Legend of Zelda Still Coming to Wii U

Despite the fact that Nintendo announced ahead of time that The Legend of Zelda for Wii U wouldn't be making an appearance at their conference at E3 2015, many fans were still hoping for some kind of hint that progress had been made. Unfortunately, the only Zelda-related mentions during their event were to announce The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes and the Nintendo 3DS port of Hyrule Warriors.

Some fans felt concerned that it might mean that The Legend of Zelda would be getting pushed back until the Nintendo NX console was ready. However, Shigeru Miyamoto has now clarified matters in a brief statement to IGN.

While Shigeru Miyamoto, General Manager of Nintendo's Entertainment and Analysis division, didn't have much information to offer regarding The Legend of Zelda, he did take the time to explain that it would still be coming to Wii U, despite being delayed. Furthermore, he explained that they weren't discussing it at E3 because he felt it was appropriate to announce games that would be coming out in the near future, rather than ones that are further away. However, he did make it sound as though progress on the title is being made, stating:

"We have some really great Zelda footage and, at some point we will be showing that off, but not today."

Legend of Zelda Wii U Open World Scenery

The Nintendo E3 2015 presentation was indeed full of titles that are coming either this year or early next year, so Miyamoto's reasoning seems sound. However, even if The Legend of Zelda is released for the Wii U, it could still be almost simultaneously released for the Nintendo NX, as was done with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Until Nintendo announces something new regarding the progress of The Legend of Zelda and the Nintendo NX, it's hard to say if they'll repeat this trend or not.

Many Wii U owners may feel frustrated at not knowing whether there'll be an exclusive main series Legend of Zelda title for their console. While the open world design of the game could probably use all the processing power it can get, one hopes that the game will still be solely for the Wii U and that it won't take years of the Nintendo NX's lifespan before it sees its own Zelda exclusive.

The Legend of Zelda for Wii U is planned to be released in 2016.

Source: IGN

E3 2015 Live Coverage Banner