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It’s been a bad week for third party news. Not only has Crystal Dynamics already confirmed that its upcoming Tomb Raider reboot will not be coming to the Wii U, but now it seems Electronic Arts is also hesitant about supporting Nintendo’s new system.
Speaking at a recent investors meeting, EA CEO John Riccitello discussed the company’s plans for the future, including its outlook on the next wave of home consoles. While Riccitello had some nice, if empty, things to say about the Big N, he made it clear that EA does not view the Wii U as the start of the next generation:
“Ours is an industry where a lot of devices come in and represent themselves as the next generation, or the next generation after that. In many ways we would argue that the what we’re describing as ‘gen 4’ is yet to come. It’s that that we’re excited about, and that’s what we’re investing in. And frankly, we’ve been quite consistent with that for some time, while recognizing the frustration our inability to articulate precisely why causes for you.”
This change of heart is certainly strange considering that Riccitello was once very enthusiastic about the console, particular its tablet-like controller, so to see the company effectively bury it so quickly is more than a little disconcerting. It remains to be seen just how thoroughly EA will support the system, but with the news that the next iteration of Madden will be skipping out on Nintendo platforms completely, the future isn’t looking very bright.
What do you make of this development? Will the lack of Madden deter you from picking up a Wii U? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Source: Nintendo Life
Bring back TECMO Football!
I remember someone telling me at some video game store that Madden games are a dime a dozen. Nintendo wants dollars, not dimes.
That’s fine, I don’t consider EA a next gen company. The got stucked on the 90’s. Sony and Microsoft can have more problems than people expect in the long run:
1) Development cost. Remember the DreamCast? Having the most high tech specs on your console doesn’t guarantee sucess. Many studios closed this generation. Next gen from Sony and Microsoft indicates development cost is going to be even more expensive.
2) Price. There is a pretty bad economic crisis out there. Let’s see how many people are ready to expend 500 bucks on your new console.
3) Good sales? Yeah 360 is having great sales now but is that a good thing for the next gen? Many people bought a ps3 or a 360 in 2012. Do you think you can convince those people to buy another console? I don’t think so.
I think Nintendo will do great in the long run with Wii U. Development cost is lower than other companies, the GamePad offers something different, console price is good. There is a pretty bad economic crisis out there and I think all companies are going to feel it with this next gen. I don’t think many people will pay 500 bucks for a next gen console. Driving a Ferrari when you can pay your rent is not really smart.
It Must be out of Spite
I was waiting for the next Madden so I could get a completely full featured and up to date version that includes the physics and everything else that we missed out on in the current release. So, they are likely not giving it to us just because we were waiting for it. I think the same thing happened for the 3DS version of Madden. We only got just the one.
Does EA/Madden have a monopoly on the NFL? Back in the SNES days there were other ones just as good (if not better).
They do, and it’s the worst thing to happen to sports video games. There is no alternative now, which is why EA essentially slaps a higher number and a trendy player on the box every year and calls it a new full-price game.
Yes, tey own the rights to the NFL license. Other football games can and have been made while they owned the license, but no official NFL teams, players or data can be used.