With Nintendo's own Wii Sports Resort on ice until July, third parties will have the Wii MotionPlus hardware add-on all to themselves. First to take advantage of the new motion control accessory is Electronic Arts.
That's a very good thing for the company, which has hitched its development wagon to the Wii. The company is planning Wii versions of many of its titles and, in some cases, leading with Wii development, according to EA CEO John Riccitiello.
It's also leading the Wii MotionPlus support parade, with EA Sports' Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and Grand Slam Tennis each getting hardware-software bundles. How does EA's CEO feel about that?
"It's emblematic of a strong partnership between EA and Nintendo," Riccitiello said during an earnings call.
"I don't think it's [going to have] any real material impact on our profitability," he cautioned, possibly to caution against Wii Play-caliber sales expectations, adding that Wii MotionPlus bundles "can help us on sales."
Riccitiello believes that the "new sensor is going to be in high demand," and that the currently offered EA bundles will be snapped up by consumers.