The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – A Stellar Swan Song for Nintendo‘s Fated Wii U
As a long-time Nintendo fan and gaming industry analyst, it‘s been fascinating to chart the starkly different fates of Nintendo‘s Wii U and Switch consoles. In March 2017, the Wii U received its final first-party sendoff in iconic fashion with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild before Nintendo switched focus to its rebounded fortunes with the Switch.
The Wii U‘s Brief, Turbulent Lifespan
The Wii U launched in November 2012 as Nintendo‘s successor to the wildly popular Wii, which had sold over 100 million units. Despite introducing forward-looking concepts like the touchscreen GamePad controller, the Wii U vastly underperformed:
- Lifetime sales of 13.56 million units worldwide
- Discontinued production after just 5 years in January 2017
As the chart above shows, the console saw largely linear, declining demand year-over-year starting from its launch. Nintendo was ready to pull the plug halfway through its product cycle – a rarity in the normally long-lived console market. They needed a changhe of strategy, which soon came in the form of the Switch.
Factors Behind the Wii U‘s Failure
While innovative from a conceptual standpoint, the Wii U was severely hampered by technical and ecosystem limitations:
- Underpowered CPU – Screen tearing, framerate issues, difficult to port
- Minimal 3rd Party Support – Only 592 third-party games in total
- Consumer Confusion – Unclear marketing on whether Wii U was an add-on or standalone
- Inferior Network Features – No unified account system or multiplayer framework
It failed to demonstrate enough graphical horsepower or compelling library variety to compete with contemporaries like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Notable Releases Before Its Swan Song
The Wii U fostered some gems amidst its small but beloved first-party catalog, including:
Major 1st Party Releases
| Title | Genre | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart 8 | Racing | May 2014 |
| Super Mario 3D World | Platformer | Nov 2013 |
| Super Smash Bros. for Wii U | Fighting | Nov 2014 |
| Splatoon | Shooter | May 2015 |
Well-Received 3rd Party Offerings
- Bayonetta 2
- Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
- Yoshi‘s Woolly World
However, system usage and attach rates declined year-over-year as interest waned:
As the charts show, game sales velocity slowed despite flagship franchise releases, suggesting a narrowing audience.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – A Poetic Finale
As its coda, Nintendo delivered a masterful finale exclusive for Wii U owners – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in March 2017:
- Simultaneous launch title for new Nintendo Switch
- Claims 97 Metacritic. beating Ocarina of Time
- Sold over 27 million copies across both Wii U and Switch as of 2023
- Ushered in a new golden age for the Zelda series
The game exemplified Nintendo‘s design and development brilliance, while showing glimpses of what they could achieve unfettered on more capable hardware. It felt like a passing of the torch to the Switch.
Post-Mortem and Impact on Switch
Upon the Wii U‘s discontinuation, the Nintendo Switch launched in early 2017 to rapidly reversed fortunes. Evidently learning from past mistakes, the Switch succeeded through:
- More powerful Nvidia processor nearly 3-4x faster than Wii U
- Intuitive hybrid portable and docked modeTablet style design with seamless play modes
- Strong out-of-the-gate 1st AND 3rd party support
- Engaging local multiplayer features like split Joy-Con play
As a result, the Switch rendered the Wii U obsolete within months, zooming past its lifetime sales in its first year alone. Nintendo rediscovered its magic formula to create another hit.
While it lasted briefly and sold poorly, the Wii U will be remembered fondly by Nintendo faithful for its charming concepts and exclusives. It crucially also served as the foundation for Nintendo‘s current golden era under the Switch. For Wii U owners, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the ultimate – if bittersweet – parting gift celebrating that chapter of Nintendo history. Few other consoles can boast such an artistic triumph during their final days.
