Gamer Roulette: Wii U Loses Major Support
READ MORE: Wii U Release Revelations
At the initial launch of the Wii U, Electronic Arts (EA) released a Wii U port of Mass Effect 3, Madden, FIFA, and Need for Speed: Most Wanted. People began to doubt the long-term support EA would provide for the Wii U after its biggest game of the year, Dead Space 3, was not brought on.
On Thursday, May 16th, Wii U owners’ fears became a reality. EA spokesperson Jeff Brown told Kotaku “we have no games in development for the Wii U currently,” and “that that early run of EA games on Wii U represented EA delivering on its E3 2011 partnership.” This comes as a major blow to Nintendo, but is not necessarily a surprise. The Wii U has undersold significantly, falling 2 million units under its initial sales estimates since launching in November of 2012. To make matters worse, Nintendo is selling the console at a loss, hoping that software sales will make up for it.
While there are no games currently in development, Jeff Brown did not rule out the possibility of developing more games for the console in the future.
READ MORE: A Buyer's Guide To Nintendo Wii U
If sales for the Wii U pickup and customers demand better 3rd party support from Nintendo, I wouldn’t rule EA out either. Maybe they will truly deliver on their promise of an “unprecedented partnership” once the Wii U finds its footing.
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