Sad news for fans who were hoping to play Star Fox Zero this holiday. Nintendo‘s Representative Director Shigeru Miyamoto released the following statement today:
“I made a big decision last week.
We have been developing Star Fox Zero for Wii U with the aim of releasing it this year. Although we felt that the development had been progressing well, we now believe that we will need a little more time to work on areas such as the unprecedented discovery that we want players to experience in the game by using two screens, and further polishing the level designs and perfecting the tone of the cut scenes. While we have already reached the stage where it would be technically possible to release the title in time for the year-end holiday season, we want to polish the game a bit more so that players will be able to more smoothly grasp the new style of play that we are proposing.
To the people looking forward to the launch of the game this holiday season, I am very sorry.
Star Fox Zero is going to bring new game play and experiences that take it far beyond the framework established by Star Fox 64. All the members of the development team are doing our best so that the final product will not betray your expectations. And the game will not be delayed for a very long time – we’re aiming to launch the game in Q1 2016. Please stay tuned for further announcements.”
The game, again featuring Fox, Falco, Peppy and Slippy, was originally scheduled for a November 20, 2015 release. In the game, players pilot an Arwing in the traditional style of TV game play and, in a new twist, players can use the cockpit view on the GamePad to aim and shoot enemies using the gyro controls. Having two unique viewpoints offers distinct gaming advantages and frees up the TV for more cinematic moments in the title’s new all-range mode. Star Fox Zero includes a new Walker transformation for the Arwing, a new Gyrowing vehicle and the return of the Landmaster Tank.
This news follows the earlier announcement this year that The Legend of Zelda for Wii U had also been pushed back out of 2015.
