Gossip Stone: What Does Zelda Wii U’s 2017 Delay and Dual Release Mean for Nintendo?

That’s right, everybody. The salt is real. With a single destructive Tweet from Nintendo , the internet has once again been smashed to bits by Nintendo’s rather questionable development practices. Last week’s reveal that Zelda Wii U will not be out until at least the NX’s March 2017 release, and that it will be dual-releasing on it and the Wii U, hit fans hard, and unlike the previous delays and such, this news seems to say a lot more than usual about the state of the Wii U, and about Nintendo’s current decision-making. Zelda Wii U’s development timeline has been an active one, for sure, but this latest news, as well as past ones, are raising some questions. How must they view the Wii U after making these choices, and what should we, the buyers, think of them for it?

Join the discussion after the jump.

Firstly, we should look at the console itself; this is where the issues with dual release seem to be a factor. I, personally, know someone that bought a Wii U pretty much only for Zelda, and apparently, he is not the only one out there to do so. After the dual release announcement, many are now saying that the Wii U is dead, as people without a Wii U will go and buy an NX for this, and the people that were told they were getting a Zelda game exclusively for Wii U – and therefor bought one – are now quite angry. This game has been played up to be the biggest Zelda game since Ocarina of Time, and Nintendo made it clear that this is going to be one of the games that shows just how great a Wii U is. They play it up, and play it up, and then they tell us that we do not even need this “incredibly innovative” to play the game. Honestly, I think this shows their lack of faith in the console, and their current readiness to throw it away; people are going to be more ready to buy Zelda Wii U as a launch title, and Nintendo seems to be winding down on major games for Wii U. So more than anything, I believe Nintendo sees the Wii U’s short remaining lifespan for what it is, and they are acting on it. That being said, this also sort of shows a distinct lack of thought towards Wii U buyers. The system was a flop, sure, but they committed to making this game a title that all those faithful fans could get excited for. If anything, if you are going to release it on NX as well, just don’t advertise its greatness with the Wii U, so as not to get people in the wrong state of mind.

That kind of leads into the next problem: Zelda Wii U’s development process, and what this new delay says about it. For me, yes, I am plenty salty about having to wait some more for this epic title, but the wait is not the primary issue. It is the way they are handling the situation. Many great games have delays, and yes, people are frustrated, but there are ways to compensate, and to not cause a major bout of anger among fans. One major concern I am having with this whole development cycle is the repeated new release windows. I want to know the release date as much as the next guy, but if there is even a chance it will be delayed, keep the release date – and even the release year – to yourselves, Nintendo. A delay is not nearly as painful if you are not breaking a promise of a previously announced release time. When it looks like you are 100% ready for a certain date of release, THEN announce it. Also, while we are being forced to wait even longer, perhaps telling us all some stuff about the game would help. I know I have said it before, but what they should do is take all the time required, but tell us little things about the game as time goes by. And, if another delay is announced, keep fans on their side by giving us more info at the same time (Like a title. What do we even call it now that “Zelda Wii U” is on NX?). You know, something more than simply an official art piece of a character model we have already seen.

Do you know what the worst part of this is? Again, I hate delays, and broken promises, and development hiccups, and all that, but what about us? Are we part of the problem? I have always wanted to stand beside Nintendo, supporting them even if they make certain obvious mistakes, but at this point, I see a problem with that notion. Nearly all the reactions fans are having about the dual release and the new delay are one of two things: anger, or tolerance. Not excitement. Tolerance. We are tolerating these problems, because they are pretty much expected of Nintendo now. We should not be to the point when we are all so accepting of unacceptable actions in such an important game’s development process. It says a lot about the habits of Nintendo themselves, as well as the inaction of fans. I know that no one wants to boycott a game they really want to play, I certainly don’t, but I wish that there was some clear way for us all to show Nintendo how disappointed we are after decisions like the ones among Zelda Wii U’s five-year development cycle.

As per usual, we would love to hear from you guys, but please understand. As disgruntled as many of us writers are at this new delay, and as mush as I would like to open a can of rage at the Zelda development team, we have to look at Nintendo’s side of things, and be as constructive as we can. No matter how disheartened we are. So we ask that all our fellow fans do the same. Try taking a look at the steps Nintendo has taken in Zelda Wii U’s development timeline, and drop a comment below, detailing your own thoughts on their choice of a new delay and a dual release.