Wii U support included in the new engine

Prior to the Wii U launch, there was much back and forth and contradiction over the system's capabilities from a graphical standpoint, and no two developers seemed to have the same stance. For its part Crytek, the company behind the widely-used CryEngine 3, stated that its engine ran just fine on the Wii U.

Of course, having an engine that works on the hardware doesn't guarantee game releases, but it does help. In the eShop market we're already starting to see an influx of planned releases that are utilising the Unity engine, which many smaller developers utilise for their projects. The strong custom Unity tool-set on Wii U allows a more streamlined, potentially easy, porting process to the hardware. When it comes to various major blockbuster games CryEngine is a major player, so the inclusion of Wii U in its ongoing technology is important in at least making the option a little easier for studios, should they choose to invest in the platform.

That's why its good news that Crytek's announcement, today, lists Wii U as a supported platform. It may seem minor, but the fact that the new CryEngine development solution that's being introduced explicitly supports Nintendo's system is better, ultimately, than a dreaded exclusion.

Crytek have ushered in a new era for their state-of-the-art CRYENGINE technology, with the launch of the new CRYENGINE an ever-evolving technology service, with always up to date access to the latest features in CRYENGINE for commercial game licensees.
CRYENGINE users will also benefit from the coming together of Crytek's Engine Licensing and Research & Development teams; a move designed to double the level of one-to-one care game licensees can tap into, in essence offering Crytek's R&D as a service for developers using the new CRYENGINE.

On top of these changes, the new CRYENGINE supports development on current and next generation consoles (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U), alongside PC, with further platforms to be added in the near future.

In line with the new services, the all-in-one development solution will no longer be identified by version numbers; reflecting the fact that constant updates and upgrades are always being applied to keep CRYENGINE at the forefront of its field.

While no guarantee of this prompting more third-party multi-platform releases, it at least keeps the Wii U on the table — along with various other systems — for future projects using the technology.

Thanks to Ryan Millar for the tip.

[source cryengine.com, via nintendoeverything.com]