EDITOR’S NOTE: Breath’s cancellation on Wii U is just a rumour, but the sentiments expressed in this article remain the same.
Way to alienate your fanbase, Nintendo.
According to a recent report from the Japanese site Goo, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been cancelled for Wii U and will instead be exclusive to the Switch. The reason for this alleged cancellation was because the Wii U was not powerful enough to handle such a huge and technologically advanced game. I suppose this makes some sense, but this news still comes as a blow.
The Wii U only sold 13.3 million units worldwide, and many people only bought one because they wanted to buy the huge new Zelda game that Nintendo had teased for the system. Not releasing Breath of the Wild on the Wii U will not only be a huge slap in the face to them, but it will alienate fans to no end. If Nintendo is to lose the trust their fanbase had invested in them, then this is the way to do it. I wouldn’t usually say this, but in this case, I would even settle for an imperfect version of the game to be released on a less powerful system than for it not to be released at all.
Another question also needs to be asked if this is indeed true: How can Breath of the Wild be too powerful for the Wii U to handle if it was already in development for the Wii U for a good number of years? We know they’ve been working on it since at least January 2013, and seeing as Nintendo could not have had development kits for the Switch at that time, it does seem unlikely that it would be too much for the Switch’s predecessor to handle.
The worst part of the story? Despite their recent marketing blunders (don’t get me started on how they failed to make the general audience aware that the Wii U was a successor to the Wii), Nintendo have actually done a pretty brilliant job of marketing Breath of the Wild since it was announced at E3, even though it still doesn’t have a release date. Not releasing the game on the system that it was originally promised for will, to an extent, undo all the hard work by making it seem like Nintendo were being dishonest all along.
To end on a lighter note, as part of the great marketing push that they’ve been giving Breath of the Wild, Nintendo wished us a happy holiday with a delightful video of Link snowboarding through snowy mountains, similar to the Yeti race in Twilight Princess.
As if that wasn’t enough, Nintendo also released two beautiful new pieces of concept art of Link in the blue outfit that he’ll be wearing throughout Breath of the Wild. I guess green tunics must have gone out of fashion.
READ MORE: Nintendo Switch: Why You Should Remain Cautious
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