Skyward Sword will release after Ocarina 3DS - fall 2011 it is!

Last we heard, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was planned for an early 2011 release date. That time has come, yet almost no additional footage or details of the game have surfaced since last fall. With each passing week, it seemed more likely Nintendo would push Skyward Swordfurther into the year, and could possibly even make it a tentpole release for fall 2011.News todaysuggests that is precisely what will happen.


Above: You prolly won't be stabbin' no scorpions 'til September at the earliest

Weknow thatOcarina of Time 3DS will ship after this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, which putsit on shelvessometime after June 9. Couple that with arecent presentationfrom Nintendo president Satoru Iwata that says Ocarina is "expected to hit the market earlier" than Skyward Sword, and you've got a recipe for a delay into fall 2011. If Ocarina is coming out June-July at the earliest, it stands to reason Nintendo would wait a couple of months before unleashing a brand-new console Zelda on the world- that puts Skyward Sword in the Sep-Oct range.

Can't say we're surprised - Skyward Sword will undoubtedly be Nintendo's biggest game this year, so why not push it into the busy shopping season? Sucks we basically have to wait another year, but c'mon, did anyone really think we'd play this in "early 2011" as originally stated?

Given the later release date, expect Skyward Sword to have a huge presence at E3 for the second year in a row.


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Brett Elston

A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE.