Nintendo At E3 2012: Why Zelda Was Left Out Of Wii U Presentation And Other Things That Were Missing [VIDEO]

At its E3 2012 press conference, Nintendo made some insightful revelations about its next-generation Wii U console. The company revealed a list of 22 games that will be available for the system, but there was one prominent character that was notably absent: Zelda.

This is particularly surprising considering a new Zelda game was used to show off the high-end graphics at last year's E3 conference, leaving fans wondering what happened to the project. But according to Shigeru Miyamoto, who spoke with Entertainment Weekly, a Zelda title for the Wii U is certainly on its way. Miyamoto said that the visuals were showcased last year, and that was only part of the experiment when delving into what the Wii U could offer Zelda fans.

But one thing that's interesting is we're seeing how the way that tastes are broadening in video games and you have some people who prefer more casual experiences, and you have some people who prefer sort of those in-depth experiences, he said.

The Nintendo iconic game designer continued to explain that since the company has been in the gaming industry for so long, Nintendo tends to focus on these more in-depth experiences.

But really what we continue to ask ourselves as we have over the years is 'What is the most important element of 'Zelda' if we were to try to make a 'Zelda' game that a lot of people can play?' he said to EW. So we have a number of different experiments going on, and [when] we decide that we've found the right one of those to help really bring 'Zelda' to a big audience, then we'll be happy to announce it.

The upcoming Wii U version of Zelda is still in its research and development stages, and Miyamoto said that Nintendo is in the process of realizing what has worked and what didn't work for previous games. He cited Skyward Sword, the Wii title, as an example, saying that there were numerous players that stopped playing throughout the game.

That ['Skyward Sword'] was a game where you had motion control to use your weapons and a lot of different items, said the creator of the series. And I thought that was a lot of fun, but there some people who weren't able to do that or didn't like it as much and stopped playing partway through it. So we're in the phase where we're looking back at what's worked very well and what has been missing and how it can evolve further.

Some critics of Nintendo's E3 2012 press conference acknowledged the absence of some of the company's most iconic characters to date.

'Zelda, 'Starfox,' Super Smash' Bros. and other beloved franchises were completely absent, wrote Scott Grill of Examiner. Instead we got overlong presentations of 'Wii U Fit,' 'Sing,' and 'NintendoLand.'

Other than renowned characters and familiar faces, there were other elements of the Wii U that were left missing from Nintendo's keynote. There is still no set price for the next-generation console, and some have said they were left without a concrete reason to purchase a Wii U.

Throughout Nintendo's presentation on Tuesday, I did not see any one thing that had me say to myself, 'This is why I need to buy a Wii U,' Grill also wrote.

Some others seemed more understanding as to why the new 'Zelda' game wasn't unveiled at this year's E3.

Having said that, 'Skyward Sword' has only been with us since November and I was not expecting Zelda Wii U to be announced, writes Marti Bennett of the Official Nintendo Magazine. But, after seeing the demo last year, I can understand how it may have got people's hopes up. It does look mindblowing!

Check out the demo from E3 2011 to see what to expect from Zelda on the Wii U.