Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
EA Shies Away From Wii U Development
Wii U owners won't be playing games from EA's upcoming portfolio anytime soon, as a spokesman has revealed the company currently isn't working on any projects for Nintendo's console.
"We have no games in development for the Wii U currently," EA's Jeff Brown told Kotaku. The news comes after recent announcements that both Battlefield 4 and Madden 25 will be skipping Nintendo's system, and while Kotaku states that Brown didn't rule out the possibility of EA developing more Wii U titles in the future, it's hard not to interpret this as a bad sign for Nintendo.
Earlier this month, EA announced that it laid off 10 percent of its workforce, and was reorganizing the company "behind priorities in new technologies and mobile." At the same time, EA signed a deal with Disney that gives the company exclusive publishing rights for Star Wars games, and announced a new Los Angeles-based DICE studio that will be working with the juggernaut IP. Could Wii U development simply be another casualty of EA's shifting focus?
EA promised continued Wii U support after last year's E3, and released a special edition of Mass Effect 3 for the system, but not the more-recent DLC. EA also released a Wii U version of Need for Speed: Most Wanted in March with some exclusive features. Now it appears EA has no desire to bring the rest of its current-gen titles to the Wii U, and we can't imagine the company's next-gen titles will be any easier to port to the console based on the horsepower we expect the PS4 and next Xbox to offer developers. Recently, EA DICE's technical director confirmed on Twitter that Frostbite 3 is not currently running on the Wii U.
[Source: Kotaku]
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
