Nintendo backtracks on SSBB EU release date

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Nintendo has backtracked on its previous statement that upcoming Wii title Super Smash Bros. Brawl won’t be coming out until after June 2008, saying it will “communicate on all software titles launching in Q2 2008 for Wii and Nintendo DS at a later date”.

Yesterday, we noticed that SSBB was absent from the Japanese publisher’s EU release schedule for the first half of next year, so we asked Nintendo whether that meant the game would not be out until after Q2 2008.

Its response at the time was: “If the game is not listed on the schedule up until the end of Q2 it is currently not due out until after that time.”

The news lead to a number of European gamers slamming the huge gap between when they would get the game and when it will hit Japanese and US shores – January 2008 and February 2008 respectively.

However today, perhaps in response to that criticism, Nintendo has backtracked on its initial statement, saying that the initially distributed release schedule confirmed dates for “Nintendo titles launching in Q1 2008” only, with the exception of a fixed release date for Mario Kart Wii in Q2.

In a statement it said: “All Nintendo software titles launching in Q2 2008 have not been finalised or confirmed to date. Nintendo will communicate on all software titles launching in Q2 2008 for Wii and Nintendo DS at a later date.”

This leaves the release date of SSBB in Europe up in the air. While the statement does not confirm that SSBB will be out before the end of Q2, it does not deny it either.

Rest assured we’ll bring you more news on SSBB as we get it.