News – Bloodstained Wii U Version Officially Cancelled

Last week we reported on the seeming confirmation that there was a Nintendo Switch version of the hotly anticipated Metroidvania Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night in development. Since that discovery, the game’s director Koji Igarashi has taken to Kickstarter to not only confirm that a Nintendo Switch version is currently in development, but to also reveal another change in the development plans. Unfortunately though, these changes involve the predictable cancellation of the Wii U version.

Why cancel the Wii U version? Well sadly, it’s kind of obvious really. Thanks to the Nintendo Switch, the Wii U will just no longer be relevant by the time Bloodstained by 2018, the planned launch window for the gothic adventure.

Hello, this is IGA.

Thank you for always supporting us. I would like to give a message to the backers who pledged for the Wii U version of Bloodstained.

During our Kickstarter campaign, the Wii U was at the height of its popularity, but the situation has drastically changed after the release of Nintendo Switch.

This change made it difficult to receive the necessary support from the hardware maker, which has led us to drop the Wii U development and shift the development to Nintendo Switch.

We are very sorry that it has come to this after all your support, but we hope you will understand.

In fact, pay close enough attention to Igarashi’s words, and you’ll notice that Nintendo also seemingly agrees with the notion that the Wii U will sadly no longer being relevant by next year. News that will no doubt come as a blow to Wii U owners. Although, given Nintendo’s announcement that Breath of the Wild would be their last game for the platform, this again, is not really too much of a surprise.

One other thing that Igarashi was keen to address was the status of those who backed the project based on the Wii U version. Currently the plan is to convert all Kickstarter Wii U pledges to the digital Nintendo Switch version of the game. However, if this isn’t to your liking, then backers have until 20th April 2017 to either request a refund, or alternatively switch to any other platform. More information regarding this change in development plans can be found at the following link.

All in all, whilst the cancellation of the Wii U version is unfortunate, a Switch version is very welcome. Either way though, as we said when addressing the Switch confirmation last week, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is looking set to be one of the most exciting retro titles of next year, and we certainly can’t wait. Look forward to more coverage of Bloodstained right here at Rings & Coins, as we get ever closer to its upcoming 2018 release for PS4, Xbox One, PC, Vita, and now the Switch too.

Sophia Aubrey Drake

A lifelong gamer with a fanatical love of all things Nintendo and Japan. So much so that she's written a thesis on one and lived in the other. Currently on a quest to catch every last Pokémon. Follow me on twitter via @DivaXChill or @RingsandCoins.

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