Ubisoft is throwing down the proverbial gauntlet at the feet of the number one third party game developer, Electronic Arts, and is challenging them for dominance over the Wii.
Laurent Detoc, the North America president of Ubisoft said, "Our goal is not to sell to EA but to beat EA."
The comments were made recently to Reuters and demonstrate the undercurrent of strained relations with EA that has infused the offices of Ubisoft since Electronic Arts, surprise purchase of 20% of the shares in the French company in 2004. Shareholders and management were worried that this first move by EA was just a precursor to the possible hostile takeover by the giant publisher. One business analyst, who asked to be unnamed, said at the time to Reuters that, "Electronic Arts is unlikely to stop at the 20 percent threshold. There is an industrial logic behind this move. They must be gearing up for an acquisition."
Detoc further stated Ubisoft,s commitment to Nintendo,s Wii by pointing out the draw factor of the new game controller and how easy it was to operate. "You get it right away. The Wii is unlikely not to succeed. The curiosity factor is going to help them and it’s an impulse buy for most people."
Ubisoft has an expected lineup of eight titles to coincide with the launch date of the Wii on November 19, with other titles already in the works for future release after launch.
