EA’s Larry Probst says his company is ending plans for developing original titles for the PSP and that the Wii should get 12 or 13 EA games next year (with two or three of them being original Wii titles).
Says Joystiq’s Zack Stern: “While any EA support for Nintendo’s console is good for gamers, two or three Wii-specific titles seems like a low target for the world’s biggest publisher (I agree – Jack). Madden on the Wii takes a legitimate shot at using motion controls with an old franchise; we hope that EA can pull this off for all of its established titles. But wouldn’t the Wii market be best served by shipping five or six original games in the year and skipping the ports? Or is that approach at the expense of EA’s business model?”
While all of EA going over a cliff in a brand new Porsche is my definition of mixed emotions, I still think EA could bolster Wii’s success with a few more completely original titles than just “two or three.” I’m skeptical though, since EA seems very comfortable (and profitable) in going the port route with their existing franchises. I don’t think Nintendo *needs* EA as much as EA thinks they do, but how about everyone else?