EA: Wii games can't be ports, must have "own unique designs"

Speaking with Gamespot, EA Games president Frank Gibeau set the course for EA's Wii games to come, and warned against the choppy waters ports tend to bring.

"These need to be stand-alone, high-quality games that are profitable," he said. "Our operating assumption is that ports on the Nintendo Wii don't sell very well, and we have to design from the ground up--design from the controller out, frankly--an experience that can happen in an IP universe that might be someplace else or might be on multiple platforms, but it really needs to cater to Wii players and how Wii players play games."

"We think that there's opportunity to bring custom designs like Dead Space Extraction, Spore, and Need for Speed Nitro, which are all in their own unique windows, they're not shipping with other games on other platforms. They all have their own unique designs, their own looks. They're also targeting different customers."

He used Need for Speed as an example, noting that Xbox, PS3, and PC versions of the game are out to press high-end racing fans' fun buttons, while the Wii version is more of an arcade racer.

EA knows you, Wii gamer. It knows when you're sleeping and when you're awake. Tons more through the link.