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The Legend of Zelda for Wii U was not shown at E3 this week as Nintendo didn’t want to frustrate people who hoped it might be released this year.
Nintendo developer Shigeru Miyamoto has already had to assure fans that the already delayed game is still in development for Wii U amid fears that it is being re-worked for the NX. An NX version has not been ruled out, but the company is sticking to the line that the game will hit Wii U in 2016.
We just fundamentally don’t believe in showing content at E3 that is going to be a long term proposition,” Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime told IGN. Our mentality is more near-term when we think about E3. And, yes, we take it on a case-by-case basis. There’s also a recognition that we didn’t want to frustrate the consumer.
We could have scored a lot of points and showed some little tidbit of Zelda Wii U, but in our collective opinion the belief was, in the end, that would cause more frustration than benefit. We like to show content that typically will launch in the upcoming holiday and maybe extending into the first half of the following year. And at this point, the new Zelda for Wii U is not a 2015 project."
Does that mean that as the game WAS shown at E3 2014 when it was scheduled for 2015, its E3 2015 omission means it ISN’T on track for 2016?
No. I don’t believe that it sends that messages,” Fils-Aime replied. In fact, in separate interviews Miyamoto has reinforced that it’s a 2016 game, and I also believe he’s reinforced that it’s a Wii U game because I know that there is that thinking floating around."
