EA Says Wii Graphics "Not Broadcast Quality"

Kris Erickson • Dec 17, 2008 • Comments (0)

Electronic Arts is facing sanctions over an advertisment for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 which ran on television in the UK. A viewer complained that the advertisement, which is strongly branded with Wii logos and devices, did not actually show Wii footage of the game. It turns out the complainer was correct: gameplay footage for the advert was entirely taken from the much better-looking Xbox 360 version of the game. However, the fact that Tiger is seen waving a Wiimote around would lead viewers to believe that the gameplay footage was in fact, taken from the Wii.

So why did Electronic Arts decide to substitute the Wii gameplay shots for Xbox 360 footage? Well according to EA, it is because the Wii version of the game is fugly. No, seriously, check it out:

"Electronic Arts confirmed that the footage in the ad was taken from the Xbox 360 version of the game. They pointed out that Tiger Woods was seen using a Wiimote throughout the ad and the only branding at the end of the ad was that of Nintendo Wii. They said, to avoid any confusion, they added text to inform viewers that the game was available on all formats. Electronic Arts maintained that they were demonstrating game action that was possible on all formats and did not show any gameplay that was impossible on a Wii. They explained that Wii footage would not be of broadcast quality, and the originating agency had thought it preferable to use the Xbox footage, which was closer to broadcast definition, than to "up the resolution" of Wii footage to broadcast quality.

They believed the use of the Wiimote throughout, the subsequent Nintendo branding and the format advice at the end of the ad was sufficient to allow viewers to ascertain that the gameplay was representative of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 and not specific to any gaming platform. They added that they had never intended to imply that the graphics used were taken from the Wii version."