Nintendo could use a good hit for the Wii U, and one thing that would certainly boost sales is a new version of The Legend of Zelda, one of the most popular video game franchises. Unfortunately, its 2015 release will not be happening, and it could easily occur in 2017.
More fuel for the fire about a 2017 release date for The Legend of Zelda for the Wii U is a recent Earnings Release for the Fiscal Year which ended on March 31. According to Gamepur, there is a release schedule that does not have The Legend of Zelda for the Wii U on it for 2016.
However, there has been a recent update to the list, with a "TBD" stamped on it. That would be a placeholder, and, as we have covered before, that would mean that the new Legend of Zelda game, the one that Nintendo fans have been eagerly awaiting since Skyward Sword, the one that was promised to be done in 2015, the one that can surely boost sales of the fading Wii U, could be delayed again.
According to Engadget, the producer of the upcoming Legend of Zelda game, Eiji Aonuma, made a video where he announced that "we are no longer making a 2015 release our number one priority". That means at least a delay until 2016, but Aonuma added: "Instead, our priority is to make it the most complete and ultimate Zelda game. I hope to use the added time to make The Legend of Zelda for Wii U into a game that will reward you for your patience, so thank you for your continued support."
It stands to reason that a 2016 delay could make a better game, but this is a disappointment to Nintendo fans who really wanted to see that new Zelda game this year. I'm going to say that the 2016 delay will be used to its full advantage, meaning that the new Legend of Zelda game will be made available for the 2016 holiday season.
According to The Geek Church, it has been suggested that Nintendo's days have been numbered since the release of the Wii U, which was not nearly as embraced by customers as the formerly crowd-pleasing original Wii. Fortunately, the Wii U has had some hits thanks to successful reboots of franchises like Super Smash Brothers and Mario Kart. Nintendo clearly needs to have more hits like that in order to compete with the Sony PlayStation 4 and the Microsoft Xbox One, and they really needed a new Legend of Zelda game to boost sales for the Wii U.
For those that want some Legend of Zelda action could purchase Hyrule Warriors for the Wii U. This isn't really an adventure-style RPG like the series is known for, but it is a fighting game that brings back many characters established in the Zelda universe. It is also possible to purchase The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, a refurbished game based on the GameCube classic. However, it is a real shame that Nintendo isn't going to make their deadline, and it could cause more fans to turn from the Wii U. Hopefully, the game really is worth the wait, as the shown-off gameplay looked good at the Video Game Awards.
According to Cinema Blend, The Legend of Zelda will not even be mentioned at Nintendo's E3 press conference. For those of you that do not know of E3, it stands for Electronic Entertainment Expo, a big video games convention that takes place every year at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Something tells me that it will be a while before we hear any more about The Legend of Zelda for the Wii U release date. I really hope it arises sooner (2016) than later (2017).
