EA is not supporting Nintendo's Wii U; how the heck did that become EA's fault?

Digitally Downloaded writes: "EA's games on the Wii U haven't just underperformed; they have been catastrophic. It would still be catastrophic if EA invested in a million-dollar advertising campaign to shift an additional 250,000 copies of the game (and that would make it one incredibly successful advertising campaign). If EA was relying on these Wii U games then EA would no longer be here."

[Klad]

Cut the bull crap maaan!! how stupid you you think we are??? So it makes GREAT business sense to invest millions on games for platforms with ZERO install base but not develop any games for a consol with a few million install base which is sure to grow when Nintendo releases its HEAVY 1st party games???? JUST TELL THE TRUTH EA!! You've fallen out with Nintendo!!!

[iplay1up2]

That is pretty much what I said a week ago, and I could not agree with you more. I really liked Madden 13 on Wii U too. The gamepad was great to make calls and etc. It looks good, but EA did not include the new physics engine in the game.

I will be Picking up a PS4 anyway, but I still think EA is making a mistake, that 0 install base and the Fact Microsoft is releasing at about the same time as Sony is going to make for a slower start for sales this time around. Not everyone is going to spend $1000 dollars on two new consoles, plus games, extra controllers. With no backwards compatibility we are all going to have to pick games up right away for our shiny new systems.

[D_RoyJenkins]

yes, instead of buying true next gen consoles everyone will buy a Wii U instead so they can play Mario, Zelda, Pikmin, and pokemon. No one has interest in FIFA, Madden, Battlefield, Mass Effect,Dragon Age, Assassins creed, Watch Dogs, GTAV, COD right?

[NobodyImportant]

@GotHDGame

You liked Madden 13? Congratulations.

Maybe EA should build Madden 14 just for you. As you're pretty much the only person that enjoyed it on Wii U. That version totally bombed. In fact it's part of the reason EA isn't bringing Madden 14 to the Wii U.

"I will be Picking up a PS4 anyway"
Sensible choice.

"Not everyone is going to spend $1000 dollars on two new consoles"
You probably only need one. As they'll both be getting all the big third party titles. And if you hadn't wasted $350 on the Wii U you'd have had more money towards that $1000. So you probably could've bought both :-)

[Thatguy-310]

The problem here is that third party games don't sell well on Nintendo platforms. Any third publisher can release games on the next xbox and the ps4 even if they're not out yet because in those systems third party games Do sell. It seems that people just buy nintendo consoles for exclusives and get everything else on the other platforms.

[GraveLord]

EA games sold horribly on Wii U and even on the original Wii they never really sold well considering the install base. You can't blame EA for making the business decision, its just not worth supporting Nintendo. The "core" gamer audience just isn't there. Even the "party game crowd" isn't there anymore.

[Klad]

Its to early to judge the Wii U! They ported inferior versions of multiplats to the Wii U & did not promote them well enough. The only superior version of a Wii U port i can give them credit for is Need For Speed!! I live in the UK & i have not seen any EA Wii U games promoted over here!!! Also...I think EA made some rubbish ports to the Wii, even tho Wii's tech was alot weaker than the other consols, they still should of made more original titles unique to the Wii's strengths.

[Neonridr]

Fact is EA will be missing out on millions once the install base inevitably grows. Which is fine with me, there are a lot of games by EA that I don't care to play. It's a shame for them because it will leave developers like Ubisoft & SEGA to make millions in their absence.

I honestly think EA is nuts if they think they will just ignore the system completely. I am willing to bet EA will eat their own words and change their minds once they see the numbers climb on the Wii U.

Just my two cents.

[PopRocks359]

Well, you know what they say; money speaks louder than any vendetta ever will.

Should the Wii U sales climb as you say, we may see a different attitude from EA as well as other developers. But first those sales need to climb before anything else and right now that is the big thing Nintendo should focus on.

[torchic]

of course EA will come back to support the platform once the install base grows. that's the main reason why they're not supporting it.
there's no business in the entire world who's aim is to make a loss.

and to people who will obviously say

"but but we won't support them! we will boycott their games!"

for the Wii U to sell more it has to grow outside of it's current Nintendo loyalist fan base i.e. the broader, more casual market. those people don't care about loyalty, they're just in it for the games; the popular ones that EA have in abundance.

[NobodyImportant]

"Fact is EA will be missing out on millions once the install base inevitably grows."

@Neonridr. No they won't.
The Wii U install base will grow when Mario comes out, because everyone will be buying Mario. They still won't be buying EA games.

If EA had your business sense:
I know! Let's build a next gen title that will run on PCs and on 8 core 8GB consoles...
...and how about we create a totally separate version for the Wii U where we have to use completely different lower poly assets, lower res textures and a smaller map, and then somehow cut some of our AI routines and physics. And let's do this for a console that's owners only buy Nintendo games.

Erm. I don't think so.

EA could techically port PS3 / 360 versions, but when the next gen gets going. Why waste resource on developing for a completely different console with a low install base and who's owners aren't going to buy your game anyway.

[Baka-akaB]

It's far from being a fact that they are missing on millions . Even if you were right , it's millions wasted on wii u developpement for minimum two years with no return .

Meanwhile nothing prevents EA from coming back on wii U WHEN the install base is better . What do they risk ? Alienation ? The general public doesnt care about that , and will quickly forget .

Other franchises taking over in football , hockey and us football and selling millions ? Very unlikely ... and if it happens EA will jump right back into the fray .

Sure their attitude is greedy and despicable , but it does make sense

[RAFFwaff]

because ea basically wanted an 'unprecedented partnership' with nintendo if they used ORIGIN. it was a case of "use origin or else..." now corrupt ea are flexing their muscles. whats so hard to understand? cryengine 3, frostbite 3, etc will all run on wii U if developers take their time with the architecure. do ea seriously think we gamers are that naive!!?? considering nintendo have done much more positive things for our beloved industry, im backing them all the way in standing up to the worst company in america. F*ck ea.

[deafdani]

After all these months, I have yet to see a single reliable website giving official confirmation about this Origin rumor. So far, I only read this coming from commenters like yourself mostly from sites like this.

I guess gamers love them conspiracy theories.

EA is just one of many developers that currently ain't supporting the console, and the most likely reason is simply install base. That does not mean they will NEVER make any game for the Wii U, it just means they are waiting to see if the consumer base grows to a good enough number to warrant the investment for games on this platform.

[RAFFwaff]

ea are in a financially viable position to support the wii u with SOME of its franchises until the console inevitably gains ground after summer. other companys with less financial muscle than ea are sticking with wii u. ea are acting like petulant kids, so again i ask, how naive are you?

[iplay1up2]

Yes,but as commented above. PS4/Nextbox have 0 install base, and will be coming out in the same time frame.

[MattS]

If you looked at EA's financial reports you would realise pretty quickly that it is not in a position to support a platform that it will only sell 10,000 copies on.

Tell you what, @RAFFwaff - you guarantee with a contract to EA that you will buy one million copies of a game on Wii U. I bet you EA produces that game.

[MasterCornholio]

I dont believe the Origin scandal either because other developers (Epic) are abandoning the Wii U as well so it cant be just Origins.

The most probable reason is that the Wii U is selling poorly and given the history of 3rd party games on Nintendo systems, many developers are reluctant to release their games on the Wii U. Also the fact that Nintendo chose powerPC over X86 makes games from the PC, 720 and the PS4 a lot harder to port to the Wii U which is why Epic isnt even bothering with the system.

[kwyjibo]

The Origin rumour is the invention of internet imbeciles.

[N4g_null]

EA better get to work on that engine. Activison is still there with blops. cod with the nunchuck truly is better than keyboard and mouse. they already have two screen online play working. they are building a fanbase. capcom has monsterhunter and resevil coming already. they are building a fanbase. EA is possibly boycotting future revenue as their teams will only have the $box and ps4 to gain revenue. those consoles will be dominated then by first party games there also. EA could become the next thq they already had a failed console release and are seen as one of the worst companies in gaming. they better be doing r&d some where because unity3d is going to come out of no where and eat their lunch.

you dont have to have the EA deal confirmed or you can believe the install base does warrent development. yet not perparing or finding ways to be ready if and when the wiiu takes off is just asking to close your doors.

i though about getting madden yet the lack of features turned me off to it. i have 2k13 and when they ever get an nfl lic ill buy their game.

its just too bad for crytek though. they should have went with activison i guess. ps and xbox gamers really dont like their tech. lol eternal darkness is looking good though. EA hasALSO broken the simcity franchise... wooow. employees there better get the resume ready. EA might get sluaghtered becuse they believe their own lies. no they really do. meanwhile ubisoft is going strong.

[Baka-akaB]

How about crytek release games instead of "tech" ? With their arrogance and the way to go around with their games , they wouldnt fare better with activision .

If anything Activision would let go right after Crysis 2 flopping on consoles .

[_QQ_]

It makes sense that they want to sell to a large install base, but when sales pick up Nintendo won't be the ones crawling to EA.

[jcnba28]

A bunch of children run EA.

[from the beach]

Sega and Platinum exclusives worth a billion EA games, in my opinion.

I'll play EA's stuff on my new Microsony consoles.

[V0LT]

It doesnt always take millions to make great games. A concept most developers
fail to reconize.

[Enigma_2099]

... because it is. I doubt Nintendo told them "we don't want your games." EA just came up with an excuse not to do it. How do 3rd party companies complain about a system's lack of 3rd party support... when THEY'RE the 3rd parties that won't support it?

[NYC_Gamer]

I can't blame EA for not supporting Wii U since Nintendo fans won't buy the software anyway

[OC_MurphysLaw]

3rd party companies complain about a lack of support from Nintendo, not other 3rd party companies. They want to see better advertising from Nintendo, better 1st party support to help boost the base of the console and support their releases on the console.

Traditionally 1st party games early in a console life drive the base and 3rd party supports that growth. In Nintendo's case with the WiiU, they tried to rely on 3rd party software do drive the base and added 1st party to support that. Clearly that didn't work well so far. Couple that with the piss poor marketing and you can see for 3rd party devs/publishers the value proposition (cost vs reward) just isn't there for the WiiU currently.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

You can blame EA or you can Blame Nintendo for this partnership falling apart. What is undeniable is that this is a very bad situation for Nintendo. Losing a large 3rd party publisher like EA even if just for the coming year is a significant blow to Nintendo on a few fronts:

1)software sales revenue - even if the units sold was lower than expected the amount of revenue they will lose for not having EA games on the system is a big hit to Nintendos expected revenue for the WiiU.

2)hardware sales - Don't fool yourself into thinking this wont impact hardware. If you are looking at buying a currnet gen system (ps3, xbox360 or WiiU) with a more favorable cost to the next gen to play this years Madden or the next Fifa... the decision options are already being made for Joe Consumer.

If Nintendo loses another big 3rd party publisher in a similar level of across the board cutting off of the WiiU then Nintendo is looking at a disaster that is even more so then now.

[KingKionic]

As much as EA talked up Nintendo at e3 you would think there would be a huge amount of games in development. They even talked about the frostbite engine being on the wii u.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Ea did a complete 180.

[RAFFwaff]

i agree. the REAL truth will come out slowly but eventually. ea is basically trying to cripple a software company. in my opinion, they ruined Bioware, ruined the dead space franchise with the 3rd game, ruined games with online passes and day 1 dlc. yes others jumped on the bandwagon, but it is clear that ea is more about finances than innovation and consumer satisfaction. they are attempting to monopolise the entire industry and the aquisition of the star wars catalogue is just another example of this. Do you really think that if they help cripple nintendo out of the hardware business that they wont turn on, say sony, if they disagree with any of their practices? Activision, another corporate whore claims that it is concerned by wii u sales, but is going to STICK with it over the next few months. so, you people believe ea's great pr spin about their position all you want. like i said, the truth will come out and as a proud gamer ill back nintendo 1000% over the worst company in america 2yrs in a row.

[N4g_null]

what is sad is this makes EA vulnerable so that other thirdparties can steal their fanbase with similar games. this is the 3DO ALL OVER AGAIN! austin texas is going to get a lot of EA employees after this is over.

im not sure that is a good thing. yet its hard to go against your boss.

[Baka-akaB]

How so ? the fanbase for their sports and fps game , their lifeforce is barely on Nintendo consoles .

They are planining on moving on to pc , ps4 or 720 .. not the wii u as a main console

What competitions do they have to fear on wii u for their popular brands ? Pes ? Pes will attract mostly on ps4-4 360/720 and pc .

Cod will benefits a bit , but once again not such a strong presense on nintendo consoles .

[N4g_null]

2k13 basketball is way better than live. That is just a start. The college football games and the ncaa and if EA fails then any one can go for those lic again. There are already simcity clones on the rise.

As always competition is good. I fear that barely alive life force on nintendo consoles will begin to ware thing on the next gen as production costs may rise and the market will not be as big. If EA was healty they could weather that storm but they just had an EMS visit.

[Baka-akaB]

Still you had to pick a franchise that technically hasnt existed for years in row .

And wich they can revisit once a better base appears .

Te best way - and i wish Nintendo and other constructor would do it - is to match EA's sport offering with a first party sports line . much like Sega did .

It would prevent if successful EA to dictates so much , and breed healthier competition

[punisher99]

The Wii U is basically the Gamecube2. Which is a good thing because I consider the gamecube to be Nintendo's best full size home console ever. But the problem is that Nintendo's fanbase does not consist of many hardcore gamers which is why the wii u will not sell well in the long run and EA knows this.

[socks]

Very true. Been saying the same thing. GC2 means a third place finish from Nintendo. First party didnt help it enough back then either.

Back to the drawing board.

[punisher99]

And the thing is, the Wii U is not a bad console. Its a great console, in my opinion far better than the Wii was. But the problem is it doesnt cater to that huge fanbase the Wii has.

[socks]

Not only does it not cater to that crowd of casuals but they have done NOTHING to retain that crowd. I will be buy that system for Xenoblade but im very disappointed.

[Vigor]

The lack of install base has nothing to do with it at all. EA™ wanted to monopolize the online facet of the wii u with ORIGIN™ ,Nintendo simply said no and now EA™ is all Butthurt™.

[socks]

Tell that the Dreamcast pal

[Vigor]

The dreamcast was already doomed from day 1, Sega as a company at the time was already in deep trouble. Releasing the dreamcast accelerated sega's demise.

[josephayal]

imo EA is a video game production company killer