Electronic Arts appears to be shunning its promise of an "unprecedented partnership" with Nintendo as the publishing giant confirms it has no games in development currently for Wii U.
"We have no games in development for the Wii U currently," EA spokesperson Jeff Brown confirms to Kotaku. However, he did not rule out the future chances of EA developing for Nintendo's latest console. The development should be read in the context of EA's recent announcements that its upcoming Battlefield, Star Wars and Madden games not be coming to the Nintendo Wii U.
EA was one of the major launch partners for the gaming device and this news is definitely a huge setback for Nintendo, especially when the console-maker is planning to launch a renewed marketing strategy to boost interest in the Wii U. Nintendo is expected to launch the summer line-up of Wii U games this Friday.
Ever since the launch of the console, EA has developed many games for Wii U including Mass Effect 3, Need for Speed Most Wanted, and versions of FIFA and Madden. Brown says that early run of EA games on Wii U represented EA delivering on its E3 2011 partnership.
As Kotaku notes, the Battlefield and FIFA publisher's then CEO John Riccitiello was called on stage by the Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata during Nintendo's Electronic Entertainment Expo media briefing in 2011. "What Nintendo's new console delivers speaks directly to the players of EA Sports and EA Games," Riccitiello said at the time. "Nintendo's new console will produce brilliant high-definition graphics and new gameplay opportunities. We look forward to seeing great EA content on this new platform."
