'The Legend of Zelda Wii-U' release date: Early demo for 500 fans

The Legend of Zelda Wii UNintendo

The next entry in the long-running "The Legend of Zelda" franchise will launch for both the Wii-U and Nintendo NX, but it won't be out until 2017. Despite this, a report from IGN reveals that Nintendo will allow up to 500 fans to try an early demo of the game this June at the Nintendo store in New York. 

Registration begins on June 11, and the first 500 people in the line will be given a special wristband that can later be traded for a ticket for the early demo presentation and booth. Fans interested in registering should bring an ID. Minors are required to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. 

The official event will kick-off on June 14. Nintendo will start the celebration at noon by launching a video of the game in action at the Nintendo booth at the E3 convention in Los Angeles. This video will be streamed live to the Nintendo store in New York. By 3 p.m. EST, the booth at New York will open, allowing up to 500 fans to try the game themselves.

June 15 to June 19 will see Nintendo hosting several in-depth demos of the game and continue guiding the fans as they try the demo. Nintendo has not yet made an official announcement regarding how long each demo session will run. 

It is undetermined how far along the game is in its development and how much of the game players will get to experience with the demo. It is speculated that fans will only get to experience the first dungeon or one of the mid-level dungeons in order to have several key items already packed in their inventory. 

"The Legend of Zelda" for Wii-U and NX is rumored to be akin to the original title on the NES and "The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds," in which the world is more open for exploration instead of being designed as a linear dungeon romp. It will launch for both systems similar to how "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" launched for both the Gamecube and Wii.