CEO Yves Guillemot says zombie game for Wii U did not pay off; EA COO Peter Moore believes Nintendo’s latest console has been a “disappointment.”
Wii U launch title ZombiU was not profitable and there are no plans, or desire, for a sequel. That’s according to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, who told GamesIndustry International that “betting big” on the Wii U did not pay off for the company.
Guillemot also said it was ZombiU’s underwhelming performance that led the publisher to decide to release Rayman Legends as a multiplatform game instead of a Wii U-exclusive.
In May, Ubisoft Montpellier creative director Jean-Philippe Caro said the studio was at work on a ZombiU 2 prototype, though firm details were not disclosed.
GameSpot has reached out to Ubisoft for additional comment or clarification on Guillemot’s remarks and the status of the ZombiU franchise moving forward.
Electronic Arts chief operating officer Peter Moore is also quoted in the GamesIndustry International report, saying the Wii U has been a “disappointment” thus far. No new titles are in development for the system, he confirmed.
“We were there with four games for them [at launch],” he says. “It’s been a disappointment when you look at sell-through and, as a company, we have to be very judicious where we deploy our resources.”
By comparison, EA supported the original Wii with 78 titles through the system’s lifespan. Moore also pointed out that a lack of interest in online functionality among Wii U users is a reason EA is staying away from the platform.
“The lack of online engagement that we see on Wii U [is troubling],” Moore said. “It’s so integral to what we do. They’re so small it’s hardly worth running the servers. It seems like a box that’s out of sync with the future of EA – which is one that gives a real social feel to our games. The Wii U feels like an offline experience right now.”
The Wii U has officially sold 3.45 million units worldwide. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said last month that “We are to blame” for poor Wii U sales, noting marketing efforts have not done enough to explain why the system is compelling.
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