Nintendo to Allow Fans to Play the New ‘Legend of Zelda’ Next Month in NYC

Following Nintendo’s recent announcement that their E3 presence will focus on the latest Legend of Zelda, the company has announced that some fans will also get a chance to try out the long-delayed game next month at New York City’s Nintendo Store.

Fans will need some dedication, however, as the company will only select the first 500 eligible people to show up on June 11, starting at 7 a.m eastern time, for the company’s super fan sign-up day. Those selected will receive a wristband they can exchange for a ticket that guarantees an appointment to play sometime during the event itself, which runs from June 14-19.

Nintendo will also be showing gameplay from the new Zelda, which is slated to release for both the Wii U and the company’s new NX console next year, on the Nintendo Store’s 15-foot screen throughout the event.

Considering that Zelda is arguably the game that many Nintendo fans bought a Wii U for, it’s smart that the company is releasing the game for both it and the new NX, whose official specs and details won’t be revealed until after E3.

Nintendo previously used this strategy with the release of the Gamecube and Wii entry Twilight Princess in 2006, albeit with slightly staggered release dates between consoles. Whether the new game might make any surprise NX-based appearance of any kind during E3 remains to be seen. Either way, judging from how it already looked on Wii U hardware in 2014, it should be quite the spectacle.