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Another blow for Nintendo: Next-gen EA games will skip the Wii U

Published May 8th, 2013 3:45PM EDT
EA Games Wii U
Image: Chris Sewell

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Things keep getting darker for video game giant Nintendo. The news that the company’s previous-generation Wii console outsold the new Wii U during the first quarter really put Nintendo’s troubles in perspective, and now more bad news has emerged for the video game giant. As picked up in a report from Joystiq, an Electronic Arts executive has confirmed on Twitter that the company is abandoning plans to build its new gaming engine for the Wii U.

“[Frostbite 3] has never been running on WiiU,” EA DICE’s technical director Johan Andersson posted on Twitter. “We did some tests with not too promising results with [Frostbite 2] & chose not to go down that path.”

Nintendo’s Wii U sought to be a console that would carry forward the casual and physical gaming features that made the first Wii so popular, but would also introduce power features to attract more serious gamers. The absence of popular EA titles is yet another hurdle for Nintendo as its struggles in the living room continue.

Upcoming titles that apparently will never be available to Wii U owners include “Battlefield 4,” “Star Wars,” the next version of “Mass Effect” and EA’s upcoming new “Madden NFL” game.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.