The Legend of Zelda is probably one of the greatest video game franchises ever, and it has kept Nintendo making profits since 1986. The issue is that a Wii U version of The Legend of Zelda has yet to be released, and might not be seen until over thirty years after the original The Legend of Zelda.
According to Design and Trend, it looks like The Legend of Zelda for the Wii U is probably going to be delayed until 2017. Yes, this is something that we have stated before, and yes, it will affect Nintendo and its reputation very negatively.
Most of these rumors have been fueled by certain earnings reports by Nintendo, where fans saw that game had its release date with "TBD", instead of a 2016 release date. Considering that the 2016 delay is already a let-down of fans, who expected the game in 2015, a 2017 release date is most certainly a harder blow, especially when the last Legend of Zelda game, Skyward Sword, was released in 2011. A 2017 release date would mean 6 years in between the last iteration, and most consoles don't even last that long.
It is clear that a Legend of Zelda game must take a long time to make as there was a five year gap in between Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. Part of that is that the team that creates these games really want to make the highest quality of fantasy and action. The biggest issue is that if The Legend of Zelda is delayed another year, then honestly, the fans could lose interest. Then The Legend of Zelda could end up an ended video game franchise, like Metroid, another video game series exclusive to Nintendo, is now.
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."
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.
