Madden 08 Wii to Lack Friend Code Support

While the Wii version of Electronic Arts' upcoming Madden 08 will feature online multiplayer, it will not support Nintendo's friend code system, according to EA Tiburon associate producer Damian Zerr. The game will instead use EA's own online matchmaking system, EA Nation. "Madden Wii doesn't support the Wii friends system during online play. This is something we're still working on with Nintendo," said Zerr in an interview with IGN UK. "For now our online play uses your EA Nation Persona to search and manage your EA Messenger account." The title will support two-player online Exhibition games, with the option of competitively ranked matches or casual unranked play. The EA Nation lobby will include streaming sports scores, Madden leaderboards, and access to updated rosters. Zerr also mentioned that although the game will not support voice chat this year, it will allow players to send instant messages over EA Messenger. Madden 08 for the Wii is due out on August 14th, alongside the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 variants.