Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess slips to 2006 worldwide

Nintendo has confirmed that the biggest title on its release schedule for Christmas, GameCube title The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, has slipped to 2006 in all territories worldwide.

The platform holder says that creative leads Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma want the game to spend more time in development, and claims that the result will be a "more enjoyable gaming experience".

Despite the unveiling of its next-generation Revolution console and a new iteration of the Game Boy design, Twilight Princess was arguably Nintendo's biggest draw at this year's E3 conference in Los Angeles, and news that it will miss the end of the year is likely to be viewed as a huge blow for Nintendo.

In a statement released worldwide this morning, Nintendo said: "Our development team has decided to take extra time to add some incredible new elements to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. As a result, the game will now launch in 2006 globally. We recognise there may be some disappointed fans; however we firmly believe this additional time will result in a more enjoyable gaming experience."

The statement goes on to point out that Mario Smash Football (nee Super Mario Strikers), Battalion Wars, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness will all be out in time for Christmas.