Remember when the Wii U was about to launch a few years back, and EA's CEO John Riccitiello spoke boldly about the "unprecedented partnership" his firm enjoyed with Nintendo? What followed was anything but, with EA dropping support for the machine after a string of commercial flops.
However, according to information we've been given from a solid source, it would appear that Nintendo and EA are looking to put the past behind them and hop back into bed with one another. Nintendo Life contributor Liam Robertson - a man known to have his finger on several pulses and an ear permanently fixed to the ground - has been speaking to "several" staffers at EA and has discovered that the publisher is holding meetings with Nintendo next month and support for Nintendo NX is a primary topic. He has now exclusively given us access to the correspondence he's been having with these sources.
It should come as no great shock to learn that EA has NX dev kits - we already know that they are out in the wild thanks to reports last year - but what is rather more surprising is Nintendo's eagerness to get the company back on board after the disappointment of the Wii U. EA was apparently one of the first publishers to get access to NX development hardware, and from the information we've been given, Nintendo is citing EA as a key ally when it comes to making its next console a success.
The sources claim that multiple meetings are lined up for March, and that EA has been discussing several points with Nintendo relating to marketing. These meetings will apparently decide how much support EA - or specifically, its EA Sports arm - will be giving Nintendo in the near future. The publisher understandably wants "a detailed plan" on how Nintendo intends to win over sports fans with NX hardware - something it failed to do with Wii U. EA is keen to learn how Nintendo intends to build up a large enough "sports" audience on NX, as this was apparently one of the key reasons for the publisher abandoning Wii U - it simply wasn't seen as the console of choice for followers of sports.
EA is being quite bold and is asking Nintendo to spend more advertising dollars during televised sporting events like NFL games, NBA games, MLB games, World Cup matches and the World Series in order to claim this audience. The publisher is citing the fact that both Sony and Microsoft spend a large portion of cash during such events, and that EA's titles are given prominence in promotional campaigns.
Another point of contention involves hardware bundles. Traditionally, Nintendo doesn't bundle EA games with its consoles - unlike Microsoft and Sony. According to sources within EA, this is actually seen as something of an insult, and the company will be asking Nintendo to consider shipping NX consoles with leading EA Sports titles, such as FIFA and Madden. While this might smack of arrogance, it's a tactic which has worked well on rival hardware, so there's definitely logic to EA's reasoning.
Finally, there's the topic of applications. Sources claim that during a December meeting between EA and Nintendo executives, an EA exec "criticized Wii U for not having entertainment apps for MLB.TV, NBA, WWE Network, NHL Gamecenter Live, and the NFL". The PlayStation 4 has all of those applications, and EA feels that this is key reason for the machine's success among sports fans. The demand here is that Nintendo ensures NX is able to run such apps, or offer similar functionality to entice sports fans.
Of course, there's so much more to EA's business than just sports titles, but you only have to look at the global sales charts to see that the company's sports-based releases account for a lot of revenue. In this respect, it's understandable that EA wants Nintendo to beef up its standing with this sector of the games-buying public - both Sony and Microsoft have ensured that their respective platforms cater for the vital "sports" demographic, while Nintendo has, in recent years, rather ignored it.
Whether or not Nintendo will bow to such demands remains to be seen, and even if it does, it's going to be a difficult task tempting sports-lovers away from their Xboxes and PlayStations. However, the fact that such meetings are taking place shows that Nintendo is keen to fix the battered relationship it has had with EA and other third parties - companies that will be absolutely vital to the success of NX.
Comments 243
Hmmm, it would be great if Nintendo can get support from EA. While I personally don't like most of their game catalogue, they do have a wide range of customers under their grasp.
If this actually does happen, hopefully it means that Nintendo systems gets more sales as a result.
It would be great to play all of my favorite EA games (Madden, NBA Live, FIFA, Garden Warfare) on the NX! That way it would be the only console I need.
Please Nintendo, you need EA on your side no matter how much it pains me to say this. EA being fully behind you and remaining that way will do a lot to help push your systems out the door.
I hate to say it, but EA is right.
Nintendo needs to buckle down and spend those ad dollars. You're never going to claim the sports audience if you don't fight for it. And fighting means advertising.
They need to do what EA is asking. Appropriate a certain amount of funds for advertising EA's NX sports games on ESPN and other relevant channels. Make an NX bundle with 2 EA sports games (don't charge more for the extra game though) and advertise the living crap out of it.
They need EA. I'm sorry but they do. If they ever hope to gain back the masses, this is what they need to do.
Heck, I'll even do my part and buy a copy of every NX game EA releases. I did so on Wii U (minus the sports games), and I'll do it with NX- sports games and all if I must
Noooooo! A kiss of death!
Seriously though, yeah, get EA involved if at all possible. Star Wars, all sports, half of multiplats. Wouldn't hurt would it.
@FragRed This. Get EA and Bethesda games on your console and suddenly Xbox and PS become FPS consoles.
Give us "Star Wars" and "Mass Effect" and I might reconsider rekindling my "unprecedented relationship" with EA. In fact they haven't seen a single dime form me since "Need For Speed Most Wanted ". Unsure if that will change but no point in pointing the finger at EA alone when pretty much everyone except Namco and WB Games have abandoned the Wii U... and I have a long, loooong bitter grudge as is (looking you way, Activision! Transformers AND Turles by Platinum and you put it everywhere except Wii U!?).
Most of these "demands" aren't negative at all. In fact, it opens up the system to a bigger audience.
Also, selling EA sports titles in bundles with the console seems like a great idea. That'll help solve EA's problem of not selling enough copies on previous Nintendo systems while at the same time potentially grabbing some new fans. And in the end, if you don't care for sports games, buy another bundle. There's no negatives in this situation.
I think we've heard this joke before...
Ugh. EA.
But Nintendo needs this. They need to essentially make a deal with the devil here.
If the NX is truly more powerful than a PS4, Nintendo should team with Valve and make the NX a Steam platform. "Will the NX have Red Dead Redemption 2?" "It will if it's ported to PC, along with a hundred thousand existing Steam titles." And EA being non-Steam with Origin will require a separate deal.
Honestly, EA comes across as simply saying Nintendo needs to get out more, which is true. That Super Bowl commercial went over well, so that's a start. And as long as they don't just dump inferior ports onto the NX, I'd at least give FIFA a try (especially since it's even less likely we'll get PES and Konami is currently even more blatantly evil than EA).
Nintendo does need to do this as well as Activision (CoD, Destiny), Ubisoft and others. Make NX the console with lots of 3rd party games but there also being a great selection of 1st party games. So like the NES/SNES days for 3rd party and the GC/Wii U days for 1st party but like @RCMADIAX commented, the relationship will more than likely be shut down and we get a repeat Wii U situation for 3rd party support.
So... Now I'm wondering if these demands were what fell through originally. Wii-happy Nintendo might have felt protective of Wii sports as a brand? I don't know. But bundling EA games and big money advertising with the immediate benefit going to EA doesn't sound as attractive to a company with a 100 million selling console. It's game time now though.
@World
Good point about that Pokemon commercial. That could be related to all this as an example of what Nintendo could do with EA. Hmm...
Problem is ; why would the typical EA audience want to play on NX as opposed to on what they already have? I wish I knew the answer
I'm not part of the problem.
I own BOTH NBA 2K13 and Madden 13 on Wii U
NBA 2K13 on Wii U is better than NBA 2k11 on PS3
I don't think it is much of a surprise that Nintendo needs EA and more third parties in general. While I don't care (usually get third party games on pc) I recognize the importance of having these big publishers on your side.
I can't see Fifa and Madden on NX being a big thing. The people who like those games already know that xbox and ps are the place to get those. Not sure if fighting will change much to that.
@Project_Dolphin sounds nice from a thoughtful gamer's point of view but sales numbers show that you are in the minority in this and Nintendo needs to get a significant installed base again.
@themightyboost
Better features and performance. Majority of gamers with 360/PS3 have not moved to next console yet. Not saying it will be easy.
I don't care about sport games, nor most AAA games, but can Nintendo survive off their fans alone? I highly doubt it. There's nothing wrong being niche, there are many niche companies doing well behind the shadows of colossus, but Nintendo has the potential to be big, really big, but they can't do it on their own. They must do whatever it takes to bring and retain other big players by their side. And the NX needs to be a console with no compromises, it has to be THE gaming machine (PC permitting).
@RCMADIAX Who is NCL
I'm all for Nintendo spending more money to get third parties on board and competitively advertise their products, but let's not forget that EA put out some questionable game releases to test out the wasters on the Wii U; games that ultimately weren't desirable because of better deals on other systems.
It's a two way street. Yes, Nintendo has some major bridge building to do, but it's not like EA put out considerable effort for the Wii U, so they have work to do to.
They are absolutely correct. I always said if Nintendo the day Nintendo becomes a player in the sports world they win. I went to a Bulls game the other day there are so many fans right there for the taking. Nintendo should have a Mario and Luigi character at every stadium advertising games.
@themightyboost That is a huge problem to overcome, but they most likely can get new customers if they go through with this strategy.
@JaxonH
Actually Nintendo offered to match EA dollar for dollar on advertising on Wii U, but it wasn't enough for EA.
They offered this deal to Ubisoft, WB, Capcom and Activision.
Only Ubisoft and Capcom took them up on it.
To be fair, Madden and FIFA that launched on Wii U on launch day, lacked the majority of the content the other versions had including the online modes.
Can EA fully support NX without violating their massive exclusive co-marketing deal with Microsoft (It's biggest in the industry)?
Microsoft already gives EA special treatment and has a $400 Million dollar deal with EA to get the best sports games this gen (Sony versions lack content.
Microsoft also gives EA and Activision part of the XBL revenue.
Microsoft lastly gives EA special exemptions from XBL rules.
Sony gives EA and Activision part of the PSN+ revenue.
Both companies also agree not to compete with EA when ti comes to software.
Nintendo will have to match Microsoft's deal, stop funding indies, stop releasing sports games and any other games that competes with EA..
Nintendo also needs to make sure they give EA a largest amount of their press conferences and NDs while making sure EA has no competition for the holiday period each year.
I don't think can afford to give EA what it wants.
I would love for Nintendo to tell them No. But it would probably be better for them to have the support. Nintendo should try to get Bethesda, I want Doom on the NX lol (any Doom game)
@greengecko007 Yeah, the article's summary of what happened before was a bit misleading. The impression at the time was that EA dumped Nintendo long before the Wii U launch. From E3 to E3 it was a complete reversal. Months before the launch.
@aaronsullivan If that were true, then why did EA put so much effort into NFS Most Wanted U?
I don't think EA "gave up" on the Wii U before launch at all. It tested the waters and gave one final big push with NFS, then it decided to call time.
@Xenocity
I don't believe a word you said without links to prove it.
Sorry.
Nintendo has to stop making sports games? Offered dollar for dollar and was turned down? I'll believe it when I see proof with a source.
And btw, "full support" doesn't mean getting every last preorder bonus MS or Sony gets. And we don't know if it's gonna be full support anyways. Maybe 80%, maybe 50%. I imagine some games they'll bring, and some they won't.
@Damo
Actually NFS Wii U was originally a launch title, that EA delayed to get people to double dipped as leaked by NeoGaf and Kotaku.
EA didn't even tell the studio of the delay until after the press statement.
EA also undershipped the game, making it quite hard to find at retail.
The game was also announced not to get DLC right before it launched.
These demand aren't that terrible, and as a fan, I want to see lots of apps on the NX. I don't care about the ones they're listing, but whatever. I do want things like HBO GO, Twitter, etc.
If the NX is better than the PS4 and XB1, then advertise THAT. Let people know, the NX is the BEST place to play Madden, FIFA, etc. Even do some cross promotion. There's so many Mario Sports games. Advertise them during those sports. During wresting and UFC, advertise the Smash NX port. Do the same with all the other Mario Sports games. It makes sense.
The bundle thing, you know what? Why not? Pair an EA Sports game with a digital download of Mario Sports Mix or something. EA gets what they want; and you're giving the buyer a Nintendo game to play too. So they're advertising their own games as well.
And really, it's time to grow up. This whole EA grudge thing, it's time to move on. Honestly, get over it. Not even just at Nintendo, but fans too. You guys need to release this anger. It's useless. NINTENDO IS BARELY SUPPORTING THE WII U AT THIS POINT. HOW CAN YOU EXPECT EA TO DO IT?
EA isn't just sports either. So this could mean Mass Effect on NX. That'd be a REALLY great launch [window] title for the NX. It'd mean Star Wars. Hopefully it'd even mean the older Star Wars games too in the eShop. It could give us Dragon Age. It give us more games to play on the NX and that can only be a good thing.
@Damo EA still likes to recuperate investments. If the particular studio was bullish on it, there's not much use in throwing money away.
I could ask why the sports were weak and what is the reasoning for the complete change in EA involvement at E3 before the launch. I mean if EA was still committed. Also, EA announced its cut and run from Wii U very publicly (after launch). One could say that's the only real unprecedented part of their relationship with Nintendo.
Do it Nintendo!
@RCMADIAX You never know. Management has changed quite a bit in the past few years and there are signs that Nintendo is shifting toward a more western oriented focus
@DefHalan Now that you mention it, I want the classic Doom games that apeared on Nintendo home consoles (for example, Doom, Doom II, Doom 64, etc.) to come back to the Virtual Console.
Those agreements sounds rather plausible. As much as us Nintendo fans hate to admit it Sports titles is currently lacking in it's lineup and the games lineup gap is so wide we could fit a mine-cart to it.
We could see another NBA Jam, NFL Blitz, or that Plants vs Zombies 2 game. Well, of course Ea needs to hold up it's weight too and not pull another Mass Effect 3 for WiiU. If you make an inferior port to the other versions regardless of what console it's in. People will notice and will call you out on it. And...then again it's just a rumor.
I think the Wii U has proven that Nintendo cannot live just on their games and die hard fans alone. As much as I tend to dislike EA, a Nintendo platform will not be taken as a serious gaming machine in the eyes of many until it has the likes of Madden, Mass Effect, Battlefield, FIFA and more launch right alongside their PS4/Xbox One counterparts.
@JaxonH
You also remember that the key reason why EA refused to support the Dreamcast, was due to Sega making it's own 1st party sports games.
Sega publicly stated that EA demanded they disband Sega and 2K Sports (it was part of Sega then), in order to get EA games on Dreamcast.
EA stated that Sega's refusal to drop it's 1st party sports line was the reason why they didn't support the system.
This is the same reason why both Microsoft and Sony quit making sports games that compete directly EA.
I always thought the sims would be perfect with the game pad on wii u
@TruenoGT Especially in Europe, FIFA would no doubt help them gain a foothold in Europe.
@Xenocity
"This is the same reason why both Microsoft and Sony quit making sports games that compete directly EA"
Again, without a source, that is pure speculation. It's a logical guess at a possible scenario that hypothetically could have occurred, but nothing more.
Just because a company did something once, over a decade ago, doesn't mean they repeated that action in every scenario since. I mean sure, it's possible, but you're going to need more than logical hypothesis to pass that statement off as an undisputed fact.
@themightyboost
if there was EA Access for NX and graphics was same or better than in Xbox One / PS4 version i would propably play my sport games in Nintendo platform. I have all my EA games for Xbox One and not for PS4 because EA Access. I still hope that NX has somekind of touch screen in controller so i can precisely aim my kicks like in Wii U version of FIFA.
EA are pigs. Absolute pigs.
If they bothered to make Fifa 13 on Wii U at least on par with the PS3/360 versions instead of Fifa 12 with a roster update, it would have had a far better chance of actually selling. What self-respecting Fifa/sports fan would have favoured a poor Wii U version over a superior one on last-gen hardware? (as I believe Fifa 13 on PC/PS3/360 had some new gameplay, features and whatnot). I'm not even a sports fan, but I was interested in Fifa 13 until I found out that the Wii U version was gypped. Nope. Not supporting an inferior product. Not anymore. EA has screwed over its customers enough over the years and I will not be their fool any longer. I was a huge fan of The Sims until halfway through the lifespan of The Sims 2 when EA decided to get even greedier than they already were. Honestly, I was buying EVERY Sims game for every platform that I owned (PC/GBA/DS/Wii/Mobile). If that degree of brand loyalty meant nothing to them then they can just rot in hell for all I care.
They never gave the Wii U a fair chance and now they have the audacity to expect Nintendo to bow to them after their disgraceful treatment?! Absolute G.D. pigs. Unfortunately for Nintendo, it may actually favour them to suck up to these scoundrels (though I have my doubts that EA will hold up their end of the bargain with the NX).
IF, and it's a big IF EA ever release a decent game on a Nintendo platform again, I may consider it, but considering what has become of them now, it will take more than a whim for me to trust them with my money.
Just give us those sports games.
While the consensus of more advertising helping is true, it could end up backfiring if EA half a**es and sends off all their games to die on NX like they did with the Wii U. FIFA and Madden had the vast majority of their major features stripped at launch, and don't even get me started on how they thought $60 for a bare bones version of Mass Effect 3 on Wii U when you could get a full package with DLC version of the whole trilogy on literally anything else for the same price and expect the former to sell. If these games were stripped again AND be among the heavily advertised NX games, I'd lose any and all faith I have in Nintendo.
So...EA only partnered with Sony and Microsoft because they paid for advertising their games?
Looks like EA's in more dire straits than I thought. Either that, or they're just like a cheap date - paid to look pretty but in the end they score the free meal and publicity.
I would rather see BioWare's titles on the NX. Hell, maybe even a Sonic Dark Brotherhood remake for the platform.
Nintendo needs to bow down to them and get them. I think some of their games are garbage, but their sports games are needed to round out the system. I don't care for EA, but I like playing FIFA.
@JaxonH
Actually the only sports game that Sony still makes on a regular basis is Baseball because EA doesn't make MLB.
Right now EA owns the exclusive rights to NFL, FIFA, NHL, NCAA College Sports, NASCAR, PGA Golf and another sport.
Take Two/2K owns the exclusive rights to make Basketball (NBA) games.
The only major sports that do not due exclusive agreements are Bowling, Tennis and Baseball.
NFL will go after you if you make a U.S. Football game without their permission, even if it doesn't use official teams.
FIFA doesn't allow you to make any soccer game, even non FIFA leagues without their permission.
Same goes for the other leagues/sports.
EA and Take Two/2K are the reasons that Microsoft cited on March 29th 2004, when they shut down their longstanding XSN Sports brand and studios.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XSN_Sports
@DarkJamD
I hate to break it to you, EA Acess is exclusive to Xbox One per the Microsoft deal.
Sony refused to give into EA's demands to get it on PS4, because it required access to the back end of PSN.
@Xenocity
"Take Two/2K owns the exclusive rights to make Basketball (NBA) games."
That's not true. I though EA makes NBA Live nowadays?
@kensredemption
Actually EA is quite profitable now.
They leveraged their sports games to get the deals they received from Microsoft and Sony.
It was hinted/rumored at in 2012 that EA was threatening to kill Xbox One when it launched in 2013, because Microsoft was refusing to give them what they wanted.
Then 6 months later Microsoft announced the huge deal to secure best EA support for the generation on Xbox One, by financing EA at EA 2013.
@Xenocity
This was taken from the link you just gave me.
"citing quality issues. With Shane Kim taking over in 2004, the decision was made to stop investing in sports games with two strong competitors on the market (EA Sports and 2K Sports) and to focus their resources elsewhere."
So your assertion was wrong. They did not stop making sports games as a demand of EA for their games to release on their system, they felt they couldn't compete in a market with 2 strong competitors against them- especially given their quality issues.
@Yorumi Why do you think I mentioned them? I'm well aware EA owns BioWare...have known since Dragon Age: Origins. I'm also aware that BioWare made Sonic: Dark Brotherhood for the DS before being bought out by them.
@xenocity
Like @JaxonH said, I would really be curious to see your source on a lot of that, including the turning down of dollar for dollar marketing. As far as "having to stop making sports games", that really won't be a problem. Did they make any other than Mario Tennis for the U? Mario Golf is the only other one that's even somewhat consistent, and getting EA's support on the console would far, far, far outweigh whatever benefits the odd generational Mario sports title(s) bring(s). As for funding small studios, besides some football game with historical figures or some silliness like that, I can't even recall what sports titles indies have brought.
@Xenocity It's already in PC and if Nintendo really wants to have EA Access and is ready to put money on it then it will happen. Only reason why it's not in PS4 is PS Now.
BAHAHAHAHA. Of course talks are happening. They won't end well.
Reality check people: No matter how hard Nintendo tries, they aren't getting that audience back. The audience for western AAA 3rd party multiplats isn't going to buy an NX Console for those games when they can get them on Xbox/PlayStation already, regardless of how much marketing money Nintendo spends.
The ship for the western AAA 3rd party multiplats on Nintendo's platforms has sailed. Period.
Nintendo + Third Parties = LOL!!!
As revolting as I find EA, sports support is definitely needed. I'm not a fan of sports games, but some are more than eager to pick up each year's iteration of Madden or FIFA.
Personally, I'd rather see Bethesda support the NX, but a lot of EA's comments in the article make sense.
Nintendo definitely needs more third party support. Get some Rockstar games on their consoles too.
@IceClimbers if we didn't just see fickle mainstream gamers drop XBox for PS4 en masse you'd have a leg to stand on. Consumers will also go where they see value or excitement. Loyalty to consoles has shown itself to be a bit weaker this generation.
I'll believe it when I see it.
Okay, this part right here pisses me off if it's true:
"Traditionally, Nintendo doesn't bundle EA games with its consoles - unlike Microsoft and Sony. According to sources within EA, this is actually seen as something of an insult, and the company will be asking Nintendo to consider shipping NX consoles with leading EA Sports titles, such as FIFA and Madden. While this might smack of arrogance, it's a tactic which has worked well on rival hardware, so there's definitely logic to EA's reasoning."
So, you're upset that Nintendo didn't feature your games in hardware bundles?
Gee, EA, I wonder why they would ever do that?
I mean, it's not like you've ever delivered the tail end game of one of your game trilogies, with missing DLC content, while simultaneously giving every other console the full trilogy and content parity.
Oh wait....
EA needs to get its head out of its arrogant ass; if they want Nintendo fans to start taking them seriously, then they need to start delivering something other than sports titles, in complete forms, WITH THEIR OWN ADVERTISEMENT DOLLARS.
Stop trying to rely on Nintendo to foot every bill you've got on their console and start making games that are going to attract Nintendo fans, instead of relying on SPORTS AND DUDE BROS to sell yourself on the NX.
Haha, sneaky EA, but that's because they're the only ones left making realistic sports games.
However, Nintendo should make their own realistic sports brands! I'd love Nintendo to try out realistic graphics on their next console.
Taking out Mario for once and deliver Football, Tennis, Golf, Baseball, and Olympics, in realistic shiny NX HD, labeled something like "Reality Sports Series".
Anyone in for a realistic looking Punch-Out!! ?
Back in the day Nintendo brought us Super Soccer, Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball, Wave Race 64, NBA Courtside, Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey, F1 World Grand Prix, Excitebike 64, Nintendo Touch Golf Birdie Challenge, 1080 Snowboarding, etc. etc. a stream of realistic sports games! Many of which started a series.... but then they died off silently one after another...
Wii Sports was a sports game as well, obviously, single-handedly responsible for market leadership.
Launching with a sports or racing game bundle that everyone can play seems like a safe start.
I know brands such as FIFA and Madden are massive! EA support is certainly useful in times when Nintendo can't support their own platform with all kinds of sports games.
But EA is like a pirate claiming sports genres and playing monopoly. Their latest games were a fitting farewell: if it wasn't for the demo FIFA 13 would be classified betrayal, Mass Effect 3 Special Edition was probably an earnest effort with timing that turned it into a bad joke, and NFS Most Wanted U randomly freezes and never was fixed.
Whatever happens... I recall good times playing The Sims in 2player co-op on the Gamecube. #personalwish
I would like EA to support NX just so I can play another Mass Effect hopefully on the system, and I also love my nhl games.
EA needs to be stopped. By any means.
I wouldn't support them on any console. You should all try to go without your sports games. Fifa '17 will be exactly the same as Fifa '16 anyway.
To make the evil go away, you must boycott EA!
@shonenjump86 Yeah, EA isn't the company Nintendo need here; get exclusivity for Grand Theft Auto VI and you'd definitely be selling some consoles. Hell, maybe get Rockstar to throw in Red Dead Redemption 2 as well.
Also, if EA is going to release any games on the NX, maybe start with a remastered Mass Effect Trilogy to make up for only releasing Mass Effect 3 on the Wii U.
@aaronsullivan That happened because of Microsoft royally, and I mean royally, screwing consumer trust with the whole DRM, no used games thing that was their initial plans. Sony got momentum and hype on their side by making them seem "for the gamer", and they haven't looked back.
I should point out that Nintendo is launching the NX Console while the Xbox One and PS4 are mid-cycle, meaning people already have their console of choice or will go to the platform that their friends are on.
I might be wrong, but I feel that people will switch between Xbox and PlayStation, but won't switch out of the paradigm to Nintendo. The only reason they'd leave that paradigm is to upgrade to PC Master Race
https://dromble.wordpress.com/2013/10/17/20-reasons-why-nintendo-should-consider-investing-in-their-own-sports-studio/
It talks about why EA Sports platform per system.
EA did successfully reverse engineer MD/Genesis lockout program and threaten to release the code publicly unless Sega gave into theirdemands.
This is why Genesis/MD received the best sports games, while SNES got the shaft from EA.
Sega agreed to co-fund and market EA games, while allowing EA to sell the games royalty free on Genesis/MD
Saturn continued the deal.
EA pulled the plug due to Sega developing 1st party sports games on Dreamcast.
This also talks about how EA publicly announced they weren't going to support Nintendo 64 before it launched, forcing Nintendo to give them the deal they wanted.
Lincoln was able to give EA enough to give the N64 some support.
EA also threaten to boycott Gamecube unless Nintendo gave them a better deal than what they did on N64.
https://dromble.wordpress.com/2013/10/17/20-reasons-why-nintendo-should-consider-investing-in-their-own-sports-studio/
Nintendo refused to give EA new terms on Wii.
"My guess is that EA saw poor share on the Wii and Nintendo promised to help it gain greater share on the Wii U, and EA hadn't seen enough progress to give it confidence that it should continue support," explained Michael Pachter, famed video game analyst and managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-26-ea-and-nintendo-the-collapse-of-the-unprecedented-relationship
https://dromble.wordpress.com/2015/01/21/former-nintendo-executive-dan-adelman-discusses-nintendos-culture-third-party-support-and-much-more/
This is the Interview Dan Adelman, the former eShop exec (he used to head 3rd party relations at Microsoft).
He openly states that the major 3rd parties refused to support Wii U and 3DS because Nintendo wasn't wiling to offer them the same deals as Microsoft and Sony. He was explicitly asked about EA and Take Two.
"For Nintendo to break this cycle, I think they need to invest and absorb some of the risk for third parties who try to embrace the features of Nintendo platforms and help communicate to consumers which games are on par with Nintendo first party games in terms of quality. Sony and Microsoft spend a lot of money securing exclusives – or at least exclusive features – on the top games and since Nintendo doesn’t really do that, third parties focus on the other systems. I’m not sure about Sony, but I know Microsoft also has a team of technical people that will go work with a studio for a few weeks or even months to help them make their games as good as they can be on those platforms."
He also openly states with his work with 3rd parties, that major 3rd parties do want to compete with 1st party games.
From the interview last January.
"It really comes down to the business case for these publishers. Nintendo consumers buy Nintendo systems primarily for the first party content. There’s a bit of a self-fulfilling prophesy in that publishers feel that they can’t compete with Nintendo first party, so they choose not to invest in making high quality products for the platform."
It's clear that Nintendo's focus on 1st party content is killing 3rd parties sales.
This is what an EA employee told CVG on why they pulled the plug in January 2013.
“Nintendo was dead to us very quickly. It became a kids IP platform and we don’t really make games for kids. That was pretty true across the other labels too. Even the Mass Effect title on Wii U, which was a solid effort, could never do big business, and EA like Activision is only focused on games that can be big franchises”.
Anyways If EA does support NX, it will with Madden and FIFA to test sales for the future of EA support.
If they do millions in sales, they will be back in force.
If they bomb, regardless of how EA gimped them then it is game over.
I mean 3rd parties can count on Xbox and PS4 owners to buy their games, regardless of quality and content.
It's rare for an major 3rd party AAA game, Sports Game, and M-rated games to do bad on those platforms, even if they treat the consumer badly.
Though a few weeks ago WB openly stated in their last financial report they were done with the PC/Steam market because of how "hostile" the market is towards them.
They also stated they weren't going to fix MK X on Steam/PC and it wasn't going to issue the rest of the DLC for the game either on that platform.
They literally called the PC/Steam consumers "ungrateful", "hostile", "Too Demanding"
They also called out Steam users for demanding refunds, which PS4 and Xbox One owners don't do on games.
WB isn't the only Major Western 3rd party who hates dealing with the PC/Steam market for the same reason they hate dealing with the Nintendo market.
Are the Nintendo and Steam markets "hostile" to Major 3rd parties or are the major 3rd parties at fault for it for treating the consumers poorly?
@damo
I should add that calling your take on EA and Wii U misleading was the wrong wording (especially because it might suggest intent to mislead). I did start to reconsider it but I'm distracted and writing faster than usual. More like overly simple and not without controversy.
Nintendo will probably bundled NX with EA's Unravel game. The only game from EA that suits Nintendo.
If Nintendo ever wants to obtain EA (or any 3rd party support), they need to:
1) Build hardware that easily supports the development of EA's software output
2) Foster an environment that will allow EA's software to perform at a commercially acceptable level on said hardware
1) will require Nintendo to make the NX or one version of the NX into a machine with similar specs and architecture with the PS4 and Xbox One. 2) will require Nintendo to create a first party software lineup and a marketing/branding campaign that can cater more to EA's consumer base.
The goal will not be to get Nintendo fans to start buying EA games, but to get a portion of EA's consumer base to invest in the NX that haven't already invested in a PS or Xbox. Seeing how their are still ~120 million PS3 and Xbox 360 owners who haven't jumped onto the PS4 and Xbox One yet (and a great deal of those consumers fit into the "very casual and quite brand agnostic" crowd), this is a possible, albeit very difficult task, one that I doubt Nintendo will succeed at doing.
I've been weened on good games too long to accept a statement about being too demanding or hostile. Nintendo cores games are the equivalent of an edible bar of gold. It's pure arrogance to scoop up a cow pat, tell me it's the same thing and then balk when I demand more from the things I PAY for.
@smashbrolink Now, now, Nintendo are the primary culprits guilty of arrogance on Wii U which cannot be denied. EA aided Nintendo greatly in the Nintendo Network infrastructure, before their unprecedented relationship collapsed. We all forget that Nintendo Network wasn't finished until well after launch, prior to this Nintendo couldn't support DLC or patches, EA and all 3rd parties were working with incomplete and ever changing dev kits that weren't finalised until shortly before launch day. Arrogance aside it wasn't just a 3rd party hate campaign. They wanted games that were safe and worked within the known limits of the Wii U platform. For all its criticism FIFA 13 played flawlessly and featured amazing Gamepad integration despite the inability for partial installs on the system.
Nintendo launched Wii U completely unfinished with broken promises and it wasn't until a massive consumer backlash that Nintendo's hand was forced, hell the big N even sat in silence as the barrage of anti Wii U PR rolled for months. The Wii U OS was not up to RC standard UNTIL a year later, massive pauses, long loads and crashes abound. No Nintendo TVii outside the USA, hatred of Indies until 3rd parties left the system, terrible dev kits, no advertising, few TV apps as stated in the article, no 3rd party deals bar Zombie U as seen in rival platforms...the Wii U now has an excellent, beautiful, unique OS but it is barren of multi media apps, sure Netflix and Amazon plus a few niche apps are accounted for but were is everything else?
What about a Wii U bundle with Need for Speed - the Wii U getting the definitive edition of the game? What about the completed Crysis 3 cancelled due to lack of Nintendo interest? Sure it wouldn't be for everyone but it would've been a massive PR boost when the Wii U needed it.
Nintendo have a lot of sucking up to do...
Good for the people who want EA's games, personally I don't care for their games. (Unravel is fun, though)
@Project_Dolphin I'd never suggest you should side with the majority when it comes to your taste in games. I was only talking about the business implications for Nintendo and the fact that what you find to be rubbish a great deal of gamers are delighted with and happy to keep buying for a similar experience over and over.
Nintendo landing in 3rd place is not a problem. Having such a small user base that making games for it is a risky endeavor is the problem. If Nintendo can lift itself into a respectable 3rd, that's a success. I'd say it's possible to encroach on XB1 or maybe surpass it with stellar 3rd party support (among other conditions) but, of course, there are many unknowns.
@Project_Dolphin Another arrogant Nintendo gamer. EA have an amazing portfolio regardless of your feelings towards the company.
As for GameCube we all know who created the issues there, I remember the massive retail backlash with many refusing to stock GCN for a good 6 months. No online support as Miyamoto said gamers had no interest in online gaming - we lost Criterion and Burnout 3 due to this, no 16:9 support in in house Nintendo games as Miyamoto said gamers didn't use widescreen TVs, how about 1.5GB discs forcing many devs to invest in high end compression tech or cut content? No DVD or audio playback, no advertising for key titles...I remember Metroid Prime being released quietly that the same time Halo PR campaign was in full swing.
The GCN was pretty much on par with the Xbox in terms of power, but lack of advertising and features hurt it badly. Nintendo's deal with EA helped the system massively, without it the likes of TimeSplitters 3 would've missed GCN completely. The GCN was seen as a kids got next to the much weaker PS2, sad really.
@liveswired You have some good points but I find it a little harsh to write people off as arrogant. People do get irrational on these subjects and it doesn't help to fan the fire.
Incidentally, I never saw anything but idle speculation that EA helped Nintendo with Nintendo Network. I don't remember any evidence of indie hatred from Nintendo and ever-changing dev-kits leading up to console launches is par for the course. Not saying your wrong about Nintendo being the one that blew it just questioning some of your details.
@Xenocity It's not all as plain sailing as that. The SNES featured much weaker hardware than the MD/Genesis without the use of co processors built into the cartridge which is well documented, the SNES CPU is spectacularly weak. EA as far as I know didn't use any hence why EA Sports titles were superior on rival consoles. Nintendo also charged extortionate licensing fees and extra charges for 3rd parties supporting rival platforms.
On N64 EA were part of the Nintendo Dream Team, after the disastrous FIFA 64, EA worked overtime to regain their credibility releasing the definitive versions of many of their games on N64 with FIFA 98, WC 98, FIFA 99, MADDEN series, NHL, SuperCross, Beetle Racing all being superior and featuring 640x480 and 640x400 resolutions as standard. Lets not forget long term Nintendo backers deserted, the N64 cartridge decision cut all ties with Square, then Capcom and many, many others.
Nintendo in the 90s = extortionate licensing fees, fines for developing on rival platforms, limited production runs to increase costs, heavy fines for missing deadlines, price fixing, limited number of games per publisher allowed regardless of how high the quality, purposely bodged dev kits to prevent developers from 'outdoing' Nintendo, last minute deal cancellations without honouring contracts - DMA (Rockstar of GTA) nearly went under due to Nintendo and their malpractice, drawing out 3rd party game certification.
What deal did EA make with Nintendo on N64? To avoid paying the rival platform charges? Lower licensing costs? Whatever happened it saved the N64 from genre starvation.
Those mostly sound like reasonable requests. I don't care for any sports games, but I want Nintendo to do well so I can keep playing their games, and on their consoles. If Mass Effect Andromeda was on NX and as good as PC, I would certainly be tempted to go there for it.
@MetaSmasher Let's just hope it doesn't end up like Mass Effect 3, if you know what I mean.
I can't deny ea wouldn't help Nintendo sell consoles. But those are also not the types of games I want to play. I stopped playing Ea games on my PS3/4 because they all crap. I actually bought Star Wars thinking it was going to be good. Instead I play splatoon.
@aaronsullivan Arrogant is probably too harsh a word to use, ignorant is the correct term. A little research shows EA became deeply involved in helping develop Nintendo Network. Nintendo stated on different occasions that they weren't the place and had no interest in 'garage devs' when asked about Indies developing for their platforms. I remember this being mentioned in high profile interviews at least around 2011, and had been bandied about before then as well. Of course the 3rd parties left and then the Indie push finally came with support for industry standards...
I don't buy too many EA titles regardless of the console I own but I can't argue that EA would be a big win should Nintendo be able to get them on board for the NX. More games equals more console sales which means more games that I actually want to play!
@liveswired
"EA aided Nintendo greatly in the Nintendo Network infrastructure, before their unprecedented relationship collapsed. We all forget that Nintendo Network wasn't finished until well after launch, prior to this Nintendo couldn't support DLC or patches, EA and all 3rd parties were working with incomplete and ever changing dev kits that weren't finalised until shortly before launch day."
I sincerely doubt EA had ANYTHING to do with Nintendo's internal development of the Wii U.
In fact, there was one point where Nintendo forcefully had to halt EA because they wanted Origin to be a major part of the console.
Let's face facts here; Nintendo did a lot wrong with the Wii U, especially in advertising.
But they are not the core parties responsible for the mistakes made in third party games.
Plenty of other developers made excellent games on it without all the issues that the AAA's were whining about, and indies haven't hated Nintendo for a long while now because Nintendo stepped up with them even before the AAA's started leaving the system, because they gave them a home on Wii that was only destined to expand as things went onto the Wii U.
Nintendo courted indies because indies have proven their value, not because the AAA third parties ditched them for more familiar architecture.
Nintendo doesn't have any sucking up to do; They just need to get their act together and design/advertise the NX far better than they did the Wii U.
Third parties, however, have lost the majority of their trust from Nintendo gamers, and that is entirely due to their own mistakes when creating and delivering old ports instead of new games and exclusives.
And if they want the money that comes with regaining those fans, which will help soften the blow of their ever-increasing development costs across all consoles, they need to make a better commitment to the NX than they did with the Wii U.
Nintendo shouldn't have to grease their greedy palms just to get content parity.
That should be a business-ethical standard.
EA stinks. I only buy their games used now as I refuse to give them a single cent. Despite that they are needed on NX, just so it has the same 3rd party titles that XBO/PS4 have.
EA never gave the Wii U a chance though. Their launch titles were old/overpriced versions that wouldn't have sold on any system. If they do that on the NX too then they'll have the same result.
This should count as a 'wake-up' call for nintendo. Advertise the heck out of the NX and start making bundles with other publisher's great games. Nintendo advertises their own games, but the fact that they rarely ever advertise any other publishers, shows that they have no care for 3rd party support, which is NOT what a game company wants.
Come on, nintendo...if you aren't going to listen to your fans, at least listen to other publishers. Sony spent most of their money on 3rd party publishers to make games for the PS4...maybe nintendo should do this for it's first year, only releasing a few of their wonderful titles.
F*** EA
@IceClimbers Hence why exclusives can balance that gap.
Get enough exclusives that core gamers want, alongside the latest multiplats, and people might just go to the NX for both.
Sadly, I think it'll take better partners than EA and their lousy sports titles to make that happen.
@LetsGoRetro Mario Kart says hi!
@John_Enigma not sure I do. It was the best Mass Effect
I guess this is a case of 'better the devil you know' in most ways! You need to have the mainstream games to be a mainstream console as we have just witnessed First hand with the Wii u!
@neko_ichigofan
Lol..
I want those EA sports games! Bring em! I also want Bethesda. They will change landscapes.
@smashbrolink Ah. No. Nintendo provided a token 40mb of space for 'indie' titles on Wii and they had many stipulations ie developers had to have proper offices, etc and not work from home, if a certain number of sales weren't met Nintendo kept all the money. Hence why all Wii 'indie' games are mainly from the likes of Hudson, Square, Nicalis, Shin'en...
It wasn't until AAA developers lost interest in Wii U that Nintendo started respecting real Indies and supporting the likes of Unity. Hence the Nindie drive.
Nintendo stated on numerous occasions prior to Wii U launch that they had no interest in garage developers.
EA had a big hand in the development of the Nintendo Network infrastructure as Nintendo didn't know what the hell they were doing. And yes the fact that Nintendo refused to integrate Origin into it didn't help.
@liveswired The limitations you're talking about were gone with WiiU, anyone that was following the stories before launch would knew it, let alone the devs/publishers. And Origin on WiiU? Seriously? I can't imagine anyone thinking that would have been a better outcome, tbh.
Having said that, I always said Nintendo should have paid EA to have all the major releases on WiiU (and 3DS, to an extent), and I will keep saying they should absolutely do that for NX. They need it.
@Project_Dolphin Arrogance and ignorance all rolled into one.
Hmm, let's forget the GCN had no DVD/CD playback, no online network, no multimedia functionality, smaller 1.5GB discs, little advertising and it still managed to sell just 1-2 million less than Xbox.
People like you are the reason Nintendo are in the predicament they are today unfortunately.
I would love to have the choice to purchase Battlefront, Battlefield, Crysis, more Mass Effect on a Nintendo system.
Common NHL hockey is all I can say. I hope they can kiss and make up.
So, EXACTLY what I've been saying for years on this very site: that Nintendo needs to advertise on ESPN and during sporting events.
I've been saying this stuff for years, seriously. MEN AGED 18-34 ARE THE KEY DEMOGRAPHIC FOR VIDEO GAMES AND THEY LOVE SPORTS. NINTENDO HAS MADE ZERO EFFORT TO APPEAL TO THEM AND INSTEAD HAS CATERED TO SJW'S AND SOCCER MOMS (which failed).
Like, I'm just an average schmoe with no marketing degree and I understand this concept. How can a company supposedly worth billions be so laughably clueless and have such an awful marketing department?
@liveswired "Didn't help"?
At that point, Origin was trash that would have done more to harm than help. Let's not even kid ourselves on that point; EA wanted to basically take over all of Nintendo's online-related aspects, and Origin would have been the first step towards that.
It's a good thing that Nintendo didn't allow Origin.
As to indies, even though they weren't really in favor of them back on the Wii as much as they are now on the Wii U, that's not an indication that they turned to them in lieu of AAA third parties, because third parties did more harm than good to the Wii U in the early run in the first place.
Nintendo put more focus on indies because they were the better choice for Wii U, after third parties messed up so bad that no one wanted to get a Wii U for them despite the fact that they've been proven to be capable of carrying systems through their work on PS3 and 360.
The Wii was just the starting point for indies and Nintendo, and given how much shovelware Nintendo has had to deal with from outside parties, it's obvious they'd be against garage developers at first.
@Technosphile I would hate to see Nintendo sell out to raving sports fans instead of trying to provide something different, regardless of the money.
Besides, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that sports fans equate Nintendo to kiddy stuff at this point, and wouldn't buy an NX for those games even if they did arrive on it.
What Nintendo needs is exciting exclusives from third parties alongside the newest of multiplats.
Not FIFA without content parity and sports apps no one is going to use when they've got a TV or computer.
All this talk about "sports" and Nintendo actually owns a sports team!
@smashbrolink you misunderstand. You don't advertise sports video games during sports broadcasting; you advertise all your other games, you know, like what Microsoft and Sony do during literally every commercial break of SportsCenter. Bayonetta 2, Smash, Mario Kart, whatever, just reach out to the key demo. Instead Nintendo has chosen to do very limited advertising on ABC Family (soccer moms don't care anymore) and Comedy Central (stoners too stoned to care).
For Christ's sake. I saw ads for Destiny and FarCry every break today when I was watching that NBA show Rachel Nichols hosts. I literally have never seen a Nintendo ad during ESPN programming, or at least not since "Wii would rike to pray".
I don't know if this would be on topic or not, but I want the Nintendo NX to support third-party engines, that are not just Unity and Unreal (like some rumors say), like Dunia Engine 2 (Far Cry), Creation Engine (Skyrim, Fallout 4), RAGE (GTA V), REDEngine (The Witcher), IW Engine (Call of Duty series), Frostbite (Battlefield 3 and 4), id Tech engine (Wolfenstein, Doom), etc.
If Nintendo wants the NX to be successful, they got to give NX dev kits to third-parties, and they got to let them in. (By making games.)
Nope.
Just nope.
Too bad I already swore to boycott anything EA makes, ever since they shut down Restaurant City. Not that they ever make games I'm interested in anyway. If I were Nintendo though, I'd stay FAR away from these jokers.
Only want FIFA and battlefront from ea and that's it
Nintendo does the same thing every generation try to fool people into thinking they have third party support, then claiming they don't need it once the console launches and no one is developing for it
For as much as Nintendo has their work cut out for them, it's up to EA to actually make quality products to sell, not someone else. What they did on the Wii U was abysmal.
Can I get battlefront port to nx, if they can get me that then I'm already sold.
If the hostile folk in this comment section are the kind of people EA will bring to the table, I can live without.
Anyway, EA has enough skeletons in their closet, enough backhanded and scummy acts that have indeed been mentioned in this comment section, that I'm not comfortable with them making demands of Nintendo.
Partner with the vile sods, sure, whatever, it all comes down to the pursuit of the almighty dollar after all. However, they wanted Origin to be the network on Wii U, and imagine how much of a horror show that would've been, among other shenanigans they've been up to. I don't want them actually integrated with Nintendo's hardware in any shape or form.
I haven't played an EA game since the Lord of the Rings series on GameCube, and not out of lack of a PS3 or XBox system, either. Their games just don't interest me. If they can offer a LotR Trilogy HD Collection, then they'll have made something both me and my fiancée would enjoy...
I hate EA, but they do own a significant number of third party studios so Nintendo really does need to get in bed with the enemy if they want to diversify their lineup.
Wouldn't mind some Mario Sports tie-ins with the big 4 leagues.
Here is what will happen:
When NX launches, EA will toss a few shoddy ports of games from the previous year at it, and demand Nintendo concedes a laundry list of special privileges and demands from EA.
If the NX doesn't take off as a smash hit like the Wii, or some of their full priced, inferior version, late ports don't sell like gangbusters with minimal promotion or investment on EA's part, they will publicly pull support and switch from treating Nintendo and it's audience as cash cows to unworthy pariahs.
I'm not holding my breath. EA has lost pretty much all my trust, and they must earn it back.
This is the only reason I had an XBox 360 and considered getting their current gen.
Nintendo not having sports games like they always did before is the worst thing with the company in my opinion.
I think everyone is in agreement: Nintendo needs EA. More importantly, it needs more third party support and diversity.
This makes sense. EA is the giant of sports games, so it'd be understandable if they wanted to focus on it. It would also be good for Nintendo, if they got more sports games on their systems; they do sell.
This would be a good place for the "Sceptical cat is sceptical" meme... I can see Nintendo stepping it up in the advertising area and possibly offer some bundling. Having said that unless Nintendo is shifting from game consoles to entertainment hubs I can't see the app idea flying too far.
Whatever Nintendo needs to get their support without sacrificing their identity. I'm referring to that rumored Origin fiasco with Wii U.
Sorry, but as much as Nintendo needs third-party support, none of the "gamers" who consider sports titles as their main dish are ever going to buy a Nintendo console to play those games. I'm stereotyping here somewhat, but virtually all of the sports-games-first gamers I've ever known have been painfully over-aware of the "cool" factor of any given console. They play sports games because they're cool, they wear outdated baggy jeans and jerseys and Air Jordans because they still think they're cool, they listen to Eminem and Dr. Dre for the same reason, and on and on, while simultaneously detesting "dorks" and things that they deem "gay."
To people like that, Nintendo has never made a "cool" console, and they never will. They make what those types of gamers consider little more than toys for little kids and immature losers. I just don't see any scenario where the type of person who buys a console specifically to play Madden or NBA/MLB-whatever would ever choose a console from the baby-toy company Nintendo. They'll keep buying the cool-guy friendly Xbox or PlayStation console that happens to be the most cool at the moment, as they always have.
@IceClimbers I think that the Nx has a small chance.
Imagine getting your dose of FPS (COD), Sports (Madden and FIFA), great rpgs (Fallout), Saints Row, Grand Theft Auto, plus all the exclusive Nintendo titles on just one console?
Almost everyone that I know off, that likes Nintendo games, has two consoles.
But the allure should be a great user experience with lots of channels with the Nintendo known ease-of-use.
I love Nintendo but the sports market has never been kind to Nintendo. sega always took the title for best sports games and when they died sony picked up right where they left off. don t get me wrong Nintendo has put out some of the best sports games of all time. Ken Griffey jr baseball is still my fav baseball game. Think maybe that ship has sailed. hope not.
The more publishers and games supporting the NX! the better. Hopefully EA and Nintendo can come to an agreement.
The sports console bundles are logical, I don't see that being a sticking point, plus it can benefit both companies if it introduces mario to sports fans or vice versa.
The lack of availability of sports streaming services is also valid, I for one would like to see WWE network on Wii U or NX. I don't think that will be a problem either.
What I do think could be a problem is EA telling Nintendo where and when to advertisr. I think this could be a sticking point, but it doesn't have to be a major issue.
In truth i'm really only interested in Fifa from the sports side. Give us that and I'm good.
I'm getting a sense of déjà vu here ...
I'm getting a sense of déjà vu here ...
So basically.... appeal to the meat-head/dude brah gamers?
Sadly you do have to... they seem to be the majority now days..
Glad to see that most agree that this is a good thing, which it is, childish feelings or made up stories regarding EA aside. All third parties have something to offer, EA has the awesome Garden Warfare games & Mass Effect, which are a few of their games I really enjoy. Battlefield is pretty damn good too.
If this is true, then good on EA for giving Nintendo the reality check/kick up the ass they've been sorely needing.
Andromeda on NX? PogChamp
@aaronsullivan @XenoCity @IceClimbers @JaxonH @ThomasBW84
Just a thought. If Nintendo already consolidated their software/hardware divisions and that the NX is a unified OS that works for both handheld and home console, do they really need to bow on EA's or other 3rd party demands?
Nintendo will continue to do what they've been doing only that there would be no droughts this time as they could pump games to both systems in one development (per game).
Nintendo surely needs 3rd party support but it would be dangerous if they fully put the fates of NX on it. Nintendo should only give in half of the demands
@Oscarsome No, Nintendo needs other third parties.
EA is just one, and given the things they tried to demand of Nintendo with the Wii U, I don't think Nintendo "needs" them at all.
Others, yes.
But EA can go rot in a hole if they can't make content parity a goal for all NX games.
Pretty obnoxious. 'Pah! You're not even bundling our poorly-optimized 3rd party effort with your console, but instead include your own excellent games with it, how dare you, it's incredibly insulting!'
Then again, that's usually what happens when such companies get so big - they can enforce their own rules and pretty much demand whatever they want, or threaten to walk away and take their essential support with them. :/
I mat not be the person who are interested in normal sports games, but I do think a Nintendo/Mario sports bundle with Fifa or the most attractive sports games from EA could be good like some people have similarly mentioned before here.
I might be more interested in Japanese games/third parties personally, but I do recognize the that Nintendo needs western third parties in order to really appeal to the more western orientated audience.
No matter what happens, I do hope the NX will have a ton of good games that can appeal to everyone ^^.
Don't get me wrong, the Wii U handled 3rd party support terribly. But EA didn't help themselves with the quality of ports they produced. I was ridiculously excited as a Nintendo gamer to be able to play an HD Fifa game on my Shiny new console, but within an hour of playing Fifa 13 I was more than aware it was just a lazy re skin of Fifa 12. Sigh
This sound really good, as well for the NX as for Nintendo as a company. EA has earlier said that Nintendo "is old-fashioned" but since they want to put their games on the NX, I expect the NX to be modern.
Since Nintendo's audience has become very small (They only have the 'hardcore' fanbase, the families and young children as an audience) They need to convince another audience to buy their console. I think that putting EA sport games on the NX is a great step forward, and IMO it is the only way for Nintendo to keep making consoles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbWgUO-Rqcw
Reading this article and the many deluded comments reminds me greatly of this debacle. It's like this never happened and it should be in Nintendo's best interests to turn their system into a 'sports, TV and COD' machine. Get Mario to be powered up by Mountain Dew and Doritos instead of Fire Flowers and Mushrooms and have a Metroid/COD crossover.
It'll be a hit with the dudes!
If Nintendo could secure a version of Fifa that was either the definitive version or on par with the other consoles that would be all I need.
I don't care about EA or their games, but I expect Nintendo to make a decision based upon the audience they want to pursue and going by recent history it isn't people who watch a lot of sports franchises. It would be a big change for them if they did this, so the question is: does FIFA, et al belong on NX? Only Nintendo can answer that...
EA is right here.
Nintendo has lost all the gamer community except Nintendo fanboys and families with little kids.
Don't care about EA, but Nintendo needs all the help they can get to make the NX an actual competitor to Sony and Microsoft's consoles.
Nintendo are absolutely right to go after EA. They need big third party support and especially sports games. The shooter market may have gone elsewhere but sports games are hugely popular. It's difficult to sell your console as being for the whole family or for its multi-player gaming when you don't have any sports games.
It would also be an encouraging sign that Nintendo are getting with the programming a little bit. The days when you can just make a console and wait for the third-party serfs to come begging at your feet for the privilege of making games for you and giving you a cut are gone. Cutting a business deal with EA would send out very positive signals.
@CHET_SWINGLINE
I'm a 39-year-old father of one and know lots of people who play sports games who are similar to me. They don't fit your awful, inaccurate generalisation at all. Sport is universally popular, as are sport video games.
@electrolite77 I'm not even into sports but I always end up with a selection of sports titles by the end of a consoles life. Really sports titles naturally fit with Nintendo's local MP ideals
@arnoldlayne83 And EA customers are edgy teenagers who only play the yearly same slow paced game with laggy controls because arcade games are to fast for them. See? I can do stupid generalisation too
Cooperating properly with third parties (of which, EA remains the biggest) for all titles, but perhaps especially sport titles will be crucial to the success or failure of NX. It still won't be enough to persuade me back though. After Wii U (which, just to clarify, I do like and do enjoy several games on), I don't feel like I need a console in addition to a PC again (I have a gaming laptop that I plug into my TV).
Extending the sports paradigm a little, there's one thing that could persuade me to jump onto the NX bandwagon. If 'NX Fit' and 'NX Sports' are launched then they need to be fully integrated with eachother - sharing data, etc. and recording it for all participants against their user profiles (something that doesn't even happen within multi-player (-user?) Wii Fit U at the moment). They also need to integrate with the major fitness apps (e.g. Endomondo) and wearables (e.g. Fitbit). I know I'm in the minority to still be using Wii Fit regularly but the fitness market is huge and if Nintendo can get this right it could be a very strong way to 'become part of people's daily lives' as we're always told that they want to. Given that we've recently been told the QoL thing is unlikely to happen, I can't see any reason not to do this.
While not a fan of EA myself i know that most people are so it good to see Nintendo trying anything they can to get those games. As for the apps well if you get all those sports apps then you need to get the games who come whit them so that also means taking whit 2k games or at least their sports games as well so you can give sports fans all that they want.
But the biggest reason to get not only EA but other 3rd party companies like Ubisoft , Square enix and Activision so not to wait a long time like we do now on Wii u until a other good game will be released.
But even if Nintendo and EA will work it out i won't buy their sports games as i can only seem to compare it for the FIFA franchise but it seems to me that the game play has not chanced at all so yours only are buying for what happens during the transfer window in the summer.
If Nintendo get EA on board then that will bring Activision along too, They wouldn't be able to resist moving against EA expanding its player base.
I'd happily see EA get cosy with Nintendo just so we can get some of those old Star Wars games back like Rouge Squadron.
I think Nintendo's easiest path to third party support would be offering them a slice of Nintendo's cut on their game sales. Obviously Nintendo will take a hit with money but make NX games less risky
@shonenjump86
As for your comment about needing rockstar games not sure about some of those games but i think their last attempt whit Chinatown wars did not do so well.
Please don't start this rubbish again, bin ea off now and save it happening again.
When will people stop saying that the wiiu is a failure. Poor sales may bother the bosses and share holders, but as a gamer they have successfully entertained me as they have for many years.
Success is not about popularity, unless your a share holder.
**** these fat cats, Nintendo just keep making great games please.
And anyways I don't want to play candy crush on my nx.
I know a lot of people don't like EA, but they have some very good IPs like Titanfall, Mass Effect or Dragon Age. I'd play that on NX.
@PowerStar It is all about negotiating. In negotiations you don't start in the middle. I do agree, though, that bundling EA games would benefit both parties.
@dew12333
It's not me it's Nintendo complaining about their lack of "Nintendo type profits". Seriously I'm so tired of Nintendo telling me how my business isn't enough for them. I'm also tired of them overcharging their current customer base to drive profits since they can't do it with volume (lack of Wii U/3DS price reductions, $60 Remasters Twilight Princess, overpriced exclusived DLC Amiibos). They wonder why offering low value propositions has them in last place?
@Project_Dolphin I'd argue there's no "or", it's all or nothing here. If the 3rd party support is poor then console sales will be similar to Wii U if not worse however if the 1st party support is bad then people will just stick with the other consoles (PS4, XB1). Choosing only one will doom Nintendo to eventually having to become a 3rd party for Microsoft/Sony consoles.
I feel EA Sports on consoles is essentially like modern pop in music games (e.g. Rock Band, Guitar Hero) while the 1st party Nintendo games are genres like rock, metal, prog, etc. in the same music games. It would be fantastic to have no modern pop in the music games and those games sell extremely well but sadly that's not the case. It's the Bieber, One Direction, Ellie Goulding, The Weeknd, etc. that makes the games profitable so DLC that's not modern pop can be released. The music games themselves represent the Nintendo console by the way.
@the-madprofessor
Rockstar is the company that screwed the Gamecube over. They had the most popular (GTA) multiplat of that generation and they decided that Nintendo's demographics weren't for them. How can you say let's go for Rockstar but EA is terrible? Almost all 3rd parties have given bad ports or skipped providing major games to Nintendo systems at this point.
But we've seen a NIntendo console without 3rd party support (Wii U). Yes, Nintendo terribly marketed it, but unless they overnight figure out to effectively market the NX will end up the same way. The Wii U has a great selection of 1st party games so let's not pretend like Nintendo just needs to step up their internal development to make the NX a success where they couldn't make the Wii U a success.
@Grumblevolcano
I think most of the market would consider Nintendo the developers of those annoying kid songs. While EA would be the providers of rap music since that seems to be the cool thing.
Isn't is cool to use stereotypes to throw shade at companies?
I like this new leader. It seems like he has a good understanding of what it's going to take for Nintendo to succeed in the future. But it's not going to be easy. Hopefully the NX is more powerful than the PS4.
People obsess over those multiplat head to heads. Oh, look. 14 hours in the game, it drops to 30 fps for 5 seconds. What a terrible version. You might as well not even play the game if that's the version you are going to get.
If NX is stronger than PS4 and they get all EA games, it'll be a huge start to being competitive in the marketplace. But it's a long road and it won't be easy. People get EA games on PS4/Xbox ONE now, so that won't be enough to propel them to the front of the market.
Untill it fails, then they are out AGAIN!
Thing is, Sony got it right. They said OK Devs, what would make it easier for you to put games on our new system - make it like a pic? Done. Nintendo does need to take advice from developers sometimes. EA or not.
@cleveland124 Guess I should've been more clear, my comment was if you look from the viewpoint of a Nintendo fan. Generally, all Nintendo fans want is great Nintendo games which is why so many of us are satisfied with the Wii U (provided Zelda U doesn't end up on NX) but Nintendo won't last with just making great first party games, they need the 3rd party support to entice the people who still only have last gen consoles (360, PS3, Wii).
Unprecedented Partnership! Part Deux.
Let's hope this one performs better than the first flop.
@Grumblevolcano
I just thought it was a bad comparison. It was I like Nintendo and dislike EA so I pick things from another industry that has no comparison point to the video games market and pick what I like/dislike about that industry.
As a long time Nintendo fan I also disagree that I only want Nintendo first party. I really started gaming in the SNES generation when gaming was synonymous with Nintendo. People would generically ask if you had a Nintendo and they really meant if you played video games at all. I would love to be able to have great Nintendo games and all other great games that are out too.
But yes, given the history I didn't expect Wii U to have many third party games. I am one of those people that has a Nintendo system for Nintendo games and other systems for 3rd party games. So while my expectations may have been met for Wii U, they were low expectations.
I've really been impressed with how Steam has grown. EA is the biggest 3rd party that doesn't support steam. If Nintendo got EA games, it would make NX/Steam a very viable next gen strategy. For you Rockstar fans, yes they support steam.
@Grumblevolcano there's the 'D' word! Though next time you gotta be clever and witty with your guesstimations, it's really, really great to go full-on Console Wars lingo and say "Nintendoomed!" when speculating on the inevitability of playing Kirby, Splatoon and Kid Icarus on a PS/Xbox console. Because that'll work.
EA is not silly too miss out on sales plus Nintendo needs sports games aswell the other EA games.
I personaly don't have a lot of interest on EA games (except for a round or two of local multiplayer FIFA when specific friends come over), but I do hope they can work things out with Nintendo. Those sound like very reasonable requests that could really help Nintendo in the long run.
@TheLastLugia Money isn't infinite and Nintendo has a "Goldoa will not move" attitude unless they're threatened financially.
Liam Robertson: "The NX is definitely not aiming to compete with the likes of PS4 on a power level. Absolutely sure of that now.... Talking to the right people"
That's the same guy who said that; still waiting to see if that one holds true.
It'll never work. EA makes cruddy games and Nintendo fans know it. We've been trained to look at gameplay first and the only EA series I can think of that are respectable on that front are Tiger Woods, SSX, and NFS.
I have mixed feelings about all this. Part of me wants Nintendo to develop their own brand of "serious" sports titles and tell EA to take a hike! Part of me loves Madden & FIFA, and Mirror's Edge, and Star Wars Battlefront, and all the Popcap games!
Ultimately I usually buy every Nintendo system so I hope they work things out and EA games are back on Nintendo systems once again.
@ACK Whether you like these games or not, it's in our and Nintendo's best interest that they get them.
They need a console that appeals to the 3rd party buying audience, because the bigger the audience, the more developers will want to support the platform - which in turn benefits us and Nintendo.
I don't blame EA, their sports titles sell like crazy and it's not unreasonable to ask for detailed marketing plans, ad buys and bundles.
There is a problem with this. A sports fan wont buy the NX after seeing the support EA has given Nintendo in the past. EA will also have to support a console fully before a sports fan can trust that EA wont pull out again.
Right now I can trust that Activision will support the NX because they supported the Wii U. I know that an Ubisoft game has a good chance at coming out because they did release a few titles even if some were late to the party. At this point even if Nintendo were to do this I believe that we will get one token EA title again and they will bail because the sales wont be there because sports fans cant trust EAs continual support.
@bitleman except that your is not a generalization, just cows***t.
But anyway, I know that in such task you are very consistent, so kudos!
NX could be aimed as first, 'definitive' console for gamers, in which case they need EA (and ubisoft, activision, bandai, etc etc) or can be another 'mainly nintendo' console, in which case they can survive unifying 3ds and wiiu developers, but they will have to cope with again not exciting sale numbers. Only with competitive price they can become a succesfull secondary console for xbox and ps4 owners, but i fear the compentition of VR will be strong, if NX launch is targeted end of this year/beginning of the next one
I trust EA less than I trust Donald Trump.
@Rob_mc_1
I think the goal is twofold. 1st if the NX is more powerful than the PS4 and has the best version of EA games, I do expect some movement to the NX. If the NX version is worse, than no I wouldn't expect this to move the bar much.
The second part is Nintendo NX is unlikely to lead the market and I don't expect 40 million people to sell their PS4/XboxOne. It's about changing perception and starting to move the sales needle toward Nintendo. Instead of people thinking Nintendo consoles are for Nintendo games, people will think Nintendo consoles have all sorts of great games. And if I'm a single console owner, I should consider Nintendo. You may not get them to bite this round but its about moving the bar so the NX2, NX3, etc can build off of the progress instead of start from nothing.
The more support the better on the NX. If EA (or someone else) pushes Nintendo to add more ways to stream media content and there is more 3rd party support it will be a good thing. We can't all like all games on any system but choice is a good thing.
It will also help the console sell better than the Wii U if it has more 3rd party games alongside the fantastic exclusives Nintendo is known for like Zelda, Metroid, Mario, Splatoon and maybe Bayonetta 3 etc!
They need to step it up with a variety of bundles that people want and options that appeal to lots of people. The Wii U seems to be very geared to just Nintendo franchises and that has turned off many publishers. Time to step it up and work with companies who abandoned the company in the current generation. Clearly Nintendo cannot compete without the support.
I don't like EA sports games but they have bought other companies with talent. Some of those demands are things Nintendo needs to do besides EA. Are they going to have the next WWE game? Make sure it has the WWE app and pay for their version to be pushed during RAW.
Advertise your products to the market. Sony and Xbox ads take up all the ads space used for gaming on gaming websites.
If a game won't have all the features on your console support the company so they will be included or don't allow them on your system at all.
Also connect with more talented 3rd parties to work on Nintendo IPs. Just oversee the projects for quality.
None of that seems complicated. Also for some reason timed exclusives make a difference.
@Grumblevolcano I think Nintendo is still pop, but more like old school pop (up to the 70s or so) where they actually cared about skills rather than most of the mainstream pop nowadays (mainstream rap, Bieber or otherwise) that is just the same recycled crap over and over.
@sillygostly
You perfectly summed up my feelings on EA. And while for the most part what EA is asking(advertise better) is not unreasonable. It is as you say a two way street. If they give half-assed lazy ports such as ME3 when they just released a trilogy, the farce that is the new Star Wars Battlefront, or the DRM BS for Simcity, then really, what good is EA?
I understand that there are those who like the franchises that EA has and feel that Nintendo needs to do whatever it takes to get 3rd party I'm not knocking you guys but in all sincerity you cannot turn a blind eye to the overall garbage practices EA engages in. Who's to say that once EA gets Nintendo in it's pocket and completes the set that it's overall quality across the board will tank further. I know that what i say is speculation but it certainly is not baseless given their history.
Personally, I would love to enjoy some of the titles EA has, but given the current quality of their "work", I refuse to reward it, regardless of the franchise.
@KingofSaiyans
But they would totally play thise types of games if they were made by Nintendo. Because Nintendo would do them right
While I don't generally like EA, what they are asking just seems like good advice to me. Advertise fairly aggressively and Nintendo do should do well period.
@Zanark The 'why fight' mentality is what got Nintendo to the Wii U.
They made a 'must have' item with the Wii and developers supported it for a while.
Eventually though, not fighting found Nintendo doing their own thing, alone. And going at it alone for another console isn't going to cut it. Unless the 'core' fans want to see Nintendo go handheld / mobile only, getting 3rd party support back is critical.
Battlefront and Black Ops 3 outsold every Nintendo game released last year. Combined. They came out in November. Losing that kind of support again is going to be a nail in the coffin.
After Nintendo rejected EA's Origin deal, I was happy. But clearly, only Nintendo lost in the end. You call them junk, I call it making money and Nintendo makes their fair share of junk.
@cleveland124 'Nintendo would do them right'
Like Ultra Smash? amiibo Festival? Mario Golf Island Party?
Nintendo makes platformers, cartoony racers and multitiered 2D fighters well.
Their 3D actioners, sports games and RPGs haven't been well received in years and even the platformers are being outdone.
Rayman Legends was better than SMBU. Splatoon is a decent online game, but Battlefront still beat it sales wise. In a tenth of the time.
Nintendo gamers won't play them?
Then Nintendo will fail and Nintendo gamer will just be someone that used to exist.
@NodesforNoids
Was the sarcasm not thick enough? I'll try harder next time.
Whether Nintendo fans want to admit it or not, EA is an important 3rd party to have. Of course this means effort on both EA and Nintendo's part
Why does it sound like EA wants Nintendo to be Sony? They're 2 completely different ideologies! Plus, they're asking for so much, that Ninty's "warchest" might not suffice...
Or will it?
Forcing Nintendo to bundle their games definitely is arrogant and overstepping their bounds, who are they to tell Nintendo what they can and can't bundle with their console? Beyond that though, this all seems relatively reasonable.
I do not think that EA is being unreasonable, but I think that it is also not taking responsibility for their own part in their software's failure on the console. They are the ones that shoved half-baked ports onto the console, and they are the ones that failed to use the properties that would work best on the console (SimCity and The Sims should have been no brainers).
I do agree with them that Nintendo (specifically Nintendo in Japan) needs to realize that the American and even European markets are different than the Japanese ones in some very significant ways now. There is a difference between a country where a large portion of the population is located in a small area (348.73 per sq. km) and one where the population is spread out over 9.83 million sq. km (34 people per sq. km). Then there is the cultural differences, like the fact there is a vibrant developer community in the US that wasn't as prevalent (or healthy) back in the NES days.
I do think the bundling of their games on a Nintendo console is a little much. It is not Nintendo's responsibility to sell EA's games for them. Nintendo has a strong stable of first-party titles to sell their console where Microsoft and Sony more or less survive on third party entries.
@Project_Dolphin The issue is that their games alone isn't going to give them the "Nintendo-like profits" that they want. Maybe Nintendo needs to set their bar for "Nintendo-like profits" lower if they want to keep their current approach. I'd personally be happy if another Wii U situation happened (definitely my favourite Nintendo console especially if you count VC and backwards compatibility as part of the Wii U experience) as long as that didn't hurt the company (e.g. forced to become 3rd party afterwards).
@electrolite77 You missed some key elements of my post, like where I said I was referring to people who prefer sports titles over all other titles, and who go out of their way to buy a console specifically because of the sports games on it, and where I said that I was talking about the people that I specifically know in my own life who fit that description.
But since you replied, I'd like to ask you some questions. Are sports titles the main type of game that you play? If so, have you ever bought a console specifically to play those types of games, either because that console already had a sizeable library of sports titles on it, or because you expected it to in the future? And if yes, was one of those consoles made by Nintendo? And no, Wii Sports doesn't count.
And my final question(s)- if Nintendo and EA came out at the NX reveal and said they're going to be bringing all the same big sports titles to NX that have been released or will be released on PlayStation and Xbox, would you actually believe them at this point? And if they ended up telling the truth, would it make a difference in your decision to buy an NX for those games, or would you just keep playing them on PlayStation or Xbox, like I assume you're doing already?
That's a lot of questions, I know, but I think they're important questions that would serve this conversation well.
@cleveland124 The EA audience isn't much better. They only play western AAA since only these kind of games sell well on PS4 and Xbox One. There's no point to attract this audience if they don't care about japanese games (which is the main selling point of a Nintendo system).
Though i dont really miss EA games on nintendo consoles, as an nintendo fan i do support these negotions. Thing is nintendo needs EA for buissniss so they can retain the household name they had before especially if they want to keep it going for the future.
Back in the 90s no matter what console you had (sega, playstation neogeo whatever) you mother or aunt always "isnt it enough playing the nintendo?!!". Nintendo should try to go back to that and one of the ways to that is to have the most populair franchises on there consoles with atleast the same content as the competition.
If the NX does not help nintendo to attain that status again then nintendo will only become less and less populair through the years cause even a lot fans are growing tired of seeing the same commercialised formula every year (mario, zelda, pokemon targeting towards kids mostly) because let's be honest... if we look back at the Wiius life cycle then in actuality we didnt really need the NX right now.
If nintendo did the wiiu promotion right it wouldv sold a lot more i think.
The only mistake they mightv made is that the wiiu has a different architecture then the ps4 and xbone but if they promoted the wiiu better then the devs mightv overlooked that because it wouldv propably be a more popular console with more sales and for devs seeing benefit in producing a game for the wiiu.
I just really hope nintendo does it right with the NX. I want nintendo to be the only brand for me to give game experiences with no problem buying most 3d party games. I love Kratos but i Love Link, Mario, Pikachu and Samus even more.
Nintendo could and maybe should buy EA.
@Detective_TeeJay Nintendo doesn't need ea. Nintendo is a big boy and doesn't need momy to hold his hand.
If SSX NX could be a launch title, I'd actually be an early adopter for once.
@bitleman The PS4 seems to be doing fine with Japanese games.
@marck13 Yes good comment. Ea will try to dictate how Nintendo does business.
Buying ea is smart. Bowing down to them is weak.
Saying they don't need ea is strong. Saying they need ea is saying they need a crutch.
If I was in charge of Nintendo I would expand my software development so my gaming production would go uninfluenced.
If you don't like how I do things then there's the door.
@Vineleaf Street Fighter 5 just flopped
While I do agree that Nintendo do need EA on its platform to an extent, that's a very arrogant and bullish set of demands EA has - but lets face it, they're not totally unexpected either.
And pardon me for saying but I'll believe what EA says about an 'unprecedented relationship with Nintendo' and throwing their support behind it when I see it - and I'm not going to hold my breath for that, ever.
It's a bacon and egg situation. EA will never spend time to ensure a game is optimised or on parity on a Nintendo Console, and at a reasonable price because they are worried people won't buy them. People will then not buy them cause effort has not been made, and a better product and cheaper is available on another system they already own.
It will be history repeated.
@bitleman ps4 and vita has more japanese games (ported in the west) than wiiu
Let's have EA and some of the talent that worked on MVP Baseball team up with Nintendo to make an awesome exclusive Baseball game. Nintendo OWNS an MLB baseball team!
But yeah. I really want to see NX get back on the good side of pubs and consistently have Call of Duty and Madden/2K Sports/PES (if Konami keeps making it) etc.
I only bought a PS4 because of NHL 16 not being on Wii U or PS3.
I use my PS4 for NHL 16 and NHL Gamecenter more than any other purpose.
My ps4 also gets used for entertainment streaming with Amazon tv, Netflix and nowtv.
The NX NEEDS these apps and features. I would think it will as the Wii U did venture into this to a degree from the outset with Amazon to and Netflix, but seemed to stalk from that point on, probably due to lack of third party investment and a painfully slow building user base.
If they get NX right from day one, there is no reason why an abundance of apps and strong support from EA and EA Sports can't happen. EA sports featured heavily on GameCube after only 3 titles on N64.
Things do change an EA is a killer if it isn't on your library.
Sad but true.
Especially as that now encompasses Battlefield
Star Wars
NHL
Madden
Tiger Woods (Rory McElroy)
FIFA
Need for Speed
UFC
@arnoldlayne83 No mention of 3DS? lol
And how well do they sell?
@the-madprofessor
I have no problem with a GTA game on Nintendo consoles. I still would like to know if GTA 5 would have done well if it was released on Wii U.
This why some of the biggest Japanese games are on & coming exclusively to the PlayStation 4.
@Arnold-Kage
I can tell you Bully Schloarship edition on Wii is one of my favorite games on that system, I prefer that over the Xbox 360 version. Still hoping that a Bully 2 gets made. As for Chinatown Wars, it would be great if it could hit the Wii U Vc one day. Played it way back and I liked it, I just didn't beat it though. :/
@banacheck Because Sony is paying them
http://www.videogamer.com/xboxone/halo_5/news/sony_is_buying_third-party_exclusives_for_ps4_says_xbox_boss.html
Nothing wrong with that. Nintendo did the same thing when they were the biggest fish of the pond against Sega.
It's just funny how children think developers are limiting their market for free. They don't. Especially when most of those games end with few thousands sales.
Now those japanese third parties need see the bigger scheme and realize only Nintendo could offer them a welcoming market, since EA apologists only play western AAA. All they have to do is support Nintendo to give them a positive momentum. Sony is giving them a kiss of death and the japanese industry is dying.
@shonenjump86
But what matters in the end is if those games sells as wel on nintendo consoles as they did on other consoles when companies put in the time and effort to make them as good as they can be which they did unlike EA whit their port of fifa 13.
So based on the fact we have not seen a ip from rockstar in the last hardware generation i think your out of luck it a shame but that life.
@aaronsullivan Yeah, I think that the "Wii Sports" line was probably a big issue for Nintendo been willing to go all out with EA. Wii Sports was a huge success for Nintendo, as it became what the system was known for, and the reason people actively bought it, and they probably had plans to evolve the series further on Wii U, but as the system sales tanked, those plans changed.
Then they also have the "Mario Sports" series. The Mario Golf games would be in direct competition with PGA Tour, Mario Strikes with FIFA, and I'm sure EA would love to get the licence for a Tennis series too.
They aren't used to competition when it comes to these games, so for Nintendo to be developing the competition themselves isn't something that would go over well with EA.
Didn't even bother reading...screw EA.
One of the whole points why EA abandoned Nintendo with the Wii U is because they refused to bow down to EA's awful Origin system. It's just going to happen again with NX, unless either EA or Nintendo caves in. I doubt either will.
That's what these negotiations are really about- who holds power on the platform of NX. EA has a long history of power mongering, and Nintendo should not yield to them. Yes, Nintendo should be more accommodating and actually advertise games like they used to, but they should not bend over and take anything others like EA try to shove into them.
@Ras valve and gabe newell are the worst thing that happened to the gaming community.
You are one of those newell fanboys that are willing to kneel to valve and say "yes sir" to anything they say.
People that game on consoles are trying to get away from valve's dirty and manipulative tactics.
Don't try to taint Nintendo with valve-fanatics ideas. Just go play on your usless steam machine with you garbage steam controller while you pray for newell success and leave the real gaming platforms to the rest of us.
Yawn, EA. Terrible publisher. The worst publisher out there. There is a reason they were voted for worst company 2 years in a row. I have a gaming PC and a PS4 and I haven't bought an EA game in years. Nintendo should try to get in some actual good 3rd parties
AS far as I'm concerned EA and their pile of rubbish company can rot
None of their crap is touching my consoles and if they want to bundle a game with a system I won't be buying it.
im not a huge fan of ea at the moment guys.
But remember the megadrive ?
ea hockey, madden, road rash and desert strike ?
the lack of support finished sega, used to be sega v nintendo.
its now sony v microsoft
let them get onboard and keep nintendo alive
@devil76 The reason why EA finished Sega (by abandoning them) is because EA made an ultimatum that Sega had to stop making their 2K and Virtua sports series games. Sega obviously refused such a ridiculous offer. EA went on to abandon and ruin Sega to the best of their ability. (Which EA is now doing today with Nintendo, just because they won't accept EA's terrible Origin system.)
Interestingly enough, the American CEO of Sega during the Dreamcast years, Peter Moore, went on to become CEO of the gaming division of Microsoft, and EA, for a time... The plot thickens, eh?
i agree yes
but it still had a hand in segas console demise
@MajinSoul "There is a reason they were voted for worst company 2 years in a row." And they still make millions. So that title is irrelevant.
@JaxonH EA did it before with Sega, that's one of the reasons the Dreamcast went down the tubes. The 2K and Virtua sports series were clearly better than EA's offerings at the time period, so the only way for EA to compete was to use underhanded, dirty tactics to have their way or no way. All of the print publications knew it, online reviewers knew it, and the public knew it. This is pretty well known at this point. It's a history lesson nowadays, but it's not some made up crap, just go look it up already.
Now, EA is doing it again with Nintendo, trying to force them to submit to Origin. It has nothing to do with belief, EA is run by ruthless people. If Nintendo refuses Origin again, EA will abandon them again. And if Nintendo refuses Origin, I will applaud them. No one should have to meet such ridiculously unfair terms, especially on top of submitting to one of the worst DRM ridden systems on the face of the Earth.
@TwilightOniAngel That's because people are either idiots or don't care that they're buying from a bad company.
@PlywoodStick "or don't care that they're buying from a bad company." That's me.But what makes it worse,i know what they're doing.
@TwilightOniAngel Well, at least you're honest.
Oh, you mean those guys who had a completely finished Wii U game and refused to sell it until the console had more support?
Pass.
@CHET_SWINGLINE
In that case please accept my apologies for misinterpreting. I should have read it properly.
As for the questions....
"Are sports titles the main type of game that you play? If so, have you ever bought a console specifically to play those types of games, either because that console already had a sizeable library of sports titles on it, or because you expected it to in the future? And if yes, was one of those consoles made by Nintendo?"
I've never bought a console solely for sports games but it's been a huge factor. ISS64 was as vital as Mario 64 in making me get an N64. Pro Evolution Soccer was a big factor in my PS2 purchase (along with PGA Golf and Virtua Tennis 2). Yes Wii Sports made me get a Wii at launch and playing FIFA 09 at a friends helped me get a PS3.
"if Nintendo and EA came out at the NX reveal and said they're going to be bringing all the same big sports titles to NX that have been released or will be released on PlayStation and Xbox, would you actually believe them at this point? And if they ended up telling the truth, would it make a difference in your decision to buy an NX for those games, or would you just keep playing them on PlayStation or Xbox, like I assume you're doing already?"
Ha, I'm not sure I'd believe them but I'd try. Personally I now have the capacity to buy all systems and do so. However if I'm presented with entirely identical versions of FIFA 17 on NX, XB1 and PS4 there's every chance I'd buy the NX version-Nintendo get the money that way. However I do know people who would be far more likely to get an NX if it had full EA Sports support.
@PlywoodStick
We all know the story with the Wii U and Origin.
But Xenocity is just throwing out assumptions and speculation as fact. He says because of what happened with Sega, it's a fact that's exactly what they're doing now. Claims Nintendo has to stop making sports games and supporting indies? Wtf lol?
I know they're a ruthless company, and I don't doubt they will try some balogna, but that doesn't mean they're doing that now. I mean, Nintendo had sports games on Wii and Wii U.
So basically he's just wrong.
I'm no EA fan, but pushing Nintendo to do more advertising during some of the most widely viewed televised events (sports) is a good idea even independently of selling sports-themed games. For many of us, sports is the only live television we ever watch; everything else is streamed commercial-free.
Sports viewers these days are largely the group that grew up on Nintendo hardware, and I suspect they will be receptive to advertising for Nintendo products, especially if it is pitched as a retro revival of branding from the 80s/90s. People eat that stuff up.
LOL. EA can take that unprecedented bull and shove it.
It would be terrific to play the new Mirror's Edge game on the NX.
@arnoldlayne83 The Vita has only Japanese games and indies to fall back on, hence why more get localized on that platform and the PS4 is the PS4, you'd be crazy to not localize.
I'm meh on EA, so I don't really care if the deal falls through or not. I am, however, into getting more games filling out the NX library if they intend to create a successful whatever-it-is.
I used to love EA Sports games in the 90s (on Megadrive). I am all for attracting EA sports games on to the next Nintendo console (I just hope it doesn't attract all the yobs too.)
@bitleman
If Nintendo fans don't like 3rd parties then lets go all in alone on Wii U2. Ought to sell about 12 million like the first one.
The point is to expand the marketshare and get people that like 3rd party games to buy a Nintendo system. Because there is simply not enough Nintendo fans to support a system.
@electrolite77 Interesting enough, after we started this conversation, Thomas posted an editorial on this very topic. I agree with most of what he said, and he said it much more eloquently than I probably would have, so I guess I'll ride his coat tails and recommend that you go read that piece to see what my opinions are on the matter
@JaxonH Yeah, we have no idea what will happen in the future. History just serves as a series of lessons, it's not the defacto determiner of the future. I just hope EA eases up on the Origin part this time.
F them. There was no excuse for not making their smaller titles for the Wii U. I know people like to claim that EA is essential for Nintendo to succeed but it's not true. The Switch will be just fine without EA as long as Nintendo (and indies) can truly support it like they're saying.
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This article is very good, hopefully useful for me and all other readers.
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