E3 2011: Wii U boasts M-rated third-party support

LOS ANGELES--As part of its 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference today, Nintendo formally unveiled Wii U, marking its entry into the high-definition console market. Though it trails behind Microsoft and Sony by more than five years, Nintendo has wasted no time in attracting third-party publishers' more violent wares to its new, more powerful console.

Assassin's Creed is coming to the Wii U.

In a sizzle reel promoting the Wii U, Nintendo confirmed that a number of previously announced titles will also be coming to its new console. These titles include the recently announced Sega's Aliens: Colonial Marines, as well as THQ's Metro: Last Light, Namco Bandai's Tekken, Codemasters' Dirt, Ubisoft's Ghost Recon Online, Warner Bros.' Batman: Arkham City, and Tecmo Koei's Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. (Tecmo Koei confirmed that Razor's Edge on the Wii U is different from Ninja Gaiden 3 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.)

[UPDATE] It appears as if Sega and Gearbox aren't completely committing to releasing Aliens: Colonial Marines on the Wii U. As part of the publisher's official announcement of the title, it said that "Aliens: Colonial Marines is being prototyped and considered for the Nintendo Wii U." The announcement went on to note that Gearbox has "a dedicated research and development branch within the studio" working on the game.

As part of a second teaser reel that featured a number of industry executives, THQ VP Danny Bilson confirmed that Darksiders 2 will be a launch title for the Wii U, which is currently scheduled to arrive in late 2012. Ubisoft's Yves Guillemot also indicated that an installment in the Assassin's Creed franchise--one that includes multiplayer--would arrive for the console. However, he did not name-check the name of the publisher's latest game, Assassin's Creed: Revelations.

[UPDATE] Following the close of Nintendo's E3 media briefing, Ubisoft also confirmed that it is bringing its zany Rabbids franchise to the Wii U. The publisher also has plans to bring "two new brands" to Nintendo's high-definition console, one of which will be a core-oriented first-person shooter and the other of which will be a family-focused sports compilation.

For more on Nintendo's latest announcements, check out GameSpot's live show from E3, which begins today at 12 p.m. PDT.

For more info on Nintendo's latest console, the Wii U, be sure to check out our Nintendo Wii U: Everything You Need To Know feature or watch Nintendo's E3 2011 Press Conference to see the full reveal.