The Wii U remake of the the GameCube’s Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker will be available two weeks earlier than initially announced by Nintendo, but only if you download it to the console. The download will be available on September 20.
The disc version remains slated for an October 4 release.
The digital-first promotion is tied to the September 20 release of a new $299.99 Wii U bundle that includes a download code for The Wind Waker HD as well as a download code for the Zelda lore book Hyrule Historia. Gamers don’t have to buy the bundle to get the download. The game can be downloaded on its own for $US49.99, same price as the disc edition.
This is an unusual move for Nintendo, which, up until now and for the past year, had been allowing consumers to buy Nintendo-published games digitally for Wii U or 3DS on the same day as their release on discs in stores.
“We’re hugely committed to the digital business and we’re committed to having consumers make the choice of either being able to buy games physically or digitally and we’re committed to bringing new and unique experiences through digital means,” Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime told Kotaku. But he said the gaming giant was not making any special statement or launching any new advance-digital plan with the Wind Waker promotion.
“We saw an opportunity given the value change to make sure we had a strong product offering for Zelda loyalists, and to get them firmly in the Wii U franchise,” he said, tying this into the Wii U’s price drop and new bundle. “This is not a policy change or some grand signal by launching the digital version a few days earlier than the physical version.”
Nintendo’s other big releases later this year will be same-day disc and digital.
Comments
8 responses to “Wind Waker HD Releasing Early, If You’re Willing To Download It”
They need to fix their stupid account system so that purchases aren’t tied to the console.
I bought the digital copy of Luigi U because it was cheaper and early but if there’s no discount on digital Wind Waker HD then I might end up waiting for the disc copy.
Same. If it’s not cheaper to download then I’d always prefer a physical copy.
this pisses me off.
i went to buy rayman today.
i saw that both EB and Big W had it for $58 so i figured that it was the RRP as since when is EB below RRP but then i went to the wii u store and it is bloody $68 WTF
so i got the $58 version
case closed
I’m waiting to see if any retailers have special editions with collectables. EB usually does something for Zelda releases.
The UK has a version with a Ganondorf statue.
I didn’t want the game at all, but if we have that version available to us hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng.
I know right I don’t even own a WiiU and with all the games and ps4 coming out this year I probably won’t get one anytime soon. But if we get that collectors edition ill just buy the game even without owning the console
Unless they live in Australia.
Edit: Source: http://www.vooks.net/no-wind-waker-hd-wii-u-bundle-or-limited-edition-for-australia/
What disappointing relief.