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[ShockingAlberto]

I don't know about the budget thing. That runs counter to what Aonuma has said.

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/zelda-director-explains-why-people-love-toon-link/1100-6415999/

Elsewhere in the interview, Aonuma said that Zelda team is not subjected to the same kind of budget and sales pressures of average developer. "I usually get instruction from Miyamoto-san to create a new Zelda game, and then what I need to do is to state roughly an estimation of budget and the staff numbers we'd need in order to create such a game. In our case, we don't often experience budget constraints, it's more that we need to negotiate how much budget and stuff we need in order to create the game which we're aiming to achieve."

"So that's probably a different situation than some other development teams," he concluded.

Zelda's also one of those series where their design experiments usually get spun off into different things. Considering the first thing Aonuma said about Zelda U was "Do you have to play alone?", I wouldn't be surprised if Triforce Heroes emerged from one such experiment. Probably helps ease budget restrictions on the mainline games.

 

[crooked spin]

That reads more like an Iwata Asks than something you'd overhear from an NOA staffer.

Seriously. I'd bet 99% of NOA's staff knows as much about Zelda U as you or I do.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Gotta be some real changes happening for a game to be delayed a year from its projected launch

 

[navy]

Not sure why people are taking the rumors with a grain of salt. Everything sounds perfectly reasonable.

Too reasonable.

Speaking of gimmicks, haven't they already implemented one? slowing down time?

 

[thestopsign]

Nothing really groundbreaking there, but hearing anything gets me hyped up for this. I think Nintendo is going to knock this one out of the park.

 

[Aaronrules380]

Not sure why people are taking the rumors with a grain of salt. Everything sounds perfectly reasonable.

Too reasonable.

Speaking of gimmicks, haven't they already implemented one? slowing down time?

Because the source has literally no credibility. The credibility of a rumor depends entirely on the source, far moreso than the actual content

 

[BD1]

This has got to be the strangest development cycle for a Zelda ever. On one hand, its the biggest Zelda they've ever made and on the other, its for a console that Nintendo has basically written off.

I'm not sure if this will actually be a Wii U title, or an NX title, or both. With a new president coming, a decision may be made for the game that previously wouldn't have been considered.

 

[Rosur]

This has got to be the strangest development cycle for a Zelda ever. On one hand, its the biggest Zelda they've ever made and on the other, its for a console that Nintendo has basically written off.

I'm not sure if this will actually be a Wii U title, or an NX title, or both. With a new president coming, a decision may be made for the game that previously wouldn't have been considered.

I do have a big feeling that it will be for both systems. (assuming a fall 2016 launch for the NX)

 

[brandonh83]

The one thing that would piss me off is if they were to release an NX version shortly after the Wii U version. I'd go for NX but I would not be able to wait. I don't see that happening though.

 

[PtM]

The one thing that would piss me off is if they were to release an NX version shortly after the Wii U version. I'd go for NX but I would not be able to wait. I don't see that happening though.

TP came first for Wii.

 

[Wandering Robot]

There's no way this game makes 2015. You should accept it now, and not drag it out.

lel

The poster means later into 2016 i.e. later than an early 2016 release .

I think he means later in 2016 as in Q3/Q4 of 2016

While it might coincide with the NX launch (big IF there), pushing Zelda that late into the year would be disappointing. It's not like they haven't shown footage of the game before, with last year as evidence, but I guess it'd make sense in light of a potential cross-release. I just want the game already, or something.

 

[xandaca]

Given how precipitously the price of Nintendo's two previous console (Wii U/3DS) have fallen after launch, I'm definitely not picking one up immediately, so will be all over the Wii U version.

 

[brandonh83]

TP came first for Wii.

I thought they released at the same time. Well damn. Guess we'll see.

 

[Neff]

[RUMOR ALERT]
- They are less concentrating on focusing the game on one single gimmick or gameplay-mechanic and instead want to make it an allrounder with tried and true mechanics.
- Answers open story questions from older Zeldas instead of creating new questions.
- The development process is a lot more creative and free than usual, however the game ate up a lot of budget already which led to several internal discussions at Nintendo. In 2014 there even was a budget cut, because the Wii U sold less than expected even after Mario Kart 8 and Sm4sh. The budget cuts where one of the reasons for the delay, as Aonuma decided to work longer with a smaller team though.

These three in particular are almost certainly horseshit.

 

[gamerMan]

This has got to be the strangest development cycle for a Zelda ever. On one hand, its the biggest Zelda they've ever made and on the other, its for a console that Nintendo has basically written off.

I'm not sure if this will actually be a Wii U title, or an NX title, or both. With a new president coming, a decision may be made for the game that previously wouldn't have been considered.

It seems like they are being so ambitious on this game for a system that is a complete sales failure. Knowing Nintendo, they will release on the Wii U otherwise they will disappoint the very few people who bought the Wii U. At any rate, I don't know how the game is going to turn out because I don't know if the open world design is going to be fun or boring. There is a lot of uncertainty about this game.

 

[Illucio]

I feel like Zelda U is either:

- Finished and ready to ship whenever (but is being ported to NX)

- Nintendo is actually doing what they said and they are filling the game with more content. (Because it's a huge open world that needs to be filled with quests, collectables, secrets, ect.)

- Having serious code problems right now that Nintendo doesn't want to come out and talk about.


But what is up with Nintendo not even dropping a name for the game or even artwork. It's starting to scare me now that Nintendo is keeping everyone out of the dark like this, they have never done this for any other Zelda game before. :/

 

[Roo]

There's a day and night cycle and a weather system.

lol

 

[ElTorro]

These three in particular are almost certainly horseshit.

Why?

 

[Bill Rizer]

At this point, it's obvious that Zelda is a NX game and it has only sense as such, financially. Will launch in fall 2016.

If it makes it to WiiU, it's only for dampen consumer rage of WiiU owners that would feel cut out.

 

[ElTorro]

At this point, it's obvious that Zelda is a NX game and it has only sense as such, financially. Will launch in fall 2016.

If the games comes to NX, I cannot imagine that it would not still come to Wii U as well, similar to what they did with TTP. Just to avoid customer outrage.

 

[Neff]

Why?

Because

1) Zelda always has a standout gimmick which the core gameplay revolves around.
2) Nintendo is always cryptic about Zelda continuity and is rarely forthcoming with 'answers'.
3) The idea of console Zelda getting 'budget cuts' or 'team cuts' is laughable.

If the games comes to NX, I cannot imagine that it would not still come to Wii U as well, similar to what they did with TTP. Just to avoid customer outrage.

Aonuma has repeatedly pressed the fact that it's still coming to Wii U (and there's no reason for it not to), although it will certainly be given a chance to show itself off on NX or another future Nintendo platform.

 

[Gleethor]

If it's cross gen, I would imagine the game wold be cross-buy for Wii U to NX to incentivize Wii U owners to upgrade.

 

[Shiggy]

[RUMOR ALERT]
Here's a long German post from a known user on the Zelda Europe forum who claims to have been told some information by a friend who works at NOA. Says his/her source was right 80% of the time so far (told him about the gravity mechanic in MK8 long before the game was revealed, f.e.).
Nothing ground-breaking but, if true, offers a little bit of insight to the development process (budget cuts, delay, etc.).

http://www.zeldaeurope.de/forum/thread.php?postid=458795#post458795

Translated summary based on Ntower.de's article:
- They originally planned to show some footage at E3 but in the end decided against it because it was from an ~6 months old build and the game changed since.
- Intended release date was March 2016 then but they were afraid they couldn't make it in time and would have to apologize and delay again, so now it's planned for Late 2016 at the latest.
- There's a day and night cycle and a weather system.
- The overworld seems peaceful at first glance but there are unexpected, sudden dangers, in contrast to the dungeons where even in the dark there is light (?).
- Generally it's supposed to be some sort of Best Of Zelda with the best elements from older Zeldas (f.e. there's a Wind Waker-like sailing part).
- They are less concentrating on focusing the game on one single gimmick or gameplay-mechanic and instead want to make it an allrounder with tried and true mechanics.
- Answers open story questions from older Zeldas instead of creating new questions.
- The development process is a lot more creative and free than usual, however the game ate up a lot of budget already which led to several internal discussions at Nintendo. In 2014 there even was a budget cut, because the Wii U sold less than expected even after Mario Kart 8 and Sm4sh. The budget cuts where one of the reasons for the delay, as Aonuma decided to work longer with a smaller team though.
- Aonuma is supported a lot by Miyamoto who is very satisfied/impressed with the game and gets him more budget, manpower and time. They have some kind of friendly competition going on teasing and motivating each other. Aonuma wants to finally top OoT which he hasn't done yet in his own opinion, not even with TTP. Miyamoto drives them to surpass themselves. Both the Japanese and American employees are very impressed.

Seems fake
https://plus.google.com/107676607280980751737/posts/1DJM67Kx6VA

 

[MattKeil]

If the games comes to NX, I cannot imagine that it would not still come to Wii U as well, similar to what they did with TTP. Just to avoid customer outrage.

Why? The number of Wii U owners who wouldn't immediately upgrade to NX to play a new Zelda would be vanishingly small. The whole issue here is that there aren't enough Wii U owners to justify even pretending to continue to support the system. Wii U owners are, by and large, the diehard Nintendo fanbase. They're buying an NX. Having Zelda as an incentive will only speed that process. There would be griping, but it's not like anyone would skip the new system or the game as a result.

 

[Roo]

Because

3) The idea of console Zelda getting 'budget cuts' or 'team cuts' is laughable.

This too. If there's a game that probably gets a free pass from team/budget constraints that's Zelda.

 

[cyberheater]

Every time I see this thread on the front page. I'm expecting news that it's been canned for the WiiU and pushed out to NX.

 

[Heroman]

We are people posting fake rumors?

 

[Neff]

This too. If there's a game that probably gets a free pass from team/budget constraints that's Zelda.

Nintendo is always responsible with money, and the sky is by no means the limit with anything they do, but yeah, Zelda is their one big-spender franchise, and we only see it on console every 4-5 years or so. So breaking the bank a little is ok with them. Even release schedules don't worry Nintendo, as almost every console Zelda has been delayed in order to create a product they're happy with (the obvious exception of course being Wind Waker which was rushed forward and forever tarnished as a result).

 

[ElTorro]

1) Zelda always has a standout gimmick which the core gameplay revolves around.

That's not convincing. Even if true, there is nothing to prevent them from doing it differently, like the rumor says. Apart from that, I doubt that the Zelda series is defined by standout gimmicks. TPP didn't have one, as motion controls where just a superficial button-replacement in the Wii version. LTTP didn't have one. OoT didn't have one if you don't count 3D (which wasn't a gimmick) or the Ocarina (which the core gameplay didn't revolve around).

2) Nintendo is always cryptic about Zelda continuity and is rarely forthcoming with 'answers'.

That is not convincing too. They never where deliberately cryptic, they just never cared. The fact that they just recently tried to shoehorn a storyline into the franchise in Hyrule Historia would even argue that this part of the rumor is in fact plausible.

3) The idea of console Zelda getting 'budget cuts' or 'team cuts' is laughable.

That is certainly not plausible. If a game goes massively over budget on a system that struggles to make profits, they might certainly change budgets and timeframes. Nintendo is a company after all. Just because we never hear internals when it comes to other games, does not mean that we can assume that Nintendo is not budget aware when it comes to certain franchises. Especially if they could use these resources to put out more games into apparent holes in their release schedule, since that is one of Wii U's big problems now. There is no reason to find this implausible, especially since we don't know anything about how big the budget is, by how much it was overspent, and by how much resources have been cut down.

 

[tbd]

Don't give such people attention, please.

 

[Pandy]

Why? The number of Wii U owners who wouldn't immediately upgrade to NX to play a new Zelda would be vanishingly small. The whole issue here is that there aren't enough Wii U owners to justify even pretending to continue to support the system. Wii U owners are, by and large, the diehard Nintendo fanbase. They're buying an NX. Having Zelda as an incentive will only speed that process. There would be griping, but it's not like anyone would skip the new system or the game as a result.

Assuming no major changes with the new leadership, Iwata said the following at the AGM:

Regarding your concern about what will happen to Wii U or what will happen to Nintendo 3DS, NX is a new platform, so the installed base will have to be built up from zero. When NX is launched, there already will be a certain volume of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U hardware widely existing in the market, so from a software business perspective, it would be highly inefficient to stop releasing titles for Nintendo 3DS or Wii U right after the launch of NX. Therefore, while we are preparing NX for the future, we are discussing within our internal development teams as well as with the second-party developers we co-develop software with and also with third-party software publishers about how to continue creating software for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. So, I believe that your point of concern should not happen immediately. As for Wii U, we will continue to make efforts, as it is a priority within the company to think about how we can satisfy the consumers who purchased this system to the maximum extent possible.

In the unlikely event that ZeldaU is released on NX, a WiiU version will almost certainly be released too.

Spoiler

First time quoting Iwata in the past tense.

 

[stilgar]

Every time I see this thread on the front page. I'm expecting news that it's been canned for the WiiU and pushed out to NX.

Pretty sure such a news would have its own thread

 

[Pandy]

Why? The number of Wii U owners who wouldn't immediately upgrade to NX to play a new Zelda would be vanishingly small. The whole issue here is that there aren't enough Wii U owners to justify even pretending to continue to support the system. Wii U owners are, by and large, the diehard Nintendo fanbase. They're buying an NX. Having Zelda as an incentive will only speed that process. There would be griping, but it's not like anyone would skip the new system or the game as a result.

Assuming no major changes with the new leadership, Iwata said the following at the AGM:

Regarding your concern about what will happen to Wii U or what will happen to Nintendo 3DS, NX is a new platform, so the installed base will have to be built up from zero. When NX is launched, there already will be a certain volume of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U hardware widely existing in the market, so from a software business perspective, it would be highly inefficient to stop releasing titles for Nintendo 3DS or Wii U right after the launch of NX. Therefore, while we are preparing NX for the future, we are discussing within our internal development teams as well as with the second-party developers we co-develop software with and also with third-party software publishers about how to continue creating software for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. So, I believe that your point of concern should not happen immediately. As for Wii U, we will continue to make efforts, as it is a priority within the company to think about how we can satisfy the consumers who purchased this system to the maximum extent possible.

In the unlikely event that ZeldaU is released on NX, a WiiU version will almost certainly be released too.

Spoiler

First time quoting Iwata since he passed.

 

[Koozek]

Seems fake
https://plus.google.com/107676607280980751737/posts/1DJM67Kx6VA

Well, the rumor poster says that other guy is talking crap.
Who's telling the truth, nobody knows. Word against word.

 

[Oersted]

Well, the rumor poster says that other guy is talking crap.
Who's telling the truth, nobody knows. Word against word.

He is a poster on a random forum. Don't do this.

 

[Neff]

That's not convincing. Even if true, there is nothing to prevent them from doing it differently, like the rumor says.

I'm going to assume Nintendo will carry on doing the thing they've always done, rather than assume they're suddenly going to stop for no reason. Nintendo are conceptual pioneers, after all. Turning into a dog in TP was certainly unique for the franchise. As was the dark/light world switching in LttP. The Ocarina in OoT is an essential multi-purpose tool, not to mention that little time travel/time of day thing. Every Zelda since LttP features one standout mechanic which is used predominantly.

That is not convincing too. They never where deliberately cryptic, they just never cared.

I use the word cryptic because they do drop vague hints connecting the games together. It's an interesting mystery, but the answers aren't important. There's no reason to assume they suddenly will be in Zelda U, particularly when the Zelda team strives hard to fashion a game which stands on its own each time out.

That is certainly not plausible

This is your rumour, isn't it? See the quote from Aonuma regarding this.

 

[Koozek]

He is a poster on a random forum. Don't do this.

Random poster on forum vs. random poster on Google+. Both are equally unreliable is what I'm saying.

 

[ModBot]

Bumping this thread with random forum rumors about the psychology of team members? Let's not do that.