FIFA on the Nintendo NX? Might Just Happen

Nintendo's latest video game console, tentatively labelled as the Nintendo NX, is expected this year. And as is the case in the run up to most console launches, the rumour mill has been working overtime. The newest one claims that we might see popular third-party publisher Electronic Arts (EA) support the Nintendo NX.

According to industry sources speaking to NintendoLife, the FIFA hitmaker plans to bring its array of sports titles to Nintendo's console if it's deemed as sports-friendly. Meetings will take place next month to decide how the publisher's EA Sports arm would support the Nintendo NX and to what degree. The company wants "a detailed plan" from Nintendo on how it plans to win over the multitude of sports fans with the NX. This is something Nintendo failed to do with the Wii U.

(Also see: Nintendo NX Slated for 2016 Release According to Leaked Survey)

And while it might seem brazen to make such demands, it's not new either. In the past EA has convinced Microsoft and Sony to spent their marketing budgets towards promoting its roster of sports games, going as far as to sell consoles with EA Sports titles like NFL and FIFA. For most part, it's been a successful strategy, something EA wants to see Nintendo do.

In addition to this, sources claim that during a meeting between the two companies, an EA executive "criticised Wii U for not having entertainment apps for MLB.TV, NBA, WWE Network, NHL Game Center Live, and the NFL". For EA, the reason why the PS4 is a success amongst sports fans is the presence of complementary apps like these.

Given Nintendo's history of third-party support, or lack thereof, it would be unlikely that any of EA's demands would be met. However, with the Wii U doing as poorly as it did, we won't be surprised that Nintendo is at least considering the possibility of bolstering its library of games above and beyond those bearing its own logo.

(Also see: Nintendo NX Tipped to Come With 900p, 60fps Support)

At worst, it would simply be a repeat of what we saw with the Wii U. Long time fans would remember that during the Wii U's launch, the then EA CEO (now Unity boss) John Riccitiello claimed that Nintendo and EA would share an "unprecedented partnership". This amounted to little more than ports of existing EA games like Mass Effect 3 and Need for Speed Most Wanted.

This latest rumour follows an apparent 2016 release for the console as well as a survey leak pointing to a system that will let you play games at 900p and 60 frames per second.