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The Wii U’s upcoming release calendar should fill Nintendo fans with dread

Published Jul 18th, 2014 2:07PM EDT
Nintendo Wii U Upcoming Releases

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The release of the critically acclaimed Mario Kart 8 gave the Wii U a nice sales boost but Nintendo can’t rely on just one game to make the Wii U relevant. This is why when we look at the calendar of upcoming Wii U releases, we get a sinking sense of dread, especially because we still don’t have a confirmed release date for the new Super Smash Bros. game yet.

So what does Nintendo have coming up to entice gamers to pick up the Wii U? Next week the game Wooden Sen’SeY will release and then it’s more than two months before Hyrule Warriors comes out on September 26th. Skylanders Trap Team follows quickly afterward on October 5th, followed by Bayonetta 2 and Just Dance 2015 in the same month. And then… that’s it as far as concrete release dates go. That’s literally it. Super Smash Bros. is still listed as releasing in “Winter 2014” and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is set to release sometime during the holiday season.

Comparing this pitiful release slate to the wealth of riches that PS4 and Xbox One gamers are getting in the coming months just doesn’t seem fair. Among the many hot-looking cross-platform releases set for the late summer and fall are the Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition, Madden NFL 15, Destiny, FIFA 15, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Alien: Isolation, The Evil Within, Assassin’s Creed Unity, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Far Cry 4.

What’s more, both the Xbox One and PS4 are also getting Just Dance 2015 and Skylanders Trap Team in October, which means that 40% of the Wii U’s games with confirmed release dates will be on other platforms as well. Oh, and have you ever heard of a little gaming franchise called Halo? If so, then you should know that Microsoft is re-releasing every single major Halo game for the Xbox One on November 11th.

The latest rumors we’ve heard about Super Smash Bros. indicate that it might release on November 21st, just in time for the holiday season. For Nintendo’s sake we hope that’s true because otherwise we see no way the Wii U can escape a nonstop slaughter this fall at the hands of Microsoft and Sony.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.