Nintendo talks Zelda Wii U

Nintendo has teased that new fully 3D Zelda and Mario games are in development for the Wii U. Speaking to IGN, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said these titles will be announced at a later date.

"We will announce the launch schedules for new 3D Zelda and Mario games in the future, but this is not the right opportunity for me to indicate when we will make such announcements," Iwata said.

Though new Zelda and Mario games for the Wii U may be appealing enough for some gamers to pick up a system, strong first-party support will not be enough if the Wii U is to thrive, Iwata said.

"Our first-party software alone can't be enough to appeal to the different tastes of all game fans," he said. "The decision of Nintendo that it will publish the two software titles from Platinum Games is one answer to this challenge."

Platinum Games is developing The Wonderful 101 and Bayonetta 2 (a system exclusive) for the Wii U.

In September, a source reportedly with knowledge of the matter said Nintendo was developing a new Wii U Zelda game for 2014. The game is said to be the most expensive project in Nintendo's history and will run on a new game engine that will allow for the "most advanced visual features Nintendo has ever made."

The most recent Zelda game was 2011's Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which launched for the Wii to a strong critical reception.