Factor 5 announces it will no longer support the GameCube, turning its attention to next generation consoles and handhelds.
Numerous sources reported today that Factor 5 has officially dropped support for Nintendo’s GameCube. Many have taken this to be another blow to Nintendo’s third party support, right after the recent Silicon Knights announcement. However, this news should not be taken too gravely.
Factor 5 isn’t just dropping support for the GameCube, it is dropping its support of all current generation systems. As Factor 5 president Julian Eggebrecht reminded GameSpot, Factor 5 has “never been a Nintendo shop.” They simply chose to develop the Rogue Squadron series on Nintendo’s console, and have a long history with Nintendo on its MusyX audio tools.
As a middleware developer, Factor 5 already announced its affiliation with Sony on its PSP and Microsoft on its XNA standardization movement at GDC. Factor 5 was also involved with DivX tools for non-Nintendo consoles. Factor 5 insists that it still has close ties with Nintendo and is excited about both the Nintendo DS and GCNext. The company is likely withholding its next-generation Nintendo plans until the first party discloses its own.
Eggebrecht also hinted at the possibility of a new game announcement in the near future, though which future platform(s) it will run on are shrouded in mystery.
