Disclaimer: Rumor Killers is a speculative opinion piece and is by no means intended to disclose as fact whether a rumor is true or false - even though the Rumor Killers team are usually right (usually..)

New Zelda for the end of 2010?

We all knew it was a matter of when rather than if as to the arrival of a new Zelda game. Nonetheless, finally there’s concrete evidence in the form of Cammie Dunaway of Nintendo’s interview with Wired, suggesting that we’ll be playing as Link once more sometime later this year.

The rumors had started back in June 2009 when everyone’s favourite visionary Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed that a Zelda game would be on the way, but not until 2010 at the absolute earliest. At this point nobody had any complaints. After all, who wants a rushed and potentially botched Zelda game just because of an excessively optimistic release date? Several months later, exciting news is emerging that suggests the new Zelda really is coming out this year.

First up was Nintendo’s president, Satoru Iwata, who at the start of the year announced that a new Zelda game was scheduled for release by the end of 2010. Now Nintendo’s executive vice president, Cammie Dunaway, has suggested the same thing in last week’s interview with Wired.

Could this finally be the year for the Wii’s enthusiast owners? 2010 already promises Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid Prime: Other M, so the addition of a Zelda game could make for an extremely exciting year of gaming.

As Dunaway pointed out in her interview with Wired, the Wii seems to have peaked when it comes to sales. Entering its fifth year, 27.6 million Wiis have been sold in the US alone. A staggering figure for sure, but surely everyone that wants one has got one by now? There’s no denying, however, that more experienced gamers have been disappointed by the overreliance on shovelware and the lack of stand-out titles on the system since the likes of Super Mario Galaxy, Resident Evil 4 and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. So, the sort of lineup listed above could be just what Nintendo needs to encourage gamers back to the system in time for what’s traditionally considered the last few years of a console’s lifespan.

Will a new Zelda game come out in the tail end of 2010? I’m not so sure. My heart desperately hopes so, but it all seems a little sudden. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was known to be in production for 3 years before its eventual release. In the case of this Zelda game, we’ve heard precious little about any development period. I’ve no doubt that it’s not far off, but a 2011 release seems much more likely. Miyamoto won’t release it until it’s 100% ready.

It’s difficult to complain really as surely it’s better to have a high quality classic emerge on the Wii than a game that needed a few more months polish. For now, cross your fingers for Zelda in time for Christmas but don’t count on it. At least we’ve got Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid Prime: Other M to keep us busy.

Jen’s Verdict: False