EA: On second thought, some Wii U games are in development
Electronic Arts contradicts its own claims
Electronic Arts is focusing on games for Xbox One and PS4 and current generation consoles, but is still making software for Wii U, according to the company's chief financial officer.
"We are building titles for the Nintendo console, but not anywhere near as many as we are for PS or Xbox," admitted EA CFO Blake Jorgensen during a banking firm conference Q&A.
This contradicts statements made last week by the company's corporate communications head, Jeff Brown, who said that "[EA has] no games in development for the Wii U currently."
The lack of steadfast commitment from the No. 1 publisher of sports video games doesn't bode well for the GamePad-included console, which hasn't sold well since its November launch.
Stuck in the middle of U
The Nintendo Wii U is more powerful than the original Wii, but Jorgensen felt as though it cannot compare to the technology in and the buzz behind Xbox One and PS4.
"Nintendo's business was more an extension of their last console," said he during the Q&A.
"What the consumer will find is a lot more powerful gameplay with the new boxes that are coming out, and a lot of excitement."
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At the same time, the install base of less powerful, current generation "boxes" is so great that Jorgensen sees Electronic Arts producing PS3 and Xbox 360 games for at least three to four more years.
This leaves Wii U, with a fraction of the install base of current generation consoles and unable to live up to developer demands as a next-generation system, stuck in the middle of the console war.
The Xbox One vs PS4 debate
Looking forward, when it came to the debate between Xbox One vs PS4, Jorgensen thought it would come down to the experience of each system rather than the hardware specs.
"It will remain to be seen as to the services associated with those as to the direction of the services they might want to go."
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