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[Chindogg]

So we can basically consider this the final nail in the Wii U's coffin right?

I'd had held out hope that despite Zelda being the only playable game (that comes out next year no less) there'd be a direct that would show us 1 or 2 more Wii U games for 2016 to cap it off with a sort of bang. Guess all we have now is Paper Mario and #FE.

2016 isn't going to be a good year for Wii U owners. 3DS owners sure, but Wii U is really dead, and we have almost a year until we can even buy the next console.

Pretty sure we all agreed that Zelda would be the last game on Wii U. Everything's pushing towards NX.

As for NX, I guess we'll just have to wait for Space World.

 

[Vena]

At this point, there is absolutely zero chance it makes a March release.

Nintendo likely just said it to fit it into their fiscal year to prevent their investors from going nuts over how shit this year will be for them.

Remember, the 3DS came out in March, yet we still got a huge blowout the E3 prior. Even then, not much was ready for it at launch. The current silence speaks volumes for how prepared they are for NX.

That's not how investor reports work. Please stop.

 

[SunBroDave]

How does this have anything to do with faith at this point? They said they would show the NX later...how does that translate to, "we fucked up with the NX and can't show anything because we don't have anything."

Because it's obvious that they can't show anything because they don't have anything ready.

 

[Clov]

You know, I really thought that Nintendo wouldn't be able to do worse than their 2009 E3 presentation. Once again, they defy my expectations. What happened to all those unannounced 3DS games? What about upcoming stuff like Pokemon Sun and Moon? We seriously won't see anything from them at E3 other than Zelda? That's just plain stupid. We better get a Direct shortly after (or before) E3 to make up for this.

 

[KingBroly]

How they aren't promoting Pokemon at all is kinda baffling.

 

[It's Reyn Time!]

Because it's obvious that they can't show anything because they don't have anything ready.

Based on what?

 

[-Horizon-]

Its weird that that press release says its "a day of live-streamed gameplay"
So the 15th and 16th will be nothing?

 

[GuessMyUserName]

Well y'all said Nintendo couldn't possibly do an Direct for E3 when they're revealing a new console... and you were all right!


Also god damn Souls fans have a serious problem with shoving Souls into every conversation they can

 

[brandonh83]

I really don't get it.

What about Paper Mario and that Shin Megami X FE game? I mean i don't care one bit for these games, but plenty of people do.....what gives?

If they showed a handful more games, people would still complain about a "terrible showing"

Complaints either way.

 

[MisterR]

At this point, there is absolutely zero chance it makes a March release.

Nintendo likely just said it to fit it into their fiscal year to prevent their investors from going nuts over how shit this year will be for them.

Remember, the 3DS came out in March, yet we still got a huge blowout the E3 prior. Even then, not much was ready for it at launch. The current silence speaks volumes for how prepared they are for NX.

Yep. I don't think there is any way the NX releases before holiday 2017. It's pretty clear that they don't have shit to show. Like you, I'm guessing they threw out 3/17 to keep investors from flipping out. It will be delayed.

 

[dity]

Nintendon't do anything anymore

 

[SunBroDave]

Based on what?

Based on E3 being the most important marketing opportunity of the year by far.

 

[GregLombardi]

Nintendo, I don't care how amazing Zelda is (and I think this game may finally best Ocarina of Time), you can't dedicate a whole show to it. Further, people aren't going to want to be spoiled on a lot of it.

This sounds so bad to me.

 

[EatinOlives]

Somehow some people are going to find a way to spin this and declare Nintendo the winner of E3 whit its inovative no show strategy.

People are already doing that here by peddling some "it's all part of a master plan!!" narrative.

Where's that Seinfeld "we'll have nothing" gif?

 

[KingSnake]

Surely something happened, there are way too many hints the original release was going to be this year, and probably they had a major NX presentation in mind. But I don't believe there are such insane problems for the software that they couldn't show anything at all already at E3; otherwise, we wouldn't have a release for March 2017 already, around 3-4 months after the supposed original date. It doesn't make sense at all. And we know about SDKs getting distributed to "key partners" at least since last October, and we have Square/Namco/Koei among those "key partners" for sure, at least (I mean at least because we have statements / good hints for them), plus a schedule for a broader distribution of dev kits. Not even talking about how some third parties had talks even before E3 2015 for the platform. So, technically, given the amount of the delay, I'd say it's nearly impossible that, while something must have happened that changed their plans, that something was so brutal that they can't even show trailers of NX games, or have playable builds with, at least, some of their own titles. IMHO, there's another reason, like...the scheduling. Basically, they really want to keep everything secret as much as possible, and to unveil the thing + games in a fixed amount of months, due to how they were already planning the after-reveal advertising machine and all that. So, I suppose that, with NX now "delayed", all that scheduling has been delayed as well. Now, the event they had in mind at E3 is delayed too. ...Or maybe there was going to be an event before E3. I mean, don't forget how Orgen implied, more than one month ago, how we would've known more about NX before E3. It's entirely plausible he got told about the investor briefing basically, but what if that event was something different, and that was going to happen before E3? With all their booths dedicated to NX at E3, after the first unveiling? That would make sense as well, I assume.

Anyway, again, I find it completely implausible that they were in such a state they couldn't show / have playable builds for anything at all when the console releases 3-4 months later than when we all supposed it was going to be out (with several solid hints on the matter).

Yes, that's why my guess is there is something hardware related that set them back at least 4 months and made it impossible for them to show the NX hardware at E3 in any form. For the games you can still build a trailer or a demo even if they are far from done.

 

[Thewonandonly]

Well considering it would have been that or a livestream just around the time of E3, honestly? I don't give a shit, they could do a Digital Event anytime they want and chances are they'd have the same reach and hype around it since Nintendo fans are gonna watch that stuff anyway regardless of if its E3 or not.

See the think about having a big conference around E3 is all the big gamers watch. A lot of gamers take of the week of E3 based on the thread I made. That means that like me when a conference is on no matter who it is you watch it. I don't bother with any Nintendo directs besides the E3 one because I just really don't care enough. This was a way to get me to care while my attention is all on games. It's a dumb move to abandon E3 because it leaves the chances of getting new customers and not just old fans.

 

[what-ok]

While nintendo says its all Zelda from them, no third parties have said that they aren't showing nintendo content or am i mistaken?

 

[Boy Wander]

Then you have a console that's due out in 9 months for which you have nothing ready to show.

Or you do but you don't feel E3 is as relevant as it once was and that a standalone event will be equally if not more memorable.

 

[pringles]

How often have we seen a company basically write off a year? They are basically saying, we have nothing for 2016.

Well how often have we seen a company have a console with sales as bad as the WiiU and be able to keep churning out software for it while also accelerating development of a successor and having a great presentation for it several years ahead of the original schedule?

Having nothing for 2016 is a direct result of having a dead console, and you can't expect the NX to be ready with a good launch lineup this early. Simply porting WiiU games like Zelda to the NX takes way more time than people realize.

I think this is a case where Nintendo had to decide between a bad showing at E3 or basically no showing at all. Lose-lose situation.

 

[SunBroDave]

While nintendo says its all Zelda from them, no third parties have said that they aren't showing nintendo content or am i mistaken?

Third parties? You're joking right?

 

[big_erk]

I'm hoping they don't spoil the whole game. But since it is supposedly an open world game they can possibly wander around specific areas without giving away too many story details.

 

[cheesekao]

While nintendo says its all Zelda from them, no third parties have said that they aren't showing nintendo content or am i mistaken?

What do third parties bar indies have to show?

 

[what-ok]

Third part? You're joking right?

LOL

 

[Vena]

Maybe that AMD fuck up is true after all? Lmao

Surely something happened, there are way too many hints the original release was going to be this year, and probably they had a major NX presentation in mind. But I don't believe there are such insane problems for the software that they couldn't show anything at all already at E3; otherwise, we wouldn't have a release for March 2017 already, around 3-4 months after the supposed original date. It doesn't make sense at all. And we know about SDKs getting distributed to "key partners" at least since last October, and we have Square/Namco/Koei among those "key partners" for sure, at least (I mean at least because we have statements / good hints for them), plus a schedule for a broader distribution of dev kits. Not even talking about how some third parties had talks even before E3 2015 for the platform. So, technically, given the amount of the delay, I'd say it's nearly impossible that, while something must have happened that changed their plans, that something was so brutal that they can't even show trailers of NX games, or have playable builds with, at least, some of their own titles. IMHO, there's another reason, like...the scheduling. Basically, they really want to keep everything secret as much as possible, and to unveil the thing + games in a fixed amount of months, due to how they were already planning the after-reveal advertising machine and all that. So, I suppose that, with NX now "delayed", all that scheduling has been delayed as well. Now, the event they had in mind at E3 is delayed too. ...Or maybe there was going to be an event before E3. I mean, don't forget how Orgen implied, more than one month ago, how we would've known more about NX before E3. It's entirely plausible he got told about the investor briefing basically, but what if that event was something different, and that was going to happen before E3? With all their booths dedicated to NX at E3, after the first unveiling? That would make sense as well, I assume.

Anyway, again, I find it completely implausible that they were in such a state they couldn't show / have playable builds for anything at all when the console releases 3-4 months later than when we all supposed it was going to be out (with several solid hints on the matter).

Something very bizarre went wrong behind the scenes because its pretty self-evident that the E3 showings had to be pivoted on a dime and turned into the Zeld-a-thon.

But I have no idea what it is that caused this.

This isn't even a simple case of "nothing to show", they obviously had plans for this E3 and that means that they had shit to show months ago, but it changed and everything got delayed.

Yep. I don't think there is any way the NX releases before holiday 2017. It's pretty clear that they don't have shit to show. Like you, I'm guessing they threw out 3/17 to keep investors from flipping out. It will be delayed.

You don't lie to investors with made up dates that you have zero intention of keeping.

 

[jax]

So they have two dead consoles. Ugh.

 

[GiantBreadbug]

Late but

Why the fuck would I even watch lol

Do not defend this guys. I pretty tirelessly defend Nintendo but DONT.

 

[Tatsumi Oga]

If they showed a handful more games, people would still complain about a "terrible showing"

Complaints either way.

Yeah.....i guess.

It sure surprises me they even say for Wii U, because that thing is as good as dead really. Why not just say....''We have the new Zelda game.'' with no mention of platform and then showing off the NX version. I really wonder how big the differences are going to be. I guess we'll see it on NX during its own event.

 

[Ushay]

E3 list leaked:

LMAO.

 

[MoogleWizard]

Not to speak for him, but Skyward Sword is the only mainline Zelda game we've had in the past 9 years.

And again, my original point was comparing output of studios. And it wasn't to disparage the Zelda team or say that Zelda needs to be Souls. Nintendo needs to figure out a way to get mainline Zelda games out without six years in between releases. That's all. I used Souls as a comparison because they are large, highly acclaimed, and high selling games that From has managed to get out (on many different platforms, as you said) in good time and while maintaining high quality and large scale.

As a huge Souls fan, no thank you. Every Zelda is newly made from the ground up. There's so much recycling in Souls, assets, animations, enemies, areas etc. Recycling, that's what makes it possible for these games to come out so frequently. So no thanks, I want every Zelda to be different from the last one.

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

What I'm saying is that this delay is in no way to polish up the game.

Maybe not, but they will polish it until it releases. Tired of these crystal ball

 

[Rösti]

Nintendo originally had three booths reserved at E3 2016. The press release mentions booth (in singular):

Nintendo will transform its booth at the E3 video game trade show next month in Los Angeles to immerse fans in the world of the newest game in The Legend of Zelda franchise – playable for the first time ever at the show.

Source: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160505005536/en/Legend-Zelda-Wii-Playable-Time-E3

The initial floor plans (these may be severely outdated by now) can be found in this thread: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1194203

I also on May 2 posted the list of booths (though only one booth is shown there). These are the booths Nintendo had listed initially:

4822 (100 ft x 200 ft, 20000 sq ft)
5244 (110 ft x 90 ft, 9900 sq ft)
5644 (Irregular, 2100.18 sq ft)

They currently have 4822, that much I know. If they also have the other booths as well I cannot at the moment check due to a 302 redirect of the floor plans (these should be up sometime this month). But it's possible Nintendo has downsized.

 

[CronoShot]

Or you do but you don't feel E3 is as relevant as it once was and that a standalone event will be equally if not more memorable.

So why even show Zelda? Why not skip E3 entirely if it's no longer relevant? Debuting Zelda and NX at a single event would make that event an even bigger deal for them.

 

[Vena]

Yes, that's why my guess is there is something hardware related that set them back at least 4 months and made it impossible for them to show the NX hardware at E3 in any form. For the games you can still build a trailer or a demo even if they are far from done.

You can show hardware too, by this point. If SDKs and early dev kits are out, then there's a finalized build, prototypes, and, probably, demo-retail units already in existence at Nintendo.

I think this is more on their marketing timelines getting fucked by a delay than anything else. They want the NX revealed and released within X months, if a delay at +2 to that X, then they shift everything by 2.

It is nonsensical to suppose that they have no hardware to show. They have opted to show nothing for some reason, that reason isn't "we have nothing".

 

[SunBroDave]

So no thanks, I want every Zelda to be different from the last one.

Cmon man, Zelda games have barely evolved since OoT. Majora's Mask is the only truly unique 3D Zelda since.

 

[Cosmozone]

This better be tbeir game of the forever because nothing else warrants such a treatment. If true, which I seriously doubt. Even no 3DS at all? Not bloody likely.

 

[Kouriozan]

Third parties? You're joking right?

Well, hey, Just Dance 2016 on Wii U!

 

[spyroflame0487]

I just....i don't understand.
I'm a huge Nintendo fan. I love everything about the company, and I even like the Zelda series despite just kind of getting into it recently.

But what the flying fuck?

I understand "immersive", they want to get people into the mindset and immerse themselves in Zelda. But they're essentially betting the whole goddamn farm on it.

There's other games coming out that we know jack shit about. And when we do find out about them, we're mad because we had to get them from leaked gameplay or a third party telling us about them. Mario Tennis and Amiibo Festival were the worst offenders of this.

And now you've got..what 2-3 other Wii U games coming out, and how many 3DS games coming out soon after E3 including Monster Hunter which has sold ridiculously well on Nintendo systems and A MAINLINE POKEMON GAME. (Plus whatever else is likely going to come out for Wii U and 3DS before NX.


And that's the other thing. What are they waiting for to show us something about NX? Front look at the console, maybe even the title of another game coming to it or what those games may look like. To focus on Zelda only is a humongous waste of time and effort where their direct competitors are showing their best games and lineups at a huge industry event.

And how much gameplay are we gonna see? Is the whole game going to be spoiled? The same demo over and over for 3 days? What's the point in having a livestream when it's only one game?

It's just..baffling. And disappointing.

 

[KingSnake]

Obviously if you aren't into Zelda, it's a bummer..

I love Zelda. But I want to play it myself, not watch a let's play of it. I just want to see a bit of the world, the premise, the art and the animations. That's it. 10-15 minutes, maybe 30 minutes maximum. I don't want anything vaguely relevant spoiled. So my Nintendo E3 will be done pretty quick.

 

[Calamari41]

As a huge Souls fan, no thank you. Every Zelda is newly made from the ground up. There's so much recycling in Souls, assets, animations, enemies, areas etc. Recycling, that's what makes it possible for these games to come out so frequently. So no thanks, I want every Zelda to be different from the last one.

I agree with you, but there has to be a middle ground. Zelda doesn't have to be an annual series of course, but this far apart? If you're ok with Zelda games so infrequent that they skip generations sometimes, that's fine. I think Nintendo's software output needs to be increased for business purposes... and I think that they agree with me.

Majora's Mask was a "recycled" game, and is still beloved. I think it would be smart for them to release sequels in that vein every now and then, but that's just my thought.

 

[AcademicSaucer]

Its weird that that press release says its "a day of live-streamed gameplay"
So the 15th and 16th will be nothing?

They will stream the first day recording on a loop

 

[Macka]

So no Pokemon Sun & Moon trailer either? That's weird.

Better show it soon then.

 

[Toxi]

With the sales data we have, Dark Souls 1 has only been outsold by 3 Zelda games out of 16 releases.

You're ignoring the ports/rereleases like Wind Waker HD.

But yeah, Dark Souls is not a low seller, even compared to a series like Zelda.

 

[udivision]

So why even show Zelda? Why not skip E3 entirely if it's no longer relevant? Debuting Zelda and NX at a single event would make that event an even bigger deal for them.

Look bro whatever Nintendo did is the right and smart thing for Nintendo to do because it is what Nintendo did.

 

[ChaosXVI]

As I continue digesting this information, I feel more and more OK with it. Yeah I wish there was more, but its not the end of the world, and the real crushing blow last week definitely helped soften this news.

So is anyone taking bets yet on when the NX is going to have the big reveal/blowout? I've got my money on September, because that would be 6 months from launch, and any later than that they risk being overshadowed by constant AAA releases from the competition.

I'd prefer August, but then that's only 2 months after E3 so then why bother with the (pretty obvious) last minute change of E3 plans? September would be pretty much perfect...

...except that it's 4 freaking months away.

 

[-Horizon-]

I agree with you, but there has to be a middle ground. Zelda doesn't have to be an annual series of course, but this far apart? If you're ok with Zelda games so infrequent that they skip generations sometimes, that's fine. I think Nintendo's software output needs to be increased for business purposes... and I think that they agree with me.

?

There's always been a new Zelda game every gen if I recall correctly. Sure some of them may come at the very tail end of a console's life bit its still in that gen.

 

[Rodin]

Nintendo's 76th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders is scheduled to be held on June 29, 2016. That will hopefully bring some NX information (details on how and when NX will be revealed), and its not very long after E3 2016 either.

Don't even.

Even no 3DS at all?

The only thing i don't understand is why no Pokémon. Make two events: one day for Zelda and one day for Pokémon. I mean, i can wait a few more for info about Sun/Moon, but it's still weird to me.

 

[DrArchon]

No direct at all is kinda fucked up. I mean, they've got some 3DS games coming out, and there's that Paper Mario Wii U game they've got in the pipe-line. Plus everything to do with Amiibos. It's not a lot, but it's something, right? They could whip together a 40 min direct with that, some Zelda stuff, and the requisite Indie game showcase.

I mean, I'm not sure how much Zelda I could handle really. I just want to know if it's good or not (which it probably will be) and then I'll just ignore the news about it so I go in fresh. I can't imagine I'm the only one planning to do that either,

 

[MuchoMalo]

have to applaud miyamoto. this quote has come up EVERY time a game gets delayed, and fanboys actually believe this marketing PR garbage.

newsflash: zelda keeps getting delayed because they don't know what the fuck they're doing. they're struggling with HD development. then they delayed it again to port it to NX. has absolutely nothing to do with the game being good or bad. maybe I'm pessimistic, but I get the feeling this game is going to be a disappointing entry in the 3D Zelda franchise.

With this attitude, I can see why you feel that a 100% shared library is the only way forward. If they still can't handle Wii U, they obviously shouldn't move on to anything significantly more powerful for at least another 5-10 years.

 

[Calamari41]

?

There's always been a new Zelda game every gen if I recall correctly. Sure some of them may come at the very tail end of a console's life bit its still in that gen.

The Wii U will not have an exclusive Zelda game.

 

[-Horizon-]

They will stream the first day recording on a loop

Majora's Mask 2 confirmed!

The Wii U will not have an exclusive Zelda game.

I mean that's significantly different from what you said in that post I quoted but yeah, that will be true then.