The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Wii U / Switch

[killthenet]

Told you before. There's Paper Mario Colour Splash, Pikmin 4 and probably Retro's new game. A new Animal Crossing game for Wii U also looks likely, going by the press release for the mobile AC game. That's a pretty decent looking lineup already

 

It would be foolish of Nintendo to release Pikmin, Animal Crossing and the new Retro game for the Wii U. The soonest any of those games will come out is surely September, so why support a dying console with 3 or 4 popular titles when you can just wipe the slate clean and release them on your brand new console a few months later and give it a great line up of games?

 

As much as it pains me to say it, the Wii U has to be killed off, it doesn't make business sense for Nintendo to support it with AAA titles.

Edited April 27, 2016 by killthenet

[Kav]

It would be foolish of Nintendo to release Pikmin, Animal Crossing and the new Retro game for the Wii U. The soonest any of those games will come out is surely September, so why support a dying console with 3 or 4 popular titles when you can just wipe the slate clean and release them on your brand new console and give it a great line up of games?

 

As much as it pains me to say it, the Wii U has to be killed off, it doesn't make business sense for Nintendo to support it with AAA titles.

 

This is the sad fact of the matter. The WiiU needs to be put to bed asap. There's no point at all wasting big games on it when they could give the NX a push.

[Dcubed]

It would be foolish of Nintendo to release Pikmin, Animal Crossing and the new Retro game for the Wii U. The soonest any of those games will come out is surely September, so why support a dying console with 3 or 4 popular titles when you can just wipe the slate clean and release them on your brand new console and give it a great line up of games?

 

As much as it pains me to say it, the Wii U has to be killed off, it doesn't make business sense for Nintendo to support it with AAA titles.

 

Have you considered that these games have been in development for a while now? Pikmin 4 also makes more sense when you consider that it's probably reusing the Pikmin 3 engine and assets like Pikmin 2 did with its own direct predecessor.

Edited April 27, 2016 by Dcubed

[killthenet]

Have you considered that these games have been in development for a while now? Pikmin 4 also makes more sense when you consider that it's probably reusing the Pikmin 3 engine and assets like Pikmin 2 did with its predecessor.

 

They probably have been in development for a while, yes. But so has Zelda Wii U and Nintendo have decided to delay that in order for the NX launch to be better represented. Zelda is still coming out on the Wii U because it was announced as a Wii U title 2 years ago. The games you mention haven't been formally announced as Wii U titles, so forgoing the Wii U to bolster the NX line up won't result in disappointing fans the way Zelda being confirmed as an NX exclusive would have done.

 

Animal Crossing a major franchise for Nintendo, do you really think their sales forecast this fiscal year for the Wii U would be 800,000 units if they were planning to release one of their top selling franchises on the console?

 

You're deluding yourself if you think Nintendo are going to release 4 major titles on a dying platform, Animal Crossing could sell 2 or 3 million copies, they're not going to waste that potential on a machine with an install base of 10 million.

Edited April 27, 2016 by killthenet

[Dcubed]

You forget that the Wii U is suffering from manufacturing issues. That actually limits how many consoles they can ship.

 

Also they've had a tendency to overestimate their forecasts recently. Putting out a conservative estimate this time allows them to put out some positive news if they do better than expected.

[Mr-Paul]

Told you before. There's Paper Mario Colour Splash, Pikmin 4 and probably Retro's new game. A new Animal Crossing game for Wii U also looks likely, going by the press release for the mobile AC game.

 

I think we need to wait and see what they have to show before saying they have nothing to show. Paper Mario CS came out of absolutely nowhere just a few weeks ago after all!

 

In fact, the penultimate year of a Nintendo console's life (2004-2005, 2010-2011 etc) is usually its best; so seemingly this is the Wii U's equivalent

 

You're being way too optimistic about the rest of the year! Even if it does get all you are predicting, it'll be a poor year. So far we've had a Zelda port, a Star Fox game that's divided fans, and a niche Pokémon fighter.

 

Paper Mario Colour Splash isn't really what most fans want. They want a game akin to the first two in the series. Pikmin 4 maybe a possibility but I'm sure it won't really bother most at this late stage in the Wii U's life. Animal Crossing, again possible, but will be wasted on the Wii U unless it's pretty much a port of what we've had before with a bit of new app compatibility. And it's not really a game to release at the end of a console's lifetime, due to the nature of it being something you need to go on every day over an extended period of time.

 

The real wildcard is if we get anything from Retro. Metroid? But surely at this stage it'd be better to hold for NX?

 

And if they do have all of these cards up their sleeve, why aren't they demoing at E3?

 

Zelda was the one last thing people were hoping for this year on Wii U. Whatever is going to fill the gap, if anything, will likely disappoint fans.

[Dcubed]

You're being way too optimistic about the rest of the year! Even if it does get all you are predicting, it'll be a poor year. So far we've had a Zelda port, a Star Fox game that's divided fans, and a niche Pokémon fighter.

 

Paper Mario Colour Splash isn't really what most fans want. They want a game akin to the first two in the series. Pikmin 4 maybe a possibility but I'm sure it won't really bother most at this late stage in the Wii U's life. Animal Crossing, again possible, but will be wasted on the Wii U unless it's pretty much a port of what we've had before with a bit of new app compatibility. And it's not really a game to release at the end of a console's lifetime, due to the nature of it being something you need to go on every day over an extended period of time.

 

The real wildcard is if we get anything from Retro. Metroid? But surely at this stage it'd be better to hold for NX?

 

And if they do have all of these cards up their sleeve, why aren't they demoing at E3?

 

Zelda was the one last thing people were hoping for this year on Wii U. Whatever is going to fill the gap, if anything, will likely disappoint fans.

 

Because 1, this isn't the end of the Wii U's life. Have you not noticed how both Iwata and Kimishima keep mentioning how the NX is not going to replace the 3DS and Wii U? There's a reason why they keep mentioning this...

 

And 2, they are going to show them at E3, they're just not going to be playable on the show floor for journalists to play. Why they're doing this, I'm not quite sure, but I've already put out my suggestion for what they might be planning (E3 demos on eShop)

Edited April 27, 2016 by Dcubed

[Blade]

@Dcubed

 

The Wii U is not at the end of its life? Where's the evidence? Where is the packed release schedule?

[Kav]

...Have you not noticed how both Iwata and Kimishima keep mentioning how the NX is not going to replace the 3DS and Wii U? There's a reason why they keep mentioning this...

 

Because they have to try and sell as many WiiU's and 3DS's as they can. That's the only reason why!

[Hogge]

Because they have to try and sell as many WiiU's and 3DS's as they can. That's the only reason why!

 

Well, what was written in quite a few magazines was that Nintendo had a second portable console developed, so if the DS would've failed (like Virtual Boy), they'd just shut down production, retooled and launched the "Game Boy 3" quite quickly. Just to avoid another Virtual Boy situation.

 

So I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo are just saying this so they'd be able to bury the NX and revert to Wii U and 3DS support in case it'd bomb.

[Dcubed]

@Dcubed

 

The Wii U is not at the end of its life? Where's the evidence? Where is the packed release schedule?

 

How's this for proof?

 

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1212349

 

Kimishima said the company could cease production of the Wii U by March 2018.

 

That's not next year

 

In fact, if the NX console comes out in November 2017, the Wii U would be discontinued relative to the NX console at exactly the same time as the GCN was relative to the Wii (GCN was discontinued 4 months after the Wii came out).

[Ashley]

How's this for proof?

 

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1212349

 

That's not next year

 

In fact, if the NX console comes out in November 2017, the Wii U would be discontinued relative to the NX console at exactly the same time as the GCN was relative to the Wii (GCN was discontinued 4 months after the Wii came out).

 

I'm not sure what you're trying to prove?

 

The NX is due to come out at the end of this financial year and that proves that between now and then Nintendo intend to sell 800,000 units. So yeah, it's still being supported but nobody was expecting Nintendo to sell 0 Wii U units in the next 340-odd days. I don't think Blade was saying "it is dead", rather "it is in its last year".

 

For reference, 800,000 is 6.25% of the current Wii U hardware sales to date (i.e. they expect to sell 6.25% of the units in the next year that they have already sold).

 

Financial year if I'm not mistaken (although I have just checked but may be misinterpreting) is the year it ends. In other words, financial year 2016 is April 2015-March 2016. The prediction is for FY 2017 (i.e. until next March) not 2016 as that poster says. Page 15

 

Where has November suddenly come from?

Edited April 27, 2016 by Ashley

[Dcubed]

I'm not sure what you're trying to prove?

 

The NX is due to come out at the end of this financial year and that proves that between now and then Nintendo intend to sell 800,000 units. So yeah, it's still being supported but nobody was expecting Nintendo to sell 0 Wii U units in the next 340-odd days. I don't think Blade was saying "it is dead", rather "it is in its last year".

 

Where has November suddenly come from?

 

First off, the 3DS is due to be replaced first. It's a year and a half older and the handheld would've been in R&D for that much longer. Hardware takes time to develop, as does a launch lineup for both handheld and console individually and business needs don't change that.

 

Secondly, a March release date for a home console is absurd. I refuse to believe that Nintendo would do a worldwide release of a home console in anything other than the Xmas shopping season for reasons I've listed before. Handhelds however? March is the usual date outside of November.

 

Thirdly, If the NX console that succeeds Wii U is due to come out March 2017, why would Nintendo be planning on continuing manufacturing Wii U until March 2018? Makes no sense. The GameCube was discontinued 4 months after the Wii came out... So. If the Wii U was to see the same fate, the NX console would have to come out... November 2017

[Mr-Paul]

How's this for proof?

 

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1212349

 

 

 

That's not next year

 

In fact, if the NX console comes out in November 2017, the Wii U would be discontinued relative to the NX console at exactly the same time as the GCN was relative to the Wii (GCN was discontinued 4 months after the Wii came out).

 

Come on, you're deliberately being obtuse now. The Wii U, for all intents and purposes, is pretty much dead. They expect to sell 800,000 consoles in the next year. That's a tiny amount. Sure, it might not be technically dead, and they might still producing it to cover the little demand there will still be for it, but Blade and mine's point is that it's not exactly in a healthy position and doesn't have a packed out or impressive release calendar planned for it.

 

Of course they're not going to say it's dead. Their share price would drop phenomenally!

[Ashley]

First off, the 3DS is due to be replaced first. It's a year and a half older and the handheld would've been in R&D for that much longer. Hardware takes time to develop, as does a launch lineup for both handheld and console individually and business needs don't change that.

 

Secondly, a March release date for a home console is absurd. I refuse to believe that Nintendo would do a worldwide release of a home console in anything other than the Xmas shopping season for reasons I've listed before. Handhelds however? March is the usual date outside of November.

 

Thirdly, If the NX console that succeeds Wii U is due to come out March 2017, why would Nintendo be planning on continuing manufacturing Wii U until March 2018? Makes no sense. The GameCube was discontinued 4 months after the Wii came out... So. If the Wii U was to see the same fate, the NX console would have to come out... November 2017

 

Where have they said and manufacturing until March 2018?

[ipaul]

2017 now?! It had better be the best game ever at this rate.

[Dcubed]

Where have they said and manufacturing until March 2018?

 

Comes from Reuters. Apparently Kimishima mentioned it during the meeting.

 

Current plan is seemingly to continue manufacturing Wii U until March 2018. That definitely suggests a longer life than most are predicting...

[Ashley]

Comes from Reuters. Apparently Kimishima mentioned it during the meeting.

 

Current plan is seemingly to continue manufacturing Wii U until March 2018. That definitely suggests a longer life than most are predicting...

 

There's a big difference between "could cease production by March 2018" and "will stop production in March 2018".

 

Production of the Wii was stopped in October 2013, 11 months after the Wii U came out. Even if they did stop Wii U production in March 2018 it doesn't mean the NX coming out in March can not be the home console.

 

It's important to point out as well people are talking about support in the sense of games, marketing etc and not just the machines being created in a factory somewhere.

 

The PS1 was produced for several years after the PS2 come out but nobody was really talking about it being still "supported".

[Dcubed]

There's a big difference between "could cease production by March 2018" and "will stop production in March 2018".

 

Production of the Wii was stopped in October 2013, 11 months after the Wii U came out. Even if they did stop Wii U production in March 2018 it doesn't mean the NX coming out in March can not be the home console.

 

It's important to point out as well people are talking about support in the sense of games, marketing etc and not just the machines being created in a factory somewhere.

 

The PS1 was produced for several years after the PS2 come out but nobody was really talking about it being still "supported".

 

Well I did say seemingly. March 2018 is obviously their current plan; doesn't mean that it will be the final date (if the NX console gets delayed, it might even get discontinued later than that), but if that wasn't the current intended timeframe, he wouldn't have specifically mentioned it.

 

You have to remember that the Wii was a huge success and was still selling nearly on par with the Wii U when it was first launched in 2013. The Wii U however is not the huge success that the Wii was; it's more like the GCN in that regard and the timing matches up rather suspiciously if they are indeed planning for a November 2017 launch for the NX console

 

And if the NX console is indeed not coming out until November 2017, then that means that more games must be upcoming for Wii U from now until then.

 

I somehow doubt that the plan is to keep the Wii U in manufacturing for a whole 12 months after its successor comes out. Not even the Wii got that luxury!

 

Nintendo don't usually keep supporting their older consoles for very long after they get replaced. They're not like Sony in that regard.

Edited April 27, 2016 by Dcubed

[Ashley]

Well I did say seemingly. March 2018 is obviously their current plan; doesn't mean that it will be the final date (if the NX console gets delayed, it might even get discontinued later than that), but if that wasn't the current intended timeframe, he wouldn't have specifically mentioned it.

 

You have to remember that the Wii was a huge success and was still selling nearly on par with the Wii U when it was first launched in 2013. The Wii U however is not the huge success that the Wii was; it's more like the GCN in that regard and the timing matches up rather suspiciously if they are indeed planning for a November 2017 launch for the NX console.

 

I somehow doubt that the plan is to keep the Wii U in manufacturing for a whole 12 months after its successor comes out. Not even the Wii got that luxury!

 

Nintendo don't usually keep supporting their older consoles for very long after they get replaced. They're not like Sony in that regard.

 

But its the investors meeting. They're going to be cautious about putting too near a date for fear they'll begin selling stock (you know how tetchy they can be!). March 2018 sounds too close to the end of the financial year to be a coincidence.

 

Yeah the Wii got 11 months it's hardly a big difference And "by" could equal February 28th so it'd be 11 months too

 

Yeah the Wii got longer than other consoles, but we have too little data to decide if that's a statistical anomaly or a new trend.

 

tl;dr I wouldn't take one line in an investors meeting as proof that the NX is a handheld.

[Retro_Link]

NO. WAY. is Retro's next game coming to Wii U, unless it's DK3. NO. WAY.

[Dcubed]

But its the investors meeting. They're going to be cautious about putting too near a date for fear they'll begin selling stock (you know how tetchy they can be!). March 2018 sounds too close to the end of the financial year to be a coincidence.

 

They can't lie to their investors (or else they'll get shut down for doing so). They can be vague about things, but not outright lie. He specificially said March, so we can safely go by his word; if he wanted to be vaguer, he could've actually said just "2018". Plans can change either way though, but that's what we have to go off of right now, so that's what we should take stock in.

 

Yeah the Wii got 11 months it's hardly a big difference And "by" could equal February 28th so it'd be 11 months too

 

Heh, very true

 

Yeah the Wii got longer than other consoles, but we have too little data to decide if that's a statistical anomaly or a new trend.

 

Also true, but I'm inclined to believe in the 4 month timeframe because of the other hints suggesting a late 2017 release for the console...

 

tl;dr I wouldn't take one line in an investors meeting as proof that the NX is a handheld.

 

It's not one line on its own. It's just yet more evidence on top of what we've already seen (and that I have mentioned previously that I don't care to repeat). At the very least, it's a strong indicator that they intend to support Wii U up until the end of 2017 and thus, the Wii U is not in the last year of its life. In fact, Zelda Wii U may well not be the last game it gets after all! (It wasn't for Wii either actually, so it's not unprecedented either).

[Ashley]

They can't lie to their investors (or else they'll get shut down for doing so). They can be vague about things, but not outright lie. He specificially said March, so we can safely go by his word; if he wanted to be vaguer, he could've actually said just "2018". Plans can change either way though, but that's what we have to go off of right now, so that's what we should take stock in.

 

But saying "by March 2018" and then ceasing production tomorrow isn't a lie (it's obviously not a good thing to do but its an exaggeration for effect). They're essentially currently saying they'll stop in the next two years and at next year's investors meeting it would be a good time to say "we've revised the date" and then it could be "to three months from now".

 

It's not one line on its own. It's just yet more evidence on top of what we've already seen (and that I have mentioned previously that I don't care to repeat). At the very least, it's a strong indicator that they intend to support Wii U up until the end of 2017 and thus, the Wii U is not in the last year of its life. In fact, Zelda Wii U may well not be the last game it gets after all! (It wasn't for Wii either actually, so it's not unprecedented either).

 

I genuinely haven't seen these other hints so mind pointing them out? Even Nintendo's own report lists 20 titles due out on the Wii U in the next year (incl. 3rd party) and yes there may be some surprises but seems unlikely it would be the 40-odd required to get it's level of last year support equal to any we've seen before.

[dazzybee]

Told you before. There's Paper Mario Colour Splash, Pikmin 4 and probably Retro's new game. A new Animal Crossing game for Wii U also looks likely, going by the press release for the mobile AC game.

 

 

There you go, making stuff up again....

 

Although I'd quite like pikmin 4 on the Wii u as an xmas title, why wouldn't it be playable at e3?

 

Pikmin 4 is very likely nx. Animal crossing nx. Way way more obvious.

 

Nintendo are letting the Wii u die. They have stopped everything and are clearly preparing to go apeshit for nx.

 

And your belief the Wii u is being supported until end of next year... My brain can't even comprehend what you're saying... You surely don't believe this! It's belly been supported since 2014

Edited April 27, 2016 by dazzybee

[Dcubed]

I genuinely haven't seen these other hints so mind pointing them out?

 

The natural course of the 3DS being due a replacement first (being released a full 1.5 years earlier than the Wii U would mean that its successor would've been in development for that much longer - plus handheld games are quicker to make than console ones). The timeframe of the New3DS' release matching up perfectly with the DSi. The March release (which is completely unheard of for a console, but being normal for Nintendo's handhelds). The third pillar strategy in use with the NX (again matching the DS). The fact that they skipped Pokemon Z and are getting Pokemon S&M out for November (exactly like Pokemon B&W, which came out mere months before the 3DS did). The lack of internally developed releases being lined up for 3DS, while Wii U is getting more support from Nintendo's own internal developers. I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting as well...

 

Even Nintendo's own report lists 20 titles due out on the Wii U in the next year (incl. 3rd party) and yes there may be some surprises but seems unlikely it would be the 40-odd required to get it's level of last year support equal to any we've seen before.

 

That list is not exhaustive. Their lists of games in their financial reports are never exhaustive (same goes for 3DS, there are notable absences that we know about; including Rhythm Heaven Megamix in the US).