As news of the PS4 and other next-generation consoles emerges, it seems NIntendo's Wii U is shrinking further and further into a dark, unseeable corner. Epic's Unreal Engine 4 was on display this week at GDC, showing off new in-game demos and the like — yet when asked about compatability with the Wii U, Epic co-founder Mark Rein made clear his company's stance on the weaker hardware. Kotaku reports:
"I figured I'd ask straight-out, so during the Q&A with Rein, I did. 'Will UE4 run on the Wii U?' "
" 'Hahaha no,' " Rein said, with expert comedic timing. The room erupted with laughter. As the laughs died down, Rein continued: 'I mean, sorry, it's not really a correct answer. We're not ... we have Unreal Engine 3 for the Wii U. Right? And Unreal Engine 3 is powering all kinds of amazing games, still lots of games are being made with Unreal Engine 3. We announced today about a new Unreal Engine 3 license. Unreal Engine 3 doesn't disappear because of Unreal Engine 4. But our goal for Unreal Engine 4 console-wise is next-gen consoles. That's really what our energies are focused on. If you want to make a Wii U game, we have Unreal Engine 3, and it's powering some of the best games on the Wii U already."
All this means that UE4 produced games won't be able to port directly to the Wii U without a major overhaul first.
If anyone considers the Wii U next-gen anymore, it's certainly not Epic. The Wii U can play with the handmedowns, according to Rein.
