Nintendo has recently released their official launch schedule which details the company’s financial standings and the list of their upcoming first-party and third-party titles. One thing that is missing on the list for 2016 is “The Legend of Zelda” for Wii-U, which is now listed as TBD or “to be determined.”
The game was originally going to be a launch title for the console several years back when the Wii-U was first unveiled, but it never came to be. It was then set for release during the holidays of this year, but an announcement back in March pushed the release date to sometime in 2016. With the current TBD listing, it now appears that Nintendo has no concrete plans on when to release the much-awaited game.
This delay might mean anything. Nintendo might announce a 2016 release date anytime soon or they might be encountering internal issues after the untimely passing of Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata. The company might not have a planned release schedule for the game while still intending to roll it out in 2016, or they could be going through development problems that make it difficult to determine when the game will be ready for release.
It is also hinted that the game may be going through new development to become a launch title for the upcoming Nintendo NX while still getting a port for the Wii U, just as “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” ended up becoming a launch title for the Wii while still getting a Gamecube port. However, Nintendo has stated back in March that they won’t be making any announcements concerning the NX until 2016 so it will be a while before any concrete information about this rumor surfaces.
Other games included in the launch schedule are “Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem” and “Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.”