Epic likes Wii U, says “E3 will be a big eye-opener”, expects it to succeed, noncommittal about support
Epic Games VP Mark Rein has fired off a slew of comments about Wii U.
Rein first commented on his overall thoughts about the system. He said that he likes Wii U, noting that “E3 will be a big-eye opener for people.” Rein even hinted how it’s possible to accomplish more with the console than what was shown with the “gorgeous” Zelda HD experience.
He said:
“I like the Wii U. I think E3 will be a big eye-opener for people. I played Batman: Arkham City on the Wii U and they are doing some really cool stuff with the controller. Do you remember the Zelda demo they had on it? Would you not buy a Wii U just to play that? Of course you would. That’s what Nintendo is all about. Their hardware is the software delivery service for their great content. That Zelda demo was gorgeous and we can do even more than that with Unreal Engine 3. I think it will do great.”
Next, Rein talked about how Nintendo’s stable of franchises will boost sales. Additionally, Rein expressed confidence that parents are prepared to upgrade their children’s Wii’s. Even though he would’ve liked Wii U to be in store shelves last year, he’s still excited about it.
He said:
“It’s a great brand that a lot of parents really trust and they’re probably ready to buy their kids an HD Wii that does that much more than just being an HD Wii. I’d love it if they’d done it last year, but I’m excited for them to do it this year. I’d be shocked if it doesn’t do well. Did you play that Battle Mii game? Two players would play with a Wii Remote and Nunchuk and one would play with the Wii U controller? I would buy a Wii U to play that game in a heartbeat. And I hope people make those kind of games with our technology. I think we’ve yet to really see what the Wii U can do and I think at E3 this year they’re going to shock us.”
Epic’s confidence in Wii U means we’ll be seeing support from the company, right? Not so fast.
Rein said the following when asked about supporting the system:
“If I had 10 development teams I’d make a game for every single platform and make that the special game for that platform. If you’re the special game on that platform you do really, really well. Gears was one of the special ones on Xbox 360. Infinity Blade is a special game on the iPhone and iPad. Shadow Complex was a special game on Xbox Live Arcade. But we don’t have 10 development teams so it’s just a matter of picking and choosing what we do and doing the best thing we can for the idea that we have.”
