EA’s COO says that despite any production worries, his company has full faith in Nintendo’s next console.
Sadly, the Wii U hasn’t won many admirers so far; even its own shareholders were unimpressed with it on the day it was announced. However, in good news for Wii U fans everywhere, the nascent tablet-controlled console has picked up a new, vocal supporter in the form of publishing giant EA.
Speaking to Reuters, Peter Moore, EA’s COO, confirmed his support for the console and Nintendo. “There are no indications that there’s anything that feels like it’s off target,” he said. “Our teams are working on it around the world. Our key franchises will be there. We’ve made that commitment to Nintendo.”
Worries about the machine’s capabilities and build quality came to the fore a few months ago, when it was rumored that some of the chips in the tablet controller were so badly-made that they prevented the console from working altogether. These rumors haven’t escaped EA’s attention, either. Moore said that during a planned visit to Nintendo headquarters in Kyoto later this month, processing units, price and a prospective launch date will rank high among his priorities. “From our perspective right now, specs are a big deal,” he added.
This year has been a troubled one for Nintendo; even before the Wii U managed to pummel share prices with its announcement, the launch of the 3DS was such a mess that Nintendo was forced to cut its projected profit for 2011-12 by 82%. Its CEO felt so responsible that he wound up taking a 50% pay cut. Much of Nintendo’s future rests on the success of the Wii U, and the big publishers will be as aware of the need for this kind of good publicity as Nintendo is. We’ll keep an eye out for any developments Moore has to report on his return from Kyoto, but given how much both companies have invested in this project, something tells me the script isn’t going to change all that much.
Source: Reuters
