Pachter: Wii U may be stuck with only first-party games

And here … we … go …

Industry analyst Michael “Soup Calves” Pachter is speaking about Nintendo again, and we know how much you all love that. This time, the fearless soothsayer warns Nintendo could be stuck with nothing but its own games on the Wii U, as everybody else migrates to superior machinery. 

“We believe the Wii U release slate on display will be a key determinant of the console’s long-term staying power,” he told investors. “With the more powerful PS4 and Xbox One launching later this year, Nintendo risks losing additional share to its console competitors if the quality and volume of content available for Wii U does not pick up markedly in the near-term.

“If the Wii U’s popularity does not improve by the end of the year, many third-party publishers may pass on producing games for the console. EA recently announced that it had no Wii U games in development, and it remains a possibility that the publisher will abandon the platform entirely. Should other third parties follow EA’s lead, the Wii U could be relegated to a first party only platform.”

Pachter’s been skeptical of the Wii U for quite some time, but there’s no denying Nintendo’s in a hard place right now. The Wii became a phenomenon, so it didn’t matter if its hardware was behind the times. The Wii U did not get on Oprah, and third parties are edging slowly away from it. Still, at least the system’s got an exclusive on Sonic … for now. 

Wii U “could be relegated to a first party only platform” [MCV]