Thing is, looking at the original post, I'm not
quite convinced that MTV Multiplayer got it wrong.
First of all, "rather than a machine having an account" is a very odd choice of wording if 3DS-style hardware-based "accounts" are a default feature of which Ubisoft is merely doing a runaround.
More importantly, the quote in the OP omits what might -
might - be a fairly important piece of context:
Blunt was on hand at E3, demonstrating "Ghost Recon Online" for the Wii U. The game is definitely focused on the multiplayer experience, so I asked him why he thought the Wii U would be a good fit, since Nintendo consoles traditionally aren't very online capable.
There's a few things on that. The first is the ability for individuals to make accounts. Rather than a machine having an account, each individual user has an account."
So I asked him, "Equivalent to a gamertag on Xbox Live?" "Yeah, exactly," he said.
He continued, saying that friend codes are no longer required for adding friends:
"Also the ability to easily find friends. Rather than using friend codes, which we've had in the past, we're able to connect players in a much easier way, which allows us to have a community that's playing together in the game."
Frushtick was apparently asking about why Wii U was a good choice of platform for an online game in general, not about Ghost Recon's online features specifically. Considering that context, it
sounds like Blunt would be talking about firmware-level online features, not - again - any runaround Ubisoft is doing.
Might I be reading too much into this? Certainly; I know full well just how atrocious Nintendo's record with online is. I just figure it bears noting for now.