The Wii U version of the action-adventure video game “The Legend of Zelda” has been announced by Japanese gaming company Nintendo as early as June 2014 during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2014 held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Back then, there were reports saying that Nintendo would be launching the game sometime in 2015. But it was eventually pushed to 2016. However, towards the latter part of 2015 when Nintendo revealed its game roster for 2016, “The Legend of Zelda” on Wii U title was not included.
That had fans and gamers of the popular franchise speculating on two possibilities – the first one is that Nintendo may have decided to cancel the development of “The Legend of Zelda” on Wii U, and the other is the possibility of the game being released beyond 2016.
However, according to Moviepilot, Nintendo has a lot on its plate since promising the release of “The Legend of Zelda” on Wii U, more than 19 months ago which is why the game has been put on the backburner.
Reports also have it that Nintendo has other priorities than “The Legend of Zelda” on Wii U, which is why the release date of the game has been pushed back time and again.
Focus on gaming platforms
One of the focuses of Nintendo is its mobile gaming systems as well as its upcoming next generation gaming console called the NX, which are all set to debut this year. That prompted the company to push back the release of the highly-anticipated “The Legend of Zelda” on Wii U.
Nintendo NX is rumored to be the Japanese gaming company’s attempt at combining major consoles and handheld console into one groundbreaking hybrid that has not been done before.
The Japanese game developer has spread “The Legend of Zelda” title over multiple titles and platforms already with “Twilight Princess” for example, which was released on both the Nintendo Gamecube and the Wii U.
Thus, it is possible that Nintendo is waiting a little bit longer to bring a familiar title to its brand new system.
Since both “The Legend of Zelda” on Wii U and the Nintendo NX have yet to be given a release date, there are rumors stating that the two may end up debuting at the same time.
A few months ago, Nintendo released “The Legend of Zelda: TriForce Heroes” for the 3DS, which is very similar to “The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords” where players team up to complete a mission together.
Instead of proceeding with “The Legend of Zelda” on Wii U, Nintendo opted to finish up “The Legend of Zelda: TriForce Heroes.”
Reports also have it that Nintendo is about to release “Twilight Princess HD” for the Wii U so it is possible that the work that went into both titles pushed the development and release date of “The Legend of Zelda” on Wii U.
Making fans happy
The entire “The Legend of Zelda” franchise has been such a big part of many gamers’ lives so its Wii U version would certainly make a lot of Nintendo fans very happy.
According to Attack of the Fanboy, Link, the protagonist of “The Legend of Zelda” game, has been on mute mode on the Wii U version and it is likely for the character to stay that way.
Series producer Eiji Aonuma explained in a recent interview that they have been receiving a lot of requests from fans to hear Link’s voice. He said that the air of proud independence is a precious part of the character’s individuality.
Aonuma said that he wanted to think long and hard about whether giving Link a voice or not before he makes the decision.
Although it was not Aonuma who disclosed a heads up on the game, reports have it that “The Legend of Zelda” on Wii U is now in development where Link will still not be talking.
Link has spoken in the past but not in the mainline game series. The animated TV series was the first time that Link had a voice and the second time was during the Philips CD-I video game.
Incidentally, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the action-adventure video game “The Legend of Zelda” so it is just fitting that the game would finally have a Wii U version in 2016.