Nintendo.com Leaked NA Wii U Launch Day Lineup [UPDATE]

October 2nd, 2012 by

[UPDATE: With the addition of WARRIORS OROCHI 3 Hyper, the leaked list that we discovered a couple of weeks ago is now confirmed by a press release from Nintendo themselves.  Time to start counting your pennies so you can choose from the Wii U’s admirable 23-game launch day line-up.]

The pages for Rayman LegendsBlack Ops 2, Assassin’s Creed III, ZombiU, Mass Effect 3: Special Edition, Batman: Arkham City Armored EditionTEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT 2, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, Rabbids Land, Just Dance 4Marvel Avengers: Battle for EarthSonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, MADDEN NFL 13NBA 2K13, TRANSFORMERS PRIME, Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2013, Game Party Champions, and ESPN Sports Connection on Nintendo.com list their release dates as being the same as the launch date for the Wii U itself, November 18th, even though they were officially only announced for release during the “launch window” during today’s Wii U conference.

What makes at least the Black Ops II release date seem likely not to be a typo or placeholder is that in the description for the game itself, it again says “Launching this November 18th, Call of Duty: Black Ops II delivers the most groundbreaking and viscerally immersive Call of duty® experience yet.” What makes this odd is that Activision previously stated that the game would be launched on November 13th alongside the other console versions before the Wii U’s release, but I think it’s possible that Nintendo “rounded down” the launch dates of any games coming out early to ensure that they’re all considered part of the launch day lineup.

New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land, and Darksiders II, which have all already been officially confirmed for the North American Wii U launch, are also naturally listed as being released on November 18th.  Most of the other Wii U games listed on Nintendo.com either have Holiday 2012 or TBD listed as their release dates, so there are non-Nov. 18th default options for game release dates that are being used.  

While this does seem like an unusual and suspiciously hefty launch day line-up, especially when compared to the officially announced launch titles in other regions, if these all turn out to be true there are going to be some tough money-related decisions for gamers come November.  We’ll keep you informed if any of these release dates prove to be incorrect.