Zelda Delayed to 2006; Revolution Launch?

Nintendo has decided to delay its most anticipated game of the year. It’s arguably the most anticipated game of the year from any company on any system. Zelda: Twilight Princess has been pushed back to a 2006 release, after their current fiscal year, which ends in March 2006. The company is not committing to a launch date at this point.

Nintendo said the delay came at the request of the development team, which wanted to add new levels and more polish to the game. Zelda is one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises, with a Nintendo DS and Revolution title in development already. The game won this year’s E3 Critics Awards for best console game and best action/adventure game.

Is it possible that Zelda was pushed back to fill a much-needed role as Revolution launch title? The dates seem to suggest that’s at least possible. Nintendo has refused to give a more specific time frame than 2006 for the Revolution. With the GCN having no major releases this holiday season, the system is arguably dead, especially after the Xbox 360 and PS3 launch in November 2005 and spring 2006 respectively. Nintendo won’t comment, but don’t be surprised if the Zelda in development for Revolution is actually the one originally intended for GCN.