EA Exec: We're "Committed" to Wii U

[Hevva]

EA Exec: We're "Committed" to Wii U

EA's COO says that despite any production worries, his company has full faith in Nintendo's next console.

Sadly, the Wii U hasn't won many admirers so far; even its own shareholders were unimpressed with it [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/110810-Nintendo-Shares-Tumble-Following-Wii-U-Reveal] on the day it was announced. However, in good news for Wii U fans everywhere, the nascent tablet-controlled console has picked up a new, vocal supporter in the form of publishing giant EA.

Speaking to Reuters [http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/2011/10/06/ea-we-love-wii-u/], Peter Moore, EA's COO, confirmed his support for the console and Nintendo. "There are no indications that there's anything that feels like it's off target," he said. "Our teams are working on it around the world. Our key franchises will be there. We've made that commitment to Nintendo."

Worries about the machine's capabilities and build quality came to the fore a few months ago, when it was rumored [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/112551-Rumor-Cheap-Components-Hurting-Wii-U-Development] that some of the chips in the tablet controller were so badly-made that they prevented the console from working altogether. These rumors haven't escaped EA's attention, either. Moore said that during a planned visit to Nintendo headquarters in Kyoto later this month, processing units, price and a prospective launch date will rank high among his priorities. "From our perspective right now, specs are a big deal," he added.

This year has been a troubled one for Nintendo; even before the Wii U managed to pummel share prices with its announcement, the launch of the 3DS was such a mess [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/111963-Nintendo-CEO-Takes-50-Pay-Cut] that Nintendo was forced to cut its projected profit for 2011-12 by 82%. Its CEO felt so responsible that he wound up taking a 50% pay cut. Much of Nintendo's future rests on the success of the Wii U, and the big publishers will be as aware of the need for this kind of good publicity as Nintendo is. We'll keep an eye out for any developments Moore has to report on his return from Kyoto, but given how much both companies have invested in this project, something tells me the script isn't going to change all that much.


Source: Reuters [http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/2011/10/06/ea-we-love-wii-u/]



Permalink

 

[lord.jeff]

I do hope the WiiU is successful enough to keep Nintendo going, they are still one of the better game developers in my opinion.

 

[Woodsey]

I can't really see this taking off. They couldn't even push the WiiMote Plus thing that made it do what it was actually supposed to.

 

[Baresark]

I think that there is a lot of abandonment issues that gamers are taking out on Nintendo, but I see no reason that it would be a failure. It's going to be more powerful than all the current generation systems, it's got some major third party support (as this article is about), and the tablet controller is a much better idea than motion controls were. I think they probably alienated some people out there against them with some of the titles they put out, but if you look at the titles that were good, or even spectacular (Metroid Prime Trilogy), Nintendo still has it. I am looking forward to it.

I am engrossed in Dark Souls right now, and there is even a version for the WiiU planned that will be easily comparable to what's out there (though some of the frame rate hits I could live without, they probably won't be present on the more powerful hardware) and the inventory system is made easily more accessible with control on the tablet screen. Should be exciting to see.

 

[killamanhunter]

EA Exec: Wii are committed to U!

eh? eh?

 

[DarthSka]

I know that I'm definitely getting it (just gotta save up first), I just don't know if it will be right at launch or a while later. If it has some great first party launch games, then I'll have no choice but to get it day one.

 

[Baresark]

It's just a matter of marketing nowadays.
Look at the smartphone/tablet-market. It's not about the product, but about the name. iPhone and iPad are the best examples. Some days ago a classmate came to school with a brand new Samsung Tablet 10.1. She gave it to a friend to try it out and he said that it's OK, but the iPad is muuuuuuuuch better. I asked him in what point. He just said that it is muuuuuuuuuuch better. *facepalm*

Well, in all fairness, people who get the new iPhone/iPad every time talk about how "muuuuch better" it is, but they never have a reason why. That is the mindset that Apple devotees have had for years. I can tell you exactly why I prefer my Android based phone over an iPhone, but I have only met a single person who could tell me why they liked the iPhone better. Quite simply, you don't have the same amount of options and customization. That is the reason I prefer Android, and my friend isn't tech savvy like myself, so he just wants something simple that will work for him. I like trouble shooting problems, he hates doing it. It's all about perspective.

 

[Traun]

Here's the thing. Other than Nintendo no one would push the limits of the WiiU, PS3 and Xbox have such a large market force, that any game made would be made to play on those two and WiiU second. In short - developers have no reason to take advantage of WiiU's hardware update.

 

[mjc0961]

Too bad for Nintendo that EA has no key franchises to commit to the Wii U. It's not getting the Mass Effect series, or at least not all of the first three games, so what exactly do you have to offer EA? Some sports games? Whoopee.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Words are wind, EA.
Put actual games on the system; and we'll see.

 

[Something Amyss]

Well, in all fairness, people who get the new iPhone/iPad every time talk about how "muuuuch better" it is, but they never have a reason why. That is the mindset that Apple devotees have had for years. I can tell you exactly why I prefer my Android based phone over an iPhone, but I have only met a single person who could tell me why they liked the iPhone better. Quite simply, you don't have the same amount of options and customization. That is the reason I prefer Android, and my friend isn't tech savvy like myself, so he just wants something simple that will work for him. I like trouble shooting problems, he hates doing it. It's all about perspective.

People rarely buy an iPod for its technical power, they buy it for the associated lifestyle. That's what Apple's been good at marketing for over a decade. The users tend not to care how restricted they are because they're not really computer/music/whatever people.

 

[Noyourjoanzy]

The wii-mote was a crap idea in my opinion because it wasn't perfected at the time of launch and it took away from the traditional controller before adding anything.

I hope the tablet thing turns out well because it keeps the already functional controller as a fall back point and just adds a touch screen that's uses could be most anything.
Eg,DAO on console had more spells than they could make a proper interface for so you would have to pause the game removing any prospect of multi-player, which now could be implemented a touch screen. Or the darksiders thing where you don't have to pause the game to work the menu.

So thank you for learning a lesson, Nintendo, I hope you live through this.

 

[Towowo2]

What makes people think it'll be "blown out of the water". Graphical fidelity is hitting the peak and games won't look much better.

 

[BrotherRool]

Nintendos future rides on the Wii U as much as it rode on the gamecube or their first 3D handhold