They would still delay it if they feel like they need to. If Square is any indication (looking at you FFXV and FF in general), then you can still expect delays regardless. Every developer has delayed games. And its not like Zelda hasn't had delays before (Skyward Sword was supposed to be a 2010 title but released in 2011). It'll be about five years (2012-2017) since BoTW was in development and only four years (2013) since ALBW was released by the time BoTW releases. The first HD Zelda game that is open world. And considering how it took E3 by storm this year...I think some wouldn't mind waiting a little longer (though it was only scheduled for 2017, no month noted). Yes, they hoped for 2015 and later 2016, but things apparently changed when the Switch started getting off the ground and signs apparently were there when Iwata announced the NX back when he announced the partnership with DeNA for mobile in order to calm everyone's concerns about Nintendo potentially dropping out of making hardware. I'm just taking everything into consideration. The Wii U has been selling terribly and had little momentum built up despite the releases of great games like Smash Bros., Mario Kart 8, Mario 3D World, etc. Unfortunately, plans change.

Agreed, the Zelda team has gotten ridiculously slow and unproductive. 

At this rate, we'll get 2 Zelda games in ten years from 2012-2022, while if they made their games every three years like most other AAA studios can, we could have gotten 3.

Well, Super Paper Mario was once promoted as a Gamecube game, and Last Guardian as a PS3 game.

But even fans have a limit on the amount of abuse they will take. I was a Nintendo fan since 1994, but if Zelda is made Switch exclusive, I will refuse to buy it or Switch on principal. Wii U gamers comprise the loyalist core of Nintendo's dwindling fanbase, pissing them off is not a good idea.

The first HD Zelda game that is open world.

That's no excuse.

Nintendo have been developing in HD for over 5 years now, while XCX, a first party HD open world title, came out back in April 2015, and its makers are working on BotW.

You don't get to pull the "open world in HD is hard" card in 2016. That would be like complaining in 2006 that 3D polygon games are hard to make.

That's no excuse.

Nintendo have been developing in HD for over 5 years now, while XCX, a first party HD open world title, came out back in April 2015, and its makers are working on BotW.

You don't get to pull the "open world in HD is hard" card in 2016. That would be like complaining in 2006 that 3D polygon games are hard to make.

This is technically EAD 3's (though all the Nintendo dev teams have now merged since late 2015 to become EPD) first big project for Wii U outside Wind Waker HD. I'm not saying it's hard, it just takes longer, longer than making 3D polygons based on how tech is these days. I'm no expert on tech but I would think trying to create these games at such a scale are no cake walk. It took Rockstar North five years between GTA IV and V, Rockstar San Diego presumably seven years between RDD and RDD2, five years from Oblivion to Skyrim, and seven years from Fallout 3 to 4. The only possible exception is CD Projekt Red with the Witcher games being about 4 years apart (though 2, which I've played a little, is a little more self contained compared to 3 from what I heard). If a quality open world in HD is that easy, most devs should be able to do that then within 3-4 years by now and with little hiccups.