Nintendo is done with the Wii U after 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'

By Brad Jones January 19, 2017

1132069 autosave v1 2 zeldafeature

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is poised to be the essential pick for gamers planning to buy a Nintendo Switch on launch day. The game is also set to be released for the Wii U — and, in fact, it will be the system’s final piece of first-party software.

Breath of the Wild was first announced as a Wii U exclusive in January 2013, just a couple of months after the console was released. More than three years later, in April 2016, Nintendo confirmed that the game would be released simultaneously for the Wii U and its successor, the Switch.

Related Videos

This isn’t the first time that Nintendo has implemented this strategy with a new Zelda game. In 2006, Twilight Princess launched for the GameCube as well as the Wii — and it turned out to be Nintendo’s final first-party game released for the GameCube.

Nintendo of America COO Reggie Fils-Aimé confirmed that Breath of the Wild was the Wii U’s final first-party title in an interview conducted after the Switch event that took place January 13. “From a first-party standpoint, there’s no new development coming after the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” he told Polygon. “We really are at the end of life for Wii U.”

This news shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given the middling performance of the Wii U over its life span. The console struggled to compete with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and from here on out, Nintendo will be preoccupied with ensuring that the Switch doesn’t suffer a similar fate.

There is some good news for anyone still using their Wii U on a regular basis. Fils-Aime acknowledged that many owners are still playing titles like Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon, and stated that online functionality isn’t going to be shut down just yet.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Gaming

How to connect your Nintendo Switch to a TV

The Nintendo Switch has quickly become a household item. The system works as both a handheld device and a TV console, making it both versatile and convenient for players to use. Although using the Switch in its handheld form is awesome, the reality is that the graphics on a TV can enhance the experience of any Switch player. For those of us that struggle to put systems together, there is hope. Fortunately for us, the Switch is actually pretty easy to hook up to any TV, so long as it has an HDMI slot. Here's how.
Setting up the Nintendo Switch

For those who are new to the system, every purchase of the Nintendo Switch not only includes the Switch itself but also a Switch dock. This dock will be key in putting your system together for the TV. The first thing you're going to want to do is take out the dock and all the cords. Make sure that you have the dock, an HDMI cord, and a power cord for the system. If all three are present, you're good to start!

Gaming

All GTA games, ranked from worst to best

The protagonists of GTA V pose for the camera.

Few video game series are as legendary as Grand Theft Auto, which made a name for itself thanks to developer Rockstar Games. GTA has been around since 1997, spanning numerous console generations, and taking place during versions of the 1960s to the 2020s. It's a controversial series that has been featured in the news for its violence and adult themes, but this has led to even more sales, increasing its allure and popularity.

Beyond its controversies, the Grand Theft Auto series is comprised of fantastic games -- some of which have completely revolutionized the medium as a whole. Many modern hits owe a lot to the Grand Theft Auto series, proving just how important these games are, even decades later.

Computing

How Zelda: Ocarina of Time speedrunners break the N64 in incredible new ways

ocarina of time speedrunners break game new ways respec featured

ReSpec is normally a column about the wonderful, technical world of PC gaming, but occasionally there are topics that are too good to pass up. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is universally acclaimed as one the best Nintendo 64 games ever made, and while it's not a PC title, the highest-level, most technical speedruns of the game expose how games work on a fundamental level. More importantly, these incredible feats are only possible with a lot of community effort.

Ocarina of Time is a game that would take a normal player around 30 hours to beat; the most skilled speedrunners, who aim to play the game as fast as possible, can beat it in around three hours and 40 minutes without glitches. But the Any% category of the game, which tasks players with completing the game regardless of the methods used, is down to three minutes, 54 seconds, and 566 milliseconds. And yes, those milliseconds matter. The second-place record holder is less than a full second behind the world record.