Capcom Passes Up On Porting Games To Wii U

Prominent Japanese video game developer Capcom (TYO: 9697) is not planning to adapt its most recent popular titles such as “Resident Evil 6,” “Street Fighter IV,” and “Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3” for fellow Japanese gaming giant Nintendo’s (PINK: NTDOY) new next-generation console, the Wii U.

Capcom revealed the news through a forum post on the company’s website after a use raised the question directly.

“With regard to Wii U, in general we’re looking forward, not back so late ports are generally not on the table,” Capcom USA’s senior vice president Chrisian Svensson, wrote in response.

The move is unusual given that several U.S. publishers such as Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: EA) and Warner Bros. Interactive, a Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) subsidiary, both plan to release Wii U version “Mass Effect 3” and “Batman: Arkham City” respectively. Even THQ, which was forced to file for bankruptcy last month, has maintained its plans to adapt its popular “Darksiders 2” game for the new console.

The Wii U, which was first released in the U.S. and Europe in November 2012 and Japan the next month, was designed to be backwardly compatible with all earlier versions of the original Nintendo Wii console. At a starting price point of $299.99 and a small inventory of launch titles, this compatibility is a major selling point for the first next-generation video game console.

Capcom currently only have one game confirmed for release on the Wii U, “Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate,” which is an updated version of a game the company first released in 2010. It is possible that Capcom is hoping to hold off on next-generation console development until Sony (NYSE: SNE) and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) make their own plays for the market, given that both are of generally expected to come out with next-gen consoles of their own later this year.

This news might also signal a possible weakness of Capcom's presence in the current console market signalled by its latest disappointing round of high-profile releases. Late in December 2012, after all, Capcom cut its full-year consolidated outlook for the current fiscal year due to “weakened” sales of recent releases like “Resident Evil 6” and the delayed release of “Monster Hunter 4.”

A representative for Capcom was not immediately available for comment.