Nintendo’s upcoming console will support the nascent Unity Engine programming platform.The game engine, owned by Unity Technologies, has been used primarily for mobile game titles, which means that developers of Android and iPhone games will be easily able to port those titles over to the Wii U.
It is no doubt a strategic way for Nintendo to encourage more third-party support. This is a relatively inexpensive way for burgeoning game makers to turn their existing creations into full-fledged console games.
There are 1.2 million registered Unity developers, allowing Nintendo to cast a very wide net.
“The rapid growth of incredible games coming from the experienced and talented developers in our community makes Unity the new development platform of choice for AAA console developers,” said Unity Technologies CEO David Helgason in a statement.
Nintendo has always faced trouble attracting third-party support, and this may be exactly the strategic partnership it needs to help alleviate that problem for its new console.
“Nintendo’s unfettered access to Unity will produce a wealth of insanely good games from knowledgeable Nintendo developers and the Wii U deployment add-on will create an amazing opportunity for our massive community of developers to showcase their incredible creativity on one of the most anticipated and innovative gaming platforms to date,” Helgason said.
