EA's Paul Barnett pegs the Wii as the first MMO-friendly console

by Michael Zenke May 20th 2008 at 4:30PM

Both Microsoft and Sony have big plans for the MMO genre on their respective consoles. Games like Huxley and Age of Conan are slated for the 360, and NCsoft's pairing with the Japanese hardware giant could mean any number of new games for the PlayStation 3. The console company that has remained silent on the MMO front so far is, of course, Nintendo. The Wii hardly seems like the ideal platform for a massively multiplayer experience, the possibilities of Pokemon aside.

Just the same, EA Mythic's Paul Barnett recently singled out Nintendo as the most likely to capitalize on the console possibilities of MMOs. Barnett notes that the dominance of one game has resulted in very specific thinking about the genre. As a result, game makers are having trouble concepting an online experience to be console-based from the ground up. Nintendo, Barnett feels, could overcome this hurdle. "The best example I can find for a perpetual online console game is Rock Band, with it Xbox Live community store. It's somewhere in there. I don't know what it is, but that's perhaps the closest I've seen to convincing console people to do things together, to do things online, to do things that cost money, to earn income."

Tags: microsoft, ncsoft, nintendo, paul-barnett, sony, wii, xbox-360, xbox360

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

breezer said on 4:41PM 5-20-2008

More proof that Paul Barnett is the world's biggest bullshit artist.

Leshrac said on 4:46PM 5-20-2008

I see I'm not the only one that wants to throw this guy off of the Empire State building. I'm sick of his ranting and other shtick. This guy is more interested in making himself into a celebrity then he is shipping a quality product. Because if he was interested in getting the product done and out the door we all wouldn't know who the hell he was, he belongs behind a keyboard and not in front of a camera.

Ghen said on 4:50PM 5-20-2008

Yeah sorry, but Nintendo's console is the last to do EVERYTHING online. Technology and controls are worthless when the company refuses to let people actually talk to each other over its console.

Jester said on 5:07PM 5-20-2008

Considering the Nintendo folks have stated time and again they do not want to get into the MMO / Online Play market... this guy is most likely smoking something pretty strong.

mietha CAG said on 2:39PM 5-21-2008

THERE HAVE BEEN CONSOLE MMOS SINCE 1-9-9-9. What the hell is wrong with these people? There are currently 2 running on the 360 alone... I doubt the Wii could run UO or Maple Story...