Nintendo finally puts a stop to its Project Giant Robot, a Wii U game that has been in development hell.
Project Giant Robot was initially shown at E3 2014. It was part of Nintendo's lineup of games for the beleaguered Wii U game console. It was showcased together with Star Fox, a Wii U game that received mixed reviews from critics. Nintendo even had a demonstration of the game showing how it is played using the Wii U.
Dead Robots
The project, which still remained without an official name, was featured alongside Star Fox during E3 2014. It was designed by the Shigeru Miyamoto, who's famous for creating Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong.
The game featured building a giant robot and battling with it using the Wii U's Gamepad via built-in motion controls. The player can knock over buildings and other foes, so it was robot battle bonanza using motion and traditional button controls.
Wii U Failure
The slow sales, slow consumer adoption and the dearth of titles weakened the Wii U's position in the console market. These factors eventually led Nintendo to end Wii U production in Japan.
The most evident factor for the cancellation of Project Giant Robot is the arrival of Nintendo Switch, the company's latest hybrid game console. Nintendo shifts its focus on the production and marketing of party-first games, as well as third-party titles. The last game that will appear on Wii U is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which is coincidentally the highlight of the new Switch console.
Project Giant Robot was still listed as "upcoming" in Nintendo's Q3 earnings report, but it disappeared from the list when Nintendo released its latest earnings.
According to Nintendo, they made the decision after considering their "overall product and development strategy."
The Big Switch
Nintendo is now focusing all of its efforts to Nintendo Switch. Project Giant Robot is one of the casualties of the company's marketing decision to close down Wii U.
However, other titles will cross over to the new console, like the aforementioned The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Nintendo Switch merges the mobile game portability and home console power via its modular design that features removable controllers/joypads, and a multi-touch screen that serves as the mobile screen and main console. The console is slated for release on March 3, 2017, with over 70 games confirmed for launch.
