Why Zelda's Delay Doesn't Matter

Zelda takes aim at the haters

It's just been announced that the Zelda that was being developed for the WiiU has been delayed, and will be released on the NX and WiiU in March 2017.  A lot of people have a problem with this, but is it as much of an issue as they think?

One reason some people are annoyed is that they only really bought a WiiU to play the upcoming Zelda.  But this sounds a little hollow to me.  The WiiU has had some fantastic games for you to play on it. Smash Bros, Mario Kart, a couple of Marios, Pikmin 3, & Splatoon to name a few.  And that's just the first party games.  Even if your tastes are too specific for those, there are 2 HD Zelda remasters.  So the odds of you not having got your money's worth from the console are a little slim.

And even if it is literally the only game you got the console for, you can still get it.  Some people seem to think that the NX version will be the definitive version, and that people who get a WiiU copy will be getting screwed over.  But let's remember what happened with Twilight Princess.  TP was originally being developed as a GameCube title, but ended up being release on both GC and Wii.  And both versions were great.  Some people loved the targeting and motion controls of the Wii, some people preferred the better camera controls on the GC.  In the end, it all turned out fine, and we ended up with one of the best Zeldas ever made.  So it seems highly unlikely that anyone who buys the new Zelda on WiiU will be getting an objectively inferior experience.

Another concern people raise is that this looks like Nintendo abandoning the good ship WiiU, and leaving their customers to sink with it.  It's no secret that the WiiU is tanking, so it's just good business to let it die and use Zelda to bolster the NX lineup.  But there's no guarantee that's the sole reason for the delay.  This is Nintendo we're talking about.  They don't rush their games.  If they feel that a game needs more development time, that's what they'll do.  So it wouldn't surprise me at all if the main reason for the delay was that they felt the game needed more time in the oven.

But none of these concerns are completely without merit, so what can Nintendo do in penance?  Their best bet would be to use a multi-buy system.  Now that digital distribution is common, it would be easy to allow people to buy the WiiU version and get a free/heavily discounted copy on the NX.  People who got a WiiU to play Zelda still get their game, and get the NX copy if they decide to upgrade.

Ultimately, I think people are being a bit too hard on Nintendo.  The WiiU wasn't great, but it's not like they've lost their way.  Innovation requires risk.  Sometimes you get a Wii or DS, and they sell amazingly.  Sometimes you get a virtual boy or power glove, and sales tank.  What's important is perseverance.  As long as Nintendo don't just start pumping out safe, simple high-powered consoles, and keep trying to innovate, they will always have my support.