‘Legend Of Zelda Wii U’ Release Pushed To Next Year [Video]

Nintendo’s Wii U has had a promising several months. Between Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart 8 paving the way to success in 2014, to Splatoon and Mario Party laying the foundation for 2015, it seemed like the perfect year to release the next Legend Of Zelda for the struggling console. Last year, Nintendo stated that Zelda for Wii U would hit the shelves in 2015. Today, Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma opened up about the game’s progress, and despite their earlier claims, it looks like Legend Of Zelda will not be hitting Wii U this year (via IGN).

“Since I declared at The Game Awards in December that the game would launch in 2015, the directors and the many members of the development team have been working hard developing the game. In these last three months, as the team has experienced first-hand the freedom of exploration that hasn’t existed in any Zelda game to date, we have discovered several new possibilities for this game. As we have worked to turn these possibilities into reality, new ideas have continued to spring forth, and it now feels like we have the potential to create something that exceeds my own expectations. As I have watched our development progress, I have come to think that rather than work with meeting a specific schedule as our main objective, and releasing a game that reflects only what we can create within that scheduled time, I feel strongly that our focus should be to bring all these ideas to life in a way that will make Zelda on Wii U the best game it can possibly be.

So, I must apologize to all of you who were expecting the game by year’s end, but we are no longer making a 2015 release our number one priority. Instead our priority is to make it the ultimate and most complete Zelda game.”

In short, folks, Legend Of Zelda won’t be hitting the Wii U this year.

While this isn’t the most pleasant of news pieces, it doesn’t come completely out of left field. Nintendo has been known to delay games–especially their blockbuster titles–quite regularly. As legendary game developer Shigeru Miyamoto at Nintendo once said, “A delayed game is eventually good; a bad game is bad forever.”

Few would argue that Nintendo has perhaps the most impressive track record of quality games to date, and their delays likely have a bit to do with that. If Nintendo has found some extra ideas to play around with that can enhance the quality of the game, it is likely fans will eventually appreciate these enhancements and additions.

Let’s not forget the fact that Nintendo is working hard to make sure this chapter in the Legend Of Zelda series takes full advantage of the hardware and technology at the Wii U’s disposal. Considering the overall flexibility in play styles that the console offers, making sure the game utilizes its optimal features can’t be an easy task.

Does Zelda‘s delay affect your excitement for the game or sour your mood on the Wii U console as a whole? Let us know your thoughts below!

[Image Credit: Nintendo]