Taken from an interview on gamesindustry.biz:
We were supportive of both of those platforms (3DS/Vita), 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?
Not unsurprising in the slightest, but coming from Peter Moore, it does raise an interesting point in where certainly EA at least see the 3DS and Vita in just a year or two.
Could it lead to where Nintendo's next handheld might be hitting the market (I think it's safe to say Vita is Sony's final attempt at a dedicated handheld system)? Are they just cutting their losses on dedicated handhelds? Western support in general has been abysmal even for the 3DS despite it's userbase. Vita has fared a bit better, but from much less influential developers (Big Ben Interactive, Milestone etc.). It seems none of the major companies are prepared to put any investment into a portable title anymore beyond the usual licensed shovelware aimed at the younger end of the market.
Personally I think we're seeing the tipping point where Mobile Gaming is going to start to replace dedicated handhelds, as much as I hate that because I just can't get on with mobile gaming at all. A touch screen for gaming just isn't right.
Thoughts?