The Wii U's struggle to compete with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 has been well documented, and as Sony and Microsoft get ready to launch next-gen platforms, many in the industry are starting to question if the console can thrive in, or even survive, the changing video game landscape. In a new interview with GamesIndustry International, the heads of two of the biggest third-party publishers, Ubisoft and EA, did not exactly give the console a ringing endorsement.
Yves Guillemot, CEO and Chairman of Ubisoft, revealed that, even as one of the most successful launch games for the Wii U, ZombiU, was not profitable and the company has no plans for a sequel. Because of the lack of success, Ubisoft decided to bring the previously exclusive Rayman Legends to the system, a multi-platform title. Guillemot believes that any future Ubisoft Wii U games must find new ways to try and be successful. He said the company is hoping the holiday season may help out the Wii U:
"We must find a way to ensure the creativity of those games could have a big enough audience...We hope it will take off. At the moment, we've said 'let's do through Christmas and see where we are from there.'"
EA chief Peter Moore echoed these sentiments, adding that EA has also decided to not develop any future Wii U games because of the console's lack of focus on online gaming.
"We were there with four games for them [at launch]," Moore said. "It's been a disappointment when you look at sell-through and, as a company, we have to be very judicious where we deploy our resources...The lack of online engagement that we see on Wii U [is troubling]...It's so integral to what we do. They're so small it's hardly worth running the servers. It seems like a box that's out of sync with the future of EA - which is one that gives a real social feel to our games. The Wii U feels like an offline experience right now."
While Nintendo is working to bring more first party titles to the Wii U, the company is working on borrowed time, and needs to get the system back on track if it hopes to compete with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
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