Love them or hate them, EA is one of the largest game publishers in the world. From consoles, to handhelds, and mobile, EA is known for small gems like The Simpson’s Tapped Out and Plants vs. Zombies to mega franchises like Call of Duty (jokes), and FIFA to name a few. Have EA support your platform and it has a high chance of flourishing but if the game giant decides to look away, you then get the results of the the Wii U and PS Vita, despite the latter one being hailed as a wining combo by gamers and press alike. So why has EA shunned the powerful portable in favor of mobile? The answer may surprise you.

Here is EA COO Peter Moore:

 We were supportive of both of those platforms. But then you’ve got finite resources and you’ve got teams that say, ‘We really think that two or three years from now, these are the platforms that people are going to be consuming games on.’ And you look at the quality of what you can do on phones and tablets… Sometimes strategy is not about what you do but what you don’t do, and you have to make some hard calls when you’ve got only so many people. To my point, we’ve got to be planning for FY 17 and 18. Do you think the Vita and 3DS are going to be around in some shape or fashion by then on a scale level? 

While likely not an answer that will sit well with fans of the PS Vita, his reasoning unfortunately makes sense. PlayStation Vita is likely the last handheld Sony will ever make as smartphones and tablets get more and more powerful. Even if a smartphone could never produce the same quality as a dedicated handheld gaming device, the reality is that your phone will always be on you where with the Vita or a 3DS, you have to make a conscious decision to take it along with you.

Still, I’m sure if the Vita enjoyed higher sales figures that it would surely make EA give the console a second look. Then again, the 3DS has plenty going for it in the sales department and EA doesn’t seem all that interested in it.

Discuss:

Do you buy into Peter Moore’s reasonings?

[Via GI]