'The Legend of Zelda' Wii U release date rumors: Game to release with its Nintendo NX edition?

A screengrab from the "Legend of Zelda" sneak peek from Nintendo DirectYouTube/Nintendo

The latest "The Legend of Zelda" Wii U release date reports suggest that the highly anticipated action-adventure game will be released holiday 2016 along with its Nintendo NX version.

A NeoGAF member by the name of Trevelyan9999 claims to have spoken to a source who managed to get hold of a copy of Nintendo's internal U.S. marketing budget and scheduling overview for this year.

The copy allegedly features "key parts highlighting The Legend of Zelda NX to be a holiday 2016 release either same day at Zelda Wii U or shortly after, during the Nintendo NX holiday 2016 launch window."

This means that "The Legend of Zelda" Wii U will be here soon but will share the spotlight with its Nintendo NX counterpart. It remains unclear what other games will be unveiled along with the Nintendo NX, which, for the uninitiated, is the company's upcoming game console outing.

While there is no way of knowing whether this information is accurate or not, the situation being presented is not entirely unprecedented for the company. In Nintendo's game release history, it has already released one game for multiple consoles.

Fans will remember that "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" was both released on Gamecube, Wii and then Wii U. The intriguing part, however, is that Nintendo is planning "The Legend of Zelda" Wii U release to coincide with that of its alleged NX edition.

This strategy could lead to the games stealing each other's thunder. Gamers might opt for the Nintendo NX itself instead of purchasing the Wii U. Shacknews suggests that the Wii U version and Nintendo NX edition should have unique features the other one does not have for them to both sell.

Nonetheless, a franchise as big as "The Legend of Zelda" will still be deserving of a spot in the Nintendo NX's launch title lineup. After all, it is one of the gaming company's most successful video game series.