch for Switch. Just 2017. Nothing more specific than that.

While not having Zelda at the Switch launch will no doubt hamper its early launch momentum, some people here need to realize that there will be OTHER GAMES available for the Switch during its launch...Perhaps wait to see what those other games before completely writing off the Switch because one particular, albeit highly anticipated, title may not make the Switch's launch.

NINTENDO DOESN'T NOT DO WHAT NINTENDON'T I got nothing.

This is a good thing. Means lots of characters, text, voice acting, all of which indicates strong world-building efforts. Take your time Nintendo, make it a classic

It's amazing that people will sacrifice software quality to receive the game a little bit earlier.

While it's quite uncommon for a Zelda game to not come out for the holiday season, It's also quite unlikely that Nintendo would want to miss this opportunity for launching their new system with a Zelda game.

Last time they tried that, it worked quite well.

@Ichiyama that's just poor grammar.

While I would be very disappointed if this were true...I do have to accept the fact that Nintendo never promised BotW as a launch title...we just assumed so. And if it is "delayed" I don't see a huge point to buy a Switch at launch...but I will anyway because I'm a sucker like that.
Meanwhile...I think it's just a matter of time before Emily Rogers is "accidently" run over by a Nintendo truck that says "cease and desist" on the side.

...

@onlyonemello definitely interesting. I imagine fire emblem has way more nuanced text then Zelda with all the playable characters and their relationships. Still, seems a little ridiculous for it to be the reason for a delay. I wonder how much communication there is between Japan and US/EU throughout the development to give them a head start - localize as the game is being developed. The impression they seem to give is Japan works under a cloak of mystery and when it's finished they send it off for localization to figure out the game. Terrible decision if true especially considering English speaking countries make up the largest markets for Nintendo games and especially Zelda. I'm not saying they should be influenced by western culture, but maybe have a westerner on staff in Japan during development essentially being a fly on the wall to start drafting out the localization as development progresses. Would definitely improve efficiency and game turnaround.

@ThanosReXXX they should have been working on localization for years now. Zelda's main market is in the west and has been for several years now. This isn't some project that I would expect to be under financial constraints for western localization like an Atlus game or something where a western release isn't certain.

F your rumours! And F you!

maybe they are having issues make it work on the wii U

A Nintendo game that gets delayed always comes out as a master piece. These delays should be taken for granted. Unlike other game companies, Nintendo refuse to release a broken game.

"most anticipated game" Whoa there, that goes to Pokemon!
...
Well, I will say that Breath of the Wild will probably be better than Sun/Moon, but I'm definitely on the crazy hype train for Pokemon!

Emily Rogers again?! 2 cups full of salt. The game will likely be delayed but I don't think it will be after E3. It'll be released sometime shortly after launch of the switch. I heard it from my cousin who works for Emily Rogers' assistant.

Day one switch buy is definitely unlikely now. Unless the release line up starts with a metroid title (a real one not that other trash). I'd pay it off in full right now if they announced that.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo😭

I don't see why everyone thinks it's so critical for Breath of the Wild to release on the Switch at launch or else it will kill momentum. Nintendo will surely have another big game at the launch, whether it's another 2D Mario or that supposed new 3D Mario. Mario will undoubtly sell systems better than Zelda will. Then to keep sales momentum, release Breath of the Wild in the summer for the hardcore fans.

What I'm basically saying is that just because Breath of the Wild might not be there at launch doesn't mean there won't be anything worthwhile.

@KrakenSoup Actually nothing has changed. Consoles are pretty much always sold out at launch. Amiibos are collectors items, there are usually some rare ones, similar with collectors editions.
games habe always been delayed, especially Zelda has a history of beeing delayed...

Well if Breath of the Wild needs more work and wouldn't come out in March, then it likely means that I don't need to stress about purchasing a Switch when it launch and can rather get my family to buy a Switch for my birthday in May if I am lucky.

I wonder if Breath of the Wild is going to support Chinese and Koran like Pokémon Sun and Moon if that's why there might be localization problems, or if it is just a lot to localize for all the PAL languages in Europe. (There should be at least 6-8 PAL languages I think).

Either way, time flies anyway so I know I will get Breath of the Wild sooner or later in the future :+).

@Blastcorp64 Localization is much much more than translating text. There are graphics changes, story flow changes, sense of humor changes, UI changes, voice acting...

Creating a modern day open world game probably knocked Nintendo on their asses!

Am I the only one who feels like Nintendo is held to much higher standards right now than any other company ever?
What i am reading here all the time:

Switch needs to be a lot cheaper then other consoles at launch. Even though they are successfull as well. Switch might not be THAT weak, you know?

Switch absolutely needs to have great games at launch. Even though most consoles didn't habe those.
PS4 didn't and even the insanely successfull DS didn't.

NES mini needs to have enough units at launch for everyone, even though systems are usually sold out at launch and it is really only an issue of missing patience.

And so on...

It's not really a delay if they never confirmed when it was being released...

Well, I was expecting to ignore a bunch of other March releases in favour of Zelda but this way I can concentrate on Persona 5, Ni-Oh, Horizon: Zero Dawn etc etc
It'd be a real shame for the Switch, though if it launches with a new Mario, and Mario Kart/Smash/Splatoon ports that would be enough to sell it I think...

This will hurt them and the system launch..........obviously

But it might be this way....they delay it for switch but not for wiiu...that way they can sell some more dead consoles.

@wiggleronacid 2D Mario won't sell unless it is something completely different, and not NEW Super Mario Bros. Switch.

That could be a big blow to the Switch's momentum. They could do with having plenty of great games early on to tempt people to buy the console.

Same excuse as ever. Would be lame if true... Don't they learn?

I cant see it happening again, but saying that this was suppose to be a 2015 game.

Lets hope its false, I cant take the wait any longer!

If this isn't a launch title, that's a spectacular c*ck-up.

Haha this would be incredible.

I'd love to have Zelda on day 1, but I also don't mind waiting a few months till after launch to get it either.

...so long as there's lots of good games for me to get, perhaps the new Mario, maybe some 3rd party games... The Zelda delay gives me something to look forward to... and I wouldn't at all be surprised if this is Nintendo trying to space out releases.

And in the end, it won't even be localised anyway.

A worry not Zelda related:

Elder Scrolls VI is in development. It might not be released before 2020 but when it does there's no chance in hell it will run on Switch. This is why we're in for a short ride, succesful or not.

I hate 'rumours' like this... because they're not rumours... they're one person's speculation.
The actual rumour here is that localisation of BotW is taking longer than expected... which it may be... but that doesn't mean it will be delayed as a result... with a game this important they would almost certainly have left extra time in case of any delays like this.
And her reasoning is flawed anyway... it's all based on the idea that testing won't begin until localisation is complete, which is nonsense... testing would already have been underway since the game was finished in September... it would only be the testing of the localised content that would need to wait, but even if they can't start that until the end of December, they'll still have at least a couple of months for the final testing and production before release in March, which shouldn't be a problem.

Oh Emily Emily, I do love your crazy hair but please just SHUT UP.

I don't like how Emily is making herself the centre of attention by spreading these kind of rumours. She should stop doing that until Nintendo releases more information about the system and its game line-up.

BOTW is also available on Wii u so it won't have the impact on sales it would have if it were a Switch exclusive. I'll be getting BOTW on Wii u, put it that way.

The quality and type of exclusive Switch games will help me decide if I buy a Switch.

@dew12333 That's Laura Kate Dale with the blue hair.Or has Emily Rodgers got "crazy'' hair too?I thought she was anonymous.

Better this than waiting for patching.

I hope that the reason why NOA is delaying this game isn't that they want to censor something...

Wow....
Lol

@OorWullie
Lol your right, I got mixed up there. I'll shut up about her hair then.

At this rate I strongly suspect it's not going to come out on the Wii U at all.

It's not delayed. The game never had a March 2017 release date, Nintendo only ever confirmed it for '2017', that's it.

Everyone has simply been assuming the game would be a Switch launch title, but Nintendo never so much as hinted at that.

@therealgamer I Respect Your Opinion Dude. And it would be great for Wii U owners but as a different perspective. I can't see a big game like Pikmin coming to a console that isn't being manufacturerd anymore. Also Diddy Kong racing was a Rare Franchise. A lot of the racters in the original outside the Kongs are owned by Rare/Microsoft. I guess the good thing with Nintendo is that anything 'could' happen

@ThanosReXXX May I just say, I really respect your use of emoticons in messages.
Throughout the internet, particularly comment sections, users always misinterpret comments as aggressive, thus unnecessary arguments start. Small things like emoticons just help keep the space friendlier, and just tells readers of your passive intentions, if it wasn't obvious already 😉

And then they will say that Wii U is not powerful enough. I see it coming for a year already.

@yomanation they may not be experts at open world games but i doubt their game will be a buggy mess like most open world games are.

@LegendOfPokemon

"Parotting me with this tired quote will eventually make you sound clever"

• Shigeru "Innovation for innovation's sake" Miyamoto

I don't think the NX will be either.

The title release date says "2017". I don't see the word "March" in it.

Frankly, I only blame people like you who quickly rush into something that hasn't been officially said or announced. The Zelda: BotW March launch rumour was started by this woman, who quickly became known for her so called "sources". She's not affiliated with Nintendo to begin with, and she gets lucky with her guesses. But now she has gone too far with this one. She should stop posting some false information that she is not sure about. And you guys should not always listen to her, because you will be blaming Nintendo for "breaking their promise". Nintendo said it's a 2017 title, and that's that. No more additional info. May be we'll hear the exact date in the Switch Direct.

Well, I just hope Nintendo has a bunch of other huge games ready for Switch's launch because this is one very important game pretty much everyone was expecting to be ready that is now delayed. Great start.

@DragonEleven I don't know if you've done QA testing for software before, but it's not as simple as just doing a speed run for a game. You have to do everything that the game has to offer and break it to the best of your ability. That means doing tedious task such as pressing buttons rapidly during animations, running into walls for hours on end, activating every switch, flag, and variable in the game to make sure events and animations play properly, etc. Once the testers list all the bugs they found they send it back to the devs, who then fix the bugs, and they send it back again to be tested. For an open world game this is half of the development time and even then they still come out with bugs and glitches because instead of 3-4 people testing you have hundreds of thousands of people who do random things the devs didn't think to do and end up breaking stuff.

People need to get off their high horses and learn that making video games isn't as easy, cool, or glamorous as some indie devs make it out to be. It's mind numbing work with mediocre pay and the only ones making real money are the producers, publishers and,, to a certain degree, directors.

The delay is a good thing. Even though we all assumed zelda would launch with switch. If we get mario 3d at launch, zelda in summer and potentially mario kart 9 at xmas 2017 then that is a great line up.

I really want a gold zelda themed switch so i might hold off. Got loads of wii u games i haven't played yet as i just dont have time.

If they only have 2 million consoles for launch then they're going to sell out without a problem. Even the Wii U sold 3.5 million in a few weeks.

They already had problems with Xenoblade Chronicles X's localization. The game released on the west, what, 8 months after the Japanese release?
Its obvious Nintendo isn't used to localization of big, open world games, they are still on the learning curve, so this rumor doesn't surprise me.
It does make you wonder what the launch line up will be

@Blastcorp64 Hey man, I'll be just as annoyed as the next guy if this turns out to be true, but all I did was list the main components of localization to clarify why it can take this long.

And a game 12 times the size of Twilight Princess certainly will need more time to process localization and bug testing...

I have a feeling the WiiU version will be out way before the NS version will be. I don't mind that as I have WiiU. I don't know, this would be great for us WiiU owners but terrible for launch of the NS.

It's an odd one if true.

@Ethan_Bricknell Well, thank you for the compliment. Seems just common sense to me, though. And it is indeed to emphasize that there is no malicious intent in my messages.

@readyletsgo How'd you figure that one? The localization and bug fixing issue will not be unique to the Switch version, so they will probably still come out at roughly the same time.

@ArmoredGoomba Eh, I mean it will still work if they launch it months later. If that Mario game rumor is true, then they are fine.

I'd rather them release the game when it's ready, not with some deadline.

I would think that having this game as a Switch launch title will be a bonus, even if it means prioritising the Switch version over the WiiU.

Regardless of whenever it comes out, Nintendo should release BotW on the Switch first, then the WiiU. It would "force" sales of the Switch.

Nintendo have a unique fan club and should exploit that (them).

I'm totally ok with this.For me this brand new designed Zelda is going to be 30,50++ game.And I'm just going to constraint on this regardless of what other games are available at launch.So If rumour's are true we might have A new Mario Galaxy 3.I wouldn't want both at same time.As long as Zelda out next year I'm ok.Also there's going to be a wealth of 3RD party games at launch to.We may even get Beyond good and evil,on day on.

@IceClimbers Yes and they said it could be a Mario Galaxy 3 game.As long as a Zelda or mario games at launch things will be fine.

@Uzuki I think you've missed something from what I was talking about, but the testing you're talking about would be going on throughout the development process, while I'm only talking about the final testing that would take place after the development is complete.
The source for this article mentions this should take 4-6 months... which fits with a March release, given that development appears to have been completed by September at the latest... the problem is that they're then adding that on top of an estimated 3 month localisation time... but they wouldn't happen one after the other, they'd happen at the same time.

Hopefully the Wii U version will be released so we can check it out before the Switch version is ready.

If they delay this game again. I will be so annoyed. This will be the biggest mistake nintendo will make for switch. Honestly releasing this game with switch will make the console fly of shelfs.... Please don't be stupid nintendo

@JLPick Well, The Last Guardian, Kingdoms Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy XIII Versus (which has become Final Fantasy XV) immediately come to mind as being a longer wait. And of course everyone's favorite: Half Life 3

@Luna_110 The problem with XCX wasn't that it was a big open-world game, it was the huge volume of text and voice acting involved.
Cutscenes and missions alone weren't even the main problem... it was all of the different playable characters that needed all of their lines translated and re-recorded... there were around 20 of them, plus all of the different voices for the customisable character.
BotW should be much simpler seeing as it only has the one playable character, and he's traditionally not exactly chatty.

Plus, there's also the fact that XCX probably required quite a bit of discussion about what everything would be called before they could get to work on the majority of the translation (I still find it funny that they got away with the name "Thallus"), while that should be a lot less of an issue with BotW, seeing as a lot of names are already well established.

@DragonEleven
Do we really know it is only Link? They have said there are towns and more people. The woman's voice (Zelda?) means that they will have more voice acting....
I think that you may be understimating how big the game may be. BotW will have more people and towns that what we've seen, they have the mini dungeons where the Sheikah are, any note or info in enemy encampments.... It doesn't look so simple as, say TP or WW.

@Luna_110 I said Link was the only playable character (and actually pointed out he probably won't be doing much talking)... but I wasn't talking about NPCs.
NPC text and voice acting may well be comparable to that of XCX, but as I said, that wasn't the main problem.
What people underestimate is how much of the XCX localisation time likely went into the playable characters alone.

@ThanosReXXX sorry if it seemed I was venting towards you. I am just trying to understand why nintendo hasn't figured out this whole localization thing yet. It just seems irresponsible for it to be the reason for the delay considering its suppose to align with the launch of the switch. It would be a failure of execution and could hurt the early momentum of the switch. Surely, Nintendo has to be aware of the buzz a launch-day Zelda generates.

Reason #3 for not buying any system at launch:

Most launch games are rushed to make the launch date.

@Blastcorp64 No offense taken man, so don't worry about that. First time I saw the headline I was also like: "ARE YOU F***ING KIDDING ME?".

@Snader Halflife 3? Is that even still a thing? I think that's going to be in Limbo longer than the next Duke Nukem game...

This will make it the Wii U 2.0.

This seems like a big mistake to me. A lot of US gamers have this thing about NOT buying Mario games anymore. Something to do with pretending they're adults and he's too kiddy or some nonsense. But they will buy Zelda still. There would be more sales momentum for the system with a new Zelda title to go with it.

I don't believe it! The game was already finished for years, only held back because of the Switch port.

If it really gets delayed, that may only be to turn it into a holiday title (or so that it doesn't cannibalize the new Mario).

Needless to say, waiting even longer is wrooooooong, and a epic fail for Nintendo!!

As for the localization: Just do it in Japanese and English! Italians, Germans, etc just have to read it in English! They do it allllll the time on the internet, so I see no problem there. That includes all ages!!!

I I don't at least get a really good demo by march I'm gonna be upset. I would pay good money for the e3 demo even.

Considering Horizon Zero Dawn is launching in March, I can see why Ninty would leave it till later on in the year.

@ThanosReXXX TBH I don't know. I just have this funny feeling it'll come to the WiiU before switch. IT WOULD BE CRAZY TO DO THAT, but this is Nintendo so I wouldn't be surprised (I'd be shocked).

But then, I think, how the game might be missing half of itself on the WiiU version, so...

@readyletsgo For all intents and purposes, it SHOULD come to the Wii U first, if only for the fact that the Wii U will be dead and buried by the time that the Switch version will be released, if this story has any truth to it...

Let's all hope this rumour is bogus...

@OorWullie The NX/Switch launch window has usually been talked about as "6 months", not 3. That is a lot or rumour, speculation and innuendo, but I suspect it will be accurate as Nitneod will consider March-August as "launch window" and then "Holidays" after that. They'll skip having games for "spring", "summer" or "fall" in 2017, only a 6 month "launch window" and "holiday", that's it for 2017.

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Nintendo+6+months+launch+window

@IceClimbers "That's not a delay. Nintendo NEVER committed to BotW releasing alongside the Switch in March. They said "2017"."

They should have just closed the comments after that.

@ThanosReXXX " if only for the fact that the Wii U will be dead and buried by the time that the Switch version will be released"

Have you seen the Wii U holiday line-up of new games - Just Dance 2017 which is also on Wii - and that's basically it. Paper Mario Color Splash and Skylanders Imaginators have already released and a few Lego Dimensions sets, but that's all there is. Darksiders Warmastered is still download only last I read so I won't even count that.

So Just Dance. Which is also on Wii. So if you want to argue Wii U isn't dead yet then you also must argue Wii isn't dead yet b/c it's getting the same game. JD is also on PS3 and Xbox360. PS3 is more alive and kicking than Wii U, even Xbox360, and Microsoft always drops it's old consoles like a hot potato.

Wii U is dead, Paper Mario was the end, Zelda BotW is a Switch game that's getting ported back to Wii U as they removed the interactive map which is what made it a Wii U game in the first place. Just b/c a console still gets games doens't mean it isn't dead. Nintendo announcing NoA has seen it's last consoles was pretty officially the end.

http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2016/11/11/nintendo-wii-u-production-ending-japan-shipments-finished-north-america/

It just doesn't get any deader than that.

@rjejr You're misreading me: I'm not saying it isn't dead, I'm saying it's COMPLETELY off the market and will be useless to still release a game for if it is indeed delayed like the rumor says.

They are busy supplying great content for the 3DS and WiiU. Oh wait...

It's a business move. They will have another shortage of games, and this allows them to release another AAA title in a few months after Mario.

Lol. I wish they would've just released it for Wii U (in 2015 or 2016) and made the Switch port afterwards (in 2018 or 2019).

They care about quality on a few select titles. The majority of titles over the last couple of years has been unacceptable.

@ThanosReXXX But if Wii U is already dead in November, what difference does March or May make?

What bothers me is Wii U owners know Zelda is coming, some day, but they didn't give us anything this holiday to take up the slack. They expect us to leave our Wii U plugged in unused for 4 or 5 months waiting for Zelda. I don't think 4, 5 or 6 months really makes a difference, it's the empty time this holiday that bothers me. If all a console has for the holiday is Just Dance, it's dead.

But they can't not (double negative, I know) release it on Wii U now. And they can't release it only digitally b/c I think it will be too big. But while Wii U will be gone from stores, the Wii U games section made up of $19.99 Selects titles may be there for awhile. Not sure how departments stores work over there but over here there is no Wii U and 3DS section, there is only "Nintendo". Wii, Wii U, DS, 3DS. Switch will slide in there, they'll leave a little room for 5 copies of Zelda on Wii U. Some day. I think. Fingers crossed.

Edit - Oops, I forgot, SMR Dec 15th, Nintendo is giving us a game this holiday. Gift wrapped.

I don't think this will make or break the Switch. The same thing happened with the Wii and Twilight Princess. I honestly think it's better planning even if it were complete to put it off a few months after the system releases. There will be other games on launch day, why not have another hugely anticipated game waiting for summer?

When it comes down to it, I want the best version possible.

@rjejr Yeah, true. Guess if they can still release games for the Sega Genesis, then releasing one for another dead console shouldn't be that big of an issue after all...

Zelda is a system seller. In the first week of Twilight Princess coming out, 3 out of 4 Wii purchases were being sold side-by-side with Twilight Princess. So it makes strategic sense to wait till Summer for the new Zelda. Nintendo won't need any help selling systems at launch. They'll create a demand like they do with all their products and people will go crazy. Then, in a few months when they need a boost, here comes Zelda; and then that brings you up to the fall season which is traditionally when big titles release....and then we're in the holiday season.

I know everyone on this site wants Zelda. I want Zelda! But there will be other awesome games at the launch of Switch.

@DragonEleven
And how would you know that the game was finished in September?

@Snader I almost forgot about the Final Fantasy...and yeah, Kingdom Hearts has been in production for the past 10 years it seems. I don't remember Half Life 3, I thought it was cancelled. Another one to mention is Beyond Good And Evil 2, which was announced back in the PS3's beginning with a quick ad, then...nothing again...also bringing to mind a few games that were mentioned for systems at launch and then never even came out...I still love how Fatal Frame 1-3 were out on PS2 and part 5 on Wii U, but part 4 never made it to the US. I'm still also waiting for the newest Grandia game which was announced at the PS2's end life...almost forgot about that one too. Still hoping that Breath Of The Wild isn't pushed further ahead though.

@yomanation The gamecube (which was my favorite nintendo system to date) had games that were deep in depth, and they still had the third party support throughout it's lifetime. The Wii U had some good games that had a lot of depth, but it seemed that many of the games made, were just quick games to release for the consumers of the system. Super Mario 3D World and Mario Kart 8 were my favorite on the system, and I would have loved Smash, but without a story element, I still only enjoy the Wii and gamecube versions, but Mario Kart Double Dash was still my favorite Mario Kart title to date too. If the Switch sells well, we'll see bigger games...if it remains like the Wii U, we'll see more droughts and more cheap-of-the-mill games that are rushed to fill large gaps.

@Rin-go Because their source had been talking about the localisation as if it was already underway in early September, which would have required development on the game to have already finished by then (otherwise the developers might change something that had already been localised, requiring them to redo the localisation).
For all we know it could have even been finished for a month or two before that... September is just the safest estimate to use as a starting point at the moment.

@River3636 I would not doubt that it is true, Nintendo has made lots of serious missteps in the last 7 or so years

@SLIGEACH_EIRE the Wii U launched with a whole bunch of great games. I don't know why people keep saying it didn't

@yomanation you and me both, my good man.

@BiasedSonyFan I'm talking about 3D mario titles, specifically.

@BiasedSonyFan

"not only is this the first video game generation in which they developed video games in HD, they also had to do so while supporting two consoles with software by themselves and spending R&D resources on the Switch."

Sounds like a Nintendo problem, not my problem.

Disappointing we might have to wait longer to play the game, but this actually could be a good sign. As of now, we've seen little about the game's actual plot. I've been worried that the nonlinearity of the game would prevent it from having a compelling story. But if this is true that localization is proving to be more daunting of a task than expected, this could mean the game will have a more expansive and compelling story than I initially thought. Unless localization entails more than I'm aware of, beyond translating in-game text.

@BiasedSonyFan Plenty of gamers don't need to buy Nintendo systems and instead stick with their Xboxs and PlayStations. But again, Nintendo's problem not mine.

By that time people will sell their WII U and move to Switch buhahahaha good decision NIntendo! Make people buy the Switch and then release only for Switch. That would be very funny. WE accept

@yomanation Yeah, at some point after the GCN flop, Nintendo did an about-face in regards to budgets and really overall approach to the industry they help build up. Which, in hindsight is pretty ironic considering the even worse Wii U flop

This would be odd, considering my preorder on Amazon.com, for the Wii U versions, just got an official release date last week.

Unless the Wii U version comes out before the Switch version?

@Agent721 I don't see a release date for the Wii U version anywhere. Care to share the link to the page where you saw that?

@BiasedSonyFan It's all about that massive budget. That's what makes games better don't you know. That and power. Lots and lots of power.

@WiltonRoots Big budgets and good power certainly don't HURT games. They're not inherently bad things.

@Danrenfroe2016 I wouldn't be surprised if it is, but one can have hope that it isn't. This seems a bit typical.

@KirbyTheVampire

I got an email from Amazon last week telling me there's a release date of 3/31/17. I preordered it a while ago, so this was the standard update email they send when you preorder a product without a release date. The page now also shows 3/31/17. I guess it still could be wrong, but then why would they bother emailing me with the release date?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00KWF803C/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479248823&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=zelda+breath+of+the+wild&dpPl=1&dpID=51wCbcJ7hEL&ref=plSrch

Good, means I won't have any temptation to pick up the Ninty Switch early...

@SharkAttackU Depends on whether those big budget games sell though. If they don't make the money back it costs to make a game, it can bankrupt the software companies, as we've seen a lot in the last few years.

@BiasedSonyFan with you on that. 90% of the big budget films that come out are complete garbage.

Hurrah, the Official Spokesperson for the Mainstream™ is in the house! We can all rest easy now... Phew!

@BiasedSonyFan k sounds good.

@yomanation biasedsonyfan is not one to engage in adult level conversation with.

@DragonEleven
It doesn't, though. Localisation often starts while the game is in development, so no it was not finished by September.

@yomanation
So spending money left and right, not making your money back and going bankrupt is what "the mainstream" likes?

@Rin-go They would only have been able to start localising parts of the game that had already been completed, in order to avoid problems if any changes were made... but the way their source was talking about the localisation in September makes it sound as if they already had all of the text and scripts ready for localisation by then, which would only be possible if the game was essentially complete.

I am kinda relieved? I don't have to decide between this and Mass Effect, Horizon, Persona5 if turns out to be true...I also totally expect ME to get delayed since the haven't seen a lot of gameplay

@MitchVogel you guys should have a little rumour checklist up on the site for everything LPVG, Eurogamer and Emily Rogers have ever said about the Switch, so we can cross them off as they come true (or not)

@DragonEleven
Many localisations start while the game is in development. That's how we get simultaneous releases. They could have very well had most if not all of the text ready, but not the game itself.
And localising doesn't only mean translating.

@yomanation
And how many mid-tier games do these companies release?

On a side note, since when should games be judged on how ambitious they are? Does that mean an ambitious and not fun game is better than an unambitious and fun game?

@River3636 Look on the bright side, we're in the timeline where the two biggest military powers in the world don't clash and create a cataclysm over some stupid patch of desert with ancient decomposed plants under it.

@gaga64 But Emily Rogers is the new Michael Pachter! They can't make her look bad, or they'll get less clicks when people catch on that the article is based on her!

The problem isn't that BotW is taking so long to be finished. The problem is that we STILL haven't seen any influx of regularly released gameplay previews! Even Ocarina of Time got previews as far back as E3 1995, over 3 years before it went gold. There is no excuse whatsoever for there to be such a dearth of publicly released gameplay information on BotW, this far into development. The whole game must have been scrapped and redone multiple times by now- I wouldn't be surprised if it gets delayed to 2018, with the Wii U version being cancelled, at this rate.

@PlywoodStick hehe, that's true, though my suggestion was actually entirely genuine - it'd be great to have all the rumours in one handy spot, as well as evidencing the times the rumours were true (instead of saying "xxx has provided a lot of reliable leaks" over and over again)

@Rin-go The alleged leaks quite clearly indicate that it is the localisation that is the potential problem, not the game itself... so we can safely assume that the game itself is still on schedule for a March release, which means that the final testing must already be underway.
This also means that regardless of the localisation delay, the Japanese version will still be ready for March either way.

Hahah, just like in the old days...
Delay after delay...

And that's actually a good thing.
The Zelda games that were out on time often felt a little empty.
The delayed ones all had a lot of magic and detail to them.