Ricitiello: Wii development is ‘a third to a fourth the cost’ of next-gen

EA CEO John Ricitiello has spoken out about the cost of development for Wii titles, saying that for EA the cost is ‘a third to a fourth’ the size of next-gen development.

Speaking in the earnings call following the company’s Q3 financials, which saw its losses increase to $641m from $33m in the same period last year, Ricitiello said: "Development is typically a third to a fourth as much for a Wii game then it is for a PS3 or an Xbox 360 game."

"That is really a function of the capacity of the hardware, and the fact that it is not a high-definition gaming box, so we’re producing less art than for high-definition games."

Ricitiello made the comments to part explain the company’s increased focus on Wii titles, saying that the company "must capitalise on the progress made on the Wii."

EA also announced that it will be increasing the redundancy estimate previously given by the company to 1,100, or eleven per cent of its workforce – up from 10 per cent.