The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Zelda Wii is a game currently in development, created exclusively with the Wii in mind. Hence, it will be an entirely different from Twilight Princess, in terms of style, gameplay, and graphics now that the production team is considering the full scope of the Wii's capabilties over that of it's predecessor, the Gamecube. The game will require Wii Motion Plus. According to a recent interview, the game is slated for release before the end of 2010. However, despite the report of a 2010 release, the President of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime, recently noted in another interview that Nintendo will only "launch the game when it is perfect", providing the final release date with a potentially large margin of error in comparison to the comment left by Iwata.

It has been stated by Shigeru Miyamoto that Twilight Princess will be "without a doubt, the last Zelda game as you know it in its present form." However, the meaning of this quote leaves quite a bit to the imagination. In that same vein, Eiji Aonuma has recently revealed that he is looking to alter the "traditional flow" of Zelda games which consist of exploring a field, entering a dungeon, conquering the dungeon, and then returning to the field.

When Eiji Aonuma was asked in an interview if Twilight Princess would be the Nintendo Wii's only Zelda title, he replied, "I can't say, but I guess for now, maybe, yeah [laughs]. Not to say that it's going to be the final game. There's still a lot of potential with the Wii so there's still a possibility that there could be another Zelda for it. We do have some ideas in the works, but I can't say for sure because none of them have been approved and we're still very much in the planning process, so I hope you look forward to whatever comes out."

In a private meeting at the 2007 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Eiji Aonuma began to give details about the then-soon-to-be-released Zelda title, Phantom Hourglass. He then began speaking about the upcoming game, Zelda Wii. In his excitement, he began to reveal more details about the game, but was withheld from divulging too much information by Shigeru Miyamoto. He indicated that he would like to have a whole new control system for the game, and that it was possible that one-to-one swordplay (This could mean either first person perspective sword combat, or more likely a hint at Wii MotionPlus' 1:1 movement mapping) could be implemented. He also said that he would like to make the game to appeal both to the casual and the hardcore gamer, a sentiment echoed by Miyamoto in a later interview.

Zelda Wii was not the only new Zelda game in development at the time, as Spirit Tracks was produced alongside (By a separate team) and released on December 7th. .

At a round-table at the E3 2009 Convention, Shigeru Miyamoto disclosed that Zelda Wii will be announced at E3 in 2010. Artwork shown at the round-table was leaked shortly after, depicting a swordless, more mature, right-handed Link and another mysterious female figure, bearing resemblance to The Fairy Queen and The Master Sword. Miyamoto has admitted that Zelda Wii's version of Link will be older than those of past titles, and placed quite the emphasis on Link's lack of sword in the leaked artwork.

Rumors
Several batches of unconfirmed rumors have surfaced regarding the upcoming title; two of which originate from the Japanese site 2ch, which has had confirmed rumors posted on it before. Another batch appeared on the NeoGaf forums the day after the first batch surfaced, but was quickly debunked and proven false by Zelda Informer.

First Batch from 2ch (January 20th, 2010)

 * The game will be vary from the dungeon field dungeon method we are accustomed too (nothing new, Eiji Aonuma confirmed that last year).
 * You will be able to select right or left handed at the start, and Link will be left or right handed based on your selection
 * The gameplay and basic mechanics are complete.(At the time the rumors surfaced.)
 * They are currently polishing up the story and Characters. (At the time the rumors surfaced.)
 * One of the characters they are working on is a innkeeper in Link's home village who has a son that looks up to Link.
 * The girl in the art is not the Master Sword, and it appears the Master Sword will not be in the game.
 * The girls name from the painting could possibly be Adelle, Adella, or Aderu.
 * She is not with you throughout the game like Ezlo and Midna.
 * The face in the painting of her is not her real face. It's not fully elaborated on much, but it does say that it was a place holder concept art piece.(assuming the entire art itself was just concept work)
 * Link's sword is highly unique in this game, and will have several unlockable abilities. Adelle (or whatever her final name becomes) communicates with you through this sword.
 * There will be horseback combat. Epona will avoid obstacles automatically.
 * The models for 3 significant characters in the game have been touched up, but no they are not Zelda or Ganondorf. (Google translate gives rough names of Link, Gorons, and Epona, but our translator said it's not specifically mentioned)
 * The idea of this version of Link also being The Hero of Time has been highly considered, and may already be implemented.
 * Time travel plays a role in the game.
 * The game takes place in more than just Hyrule, and may possibly not be Hyrule at all.

Second Batch from 2ch (May 27th, 2010)

 * Link will be replacing the bow and arrow with a crossbow.
 * Game is all but finished. Putting on final touches.
 * There will be a playable demo at E3.
 * Time travel does occur and it happens through the use of a new blade. (not the master sword)
 * Link's hometown is much bigger than in previous titles.
 * There will be several "Majora's Mask" esque sidequests.
 * Character interaction will be more involving than in any previous title.
 * The dungeon field dungeon method is changed, and one of the changes confirms a straight dungeon to dungeon portion of the game.
 * The current name of the girl in the picture is Adelle.
 * Combat is extremely fluent and innovative. No previous Wii title can give you a good example of it's unique style.
 * The game relies heavily on sword combat versus other items.
 * There will be less items, but they will be used more frequently.
 * There will be another main weapon added for an alternative combat style.
 * The game will feature significant portions of flight.

It should be noted that all of these rumors are unconfirmed, and are exactly that; rumors.

