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Forums - Nintendo Discussion - Why do people think the next Zelda will be on NX?

So reading alot in the web about the new zelda it seems 99% of the people are very sure the next zelda will be on nx? 

I dont really understand why. In my opinion, Zelda wii u on NX (simultaneous release with wii u) is very unlikely.

I have some points:

 

- Only Zelda game which ever got a simultaneous release on 2 Nintendo consoles was Twilight Princess (Gamecube and Wii)

- Gamecube already had its own Zelda title (Windwaker)

- Gamecube and Wii are very similar hardware whise, so porting wasnt a big problem. I doubt NX and Wii U would use similar hardware

- Porting a big game (like Zelda) from Wii U (PowerPC) to anything else (X86, ARM, etc.) is a though job. Keep in mind that "tantalus studios" are revealing they are porting a big AAA title to wii u in february. As known, they are working on this port scince 1,5 Year, still we didnt got any further information. Games like Watchdogs got delayed multiple month on wii u, scince the developer didnt managed to finish the port in time. So the wii u´s unique hardware might make it really hard for big open world games to run properly on other system. Also nintendo is always using their own enginge, so they dont just need to port the game to NX, they would also need to port the Zelda Wii U Enginge from PowerPC to Arm/x86/whatever. A PowerPC based enginge wouldnt  be"ideal" to run on those cpu, so for further games they probl. would need to develop again new engines just for NX and wouldnt use the wii u zelda enginge for anything else. I doubt it is worth all that effort.

- Nintendos studios are pretty small. Their largest game yet was Zelda Skyward sword with 100 people working on. They dont have the capacity to finish zelda for wii u AND port it to NX till holiday 2016. (Ubisoft: 9000 employers, EA: 9000 employers, Nintendo: 5000 employers to develop hardware, OS AND games)

- Even if Nintendo would have the capacity, i doubt they would keep one of their studios busy with a zelda port for NX. A Port for a game like Zelda would easily need 30-40 people for ~1-2 years. Nintendo would prefer that these people develop a complete new game for NX instead of a Port of an Wii U game. Even Windwaker HD took Nintendo 6 month to port, and this game will probl be very small compared to Zelda wii u AND wii u and gamecube still are both on very similar hardware (the wii u is technically bc to gamecube). Also Windwaker uses a very simple artstyle which made it alot easier to port.

- All Zelda games for home consoles got delayed. Every single one. Skyward sword was delayed more then 1 year, still it was on Wii and not on Wii U.

- In december 2014 Nintendo showed some Gameplay of Zelda Wii U. The game looked very unfinished, very empty. Most people already said "they will never manage to finish this in just 1 year". So the delay was not a big surprise.

- The Wii U installed HW base is small, BUT most wii u owners are loyal Nintendo fans. Probl. the loyast fans nintendo had. On Wii U Nintendo games sell very very good. The Wii U owners really like Nintendo. Even Zelda will probl. do very very good on wii u (im sure it will sell better as Skyward sword on Wii). I doubt Nintendo want to risk to make this loyal fans "angry" or "mad". The Nintendo Userbase decreased from console to console (if you ignore the Wii). They dont want to lose their last ~10mio loyal fans. Bring the promised Zelda title to NX would probl make those fans mad. I doubt nintendo really want to risk that just for some more sales on NX. 

It should be clear that a the Wii U Version of Zelda wii u would suffer from a simultaneous NX release. Nintendo would need to spend ressources (developer, programmer) to make the NX Version. When this developer would work also on the wii u version instead, the game would get more dungeons/bigger world/more sidequests.  So the wii u version would suffer from a NX port, what could make loyal nintendo fans mad/angry.

Also: Many people already got a wii u just for the new zelda (where nintendo is already talking about a long time). Some are probl. be zelda fans and just got the system for zelda, but bought it already to play games like windwaker hd again and support Nintendo in sales. If they will get a inferior game for their loyality, they will be mad too.

Nintendo shouldnt make all people mad. The feedback after the e3 demo already showed them, that wii u users arnt satisfied yet. Remove the wii u´s biggest game from the system (or release a superior version simultaneuosly on another system) will make alot people really mad. They might switch camps after nintendo pissed them off that often.

- Most Zelda-fans already got a wii u (windwaker, Hyrule warrios, the shown tech. demo from zelda at wii u´s presentation). Nintendo also said, NX will be something completly new (probl similar to the wii). Something completly new will mostl likely address to casual gamers, who arnt satisfied with the "normal" gaming (also similar as it was to wii). Casuals mostly dont play games like Zelda, they want Party game like Wii Sports, Just Dance, Mario Kart and co. So i doubt many people would buy NX "just for the new zelda", scince most zelda fans could also play it on their wii u.

- Nintendo even said the game will be on wii u.

- Nintendo said the NX should not replace the wii u. So the same game on both system wont make sense.

- The NX probl wont even be a powerhouse. Releasing a powerfull system between 2 console generations will most likely not work. People will just wait for ps5/xbox2, which will be more powerfull AGAIN. The wii u was pretty much this "powerfull" console. it was stronger as Ps3 and xbox 360 and it didnt sell. The NX will probl. be a cheap and weak system, aimed as casual gamers (like the wii). Like i already said, casual gamers arnt interested in games like zelda (Skyward Sword sold 3,5 mio on 100mio installed hw base on wii).

 

What do you think? 

So many points that make a Zelda on NX very unlikely. I really doubt it. Maybe, if NX is a 2017 release, they will bring a remastered version to NX. But im not even sure about that, i think they will make a completly new game for NX instead of wasting 1-2 years for a port (which will dealy the next zelda even more).

 

PS: We already got somethign very similar with the last Zelda:

Skyward Sword:

"Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed plans to release the game by the end of 2010"

"At Nintendo's press conference coinciding with the trade show in June 2010, it was announced that the subtitle of the Wii Zelda was Skyward Sword, and that the game would be delayed until 2011"

"On August 17, 2011, Skyward Sword was announced to be released in Europe on November 18, 2011, and in North America on November 20, 2011"

Pretty much the same huh? Were is the wiiu release?

BTW: Zelda SS release 2011. Wii U reveale: 2011. Zelda Wii U release 2016. NX reveal: 2016



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It all comes down to one thing: money.

Let me ask this: do you believe that having a new zelda game on launch would not be a system seller? Even if it was hard and expensive to make, do you think that would not pay off? Do you really believe taht there are not people interessed in zelda that are not waiting for a more well supported console to come out?

From PS3 to PS4, the techinology changed a lot, yet Nautghy dog managed to do a port in one year of one of the most otimized exclusives that they had. Does nintendo could not do it too?

What is so hard too understand, look at the games that nintendo has planned for wiiu. Does it look like they are interested in doubling down in make a game that will sell 10 million tops(wiiU install base)?

What you should me was reasons that making a port would be hard, but really you gave no reason why should not happen.



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Today most hardware design is left to other companies, but when you make hardware without taking into account the needs of the eventual software developers, you end up with bloated hardware full of pointless excess. From the outset one must consider design from both a hardware and software perspective."

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Because Nintendo did it once so they usually do it



Because it got delayed and from past
Its Nintendo



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You bring up a good point that the NX may use a different engine than Wii U so porting wouldn't simple. But for all we know, Zelda U could still be ready to launch this fall and that extra time to make Zelda U even better is actually the process of porting the whole game to the NX.

But there's no doubt Zelda "U" will be ready for NX at launch. If they have to cut dungeons like they did in Windwaker, then they will do it.



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Because Nintendo needs to push the NX with everything they can use, and a brand new Zelda is a wonderful system seller.



You know it deserves the GOTY.

Come join The 2018 Obscure Game Monthly Review Thread.

We still don't know what NX is, and we can't say for sure that it's going to be released next year.

So... I still have my doubts if Zelda U is going to be released for NX.



It's not coming to the Wii U because it isn't going to be ready until holiday 2016 at the earliest, and by that time the Wii U will be, for all intents and purposes, dead.



On 2/24/13, MB1025 said:
You know I was always wondering why no one ever used the dollar sign for $ony, but then I realized they have no money so it would be pointless.

Why should it be so hard to develop a game for PowerPC + x86? Almost every multiplatform game of the last decade was programmed that way.



With all the delays, it only lines things up.



"Just for comparison Uncharted 4 was 20x bigger than Splatoon 2. This shows the huge difference between Sony's first-party games and Nintendo's first-party games."