Originally, The Legend of Zelda for the Wii U was going to be released this year, which would probably have been welcomed with spectacular holiday sales. Unfortunately, it was announced that The Legend of Zelda for the Wii U was going to be delayed until 2016, and is probably going to be delayed again until 2017. This has lead to rumors that the Legend of Zelda Wii U Release Date won't be for the Wii U at all, but for Nintendo's newest generation system which will be code-named the Nintendo NX.
In addition to the delay rumors, there have been many speculations that the Wii U could be an NX Launch Title, according to Hardcore Gamer. That would be a delay that could put it back longer than 2017.
For those of you that are not familiar with the Nintendo NX, there is a good reason for that: it is still in development. About two months ago, Nintendo's Chief Executive Satoru Iwata announced its next generation games system that is codenamed "NX". According to Gamespot, it represents a "brand-new concept", but Iwata didn't elaborate further. This announcement was made right as Nintendo revealed its plans to bring household games and IP to mobile devices and smartphones.
This delay and the rumor of The Legend of Zelda coming to the Nintendo NX is a very odd play for Nintendo. It is clear that Nintendo is in some financial difficulty after the Wii U did not do as well as its predecessor. It is possible that by giving a delay to the new Legend of Zelda game, that fans of one of the most successful video game franchises of all time will have to by the new NX just so they can play the newest adventures of Link. A move like that feels rather desperate.
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.
