'Zelda: Breath of the Wild' will be Nintendo's final Wii U game
Well, obviously.
Nintendo isn't planning to release any other games for Wii U after The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The console-straddling release that will usher in the new -- it's a Switch launch game -- is also a fond farewell for Nintendo's short-lived Wii successor.
Confirmation of the Zelda release plans came from Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, in an interview with Polygon.
"From a first-party standpoint, there's no new development coming after the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," he said. "We really are at the end of life for Wii U."
Fils-Aime went on to reassure fans that while major game development work at Nintendo will cease, the Wii U will live on well beyond Zelda's release. He specifically shouted out the console's still-active online communities around Mario Kart and Splatoon.
"We're going to continue to support that," he said of the Wii U's online services.
Then again, both Mario Kart and Splatoon are coming to Switch before the end of 2017. The former is a spruced-up remake Mario Kart 8, which came to Wii U in 2014. And the latter is a full-blown sequel to Nintendo's first esports-friendly online shooter, coming to Switch -- and Switch alone -- in the summer.
All of which is to say: Nintendo may well shift its priorities around supporting Wii U's online communities sooner than expected if the Mario Kart and Splatoon crowds follow each new release to Switch. A new Smash Bros. game for Switch would speed that migration even more.
So Breath of the Wild will be the first totally new Zelda game released for Wii U, and the last. Here's to hoping the Switch fares better for Nintendo.
Topics Nintendo Nintendo Switch
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
