EA focus changing from graphics to gameplay, thanks to the Wii
Electronic Arts has always been a company that, for me, has had a running order of priorities: profit, graphics, yearly updates of popular franchises. Not so anymore, at least on the graphics front. From now on, gameplay is to be the order of the day, and we have the Wii to thank (blame) for this change.
Back in February it emerged during an earnings call to investors that EA was going where the consumers were leading them – the Wii. Having ignored the console at the beginning of this generation, this was a U-turn of epic proportions showing once and for all that EA is all about the money; loyalty and creativity taking a back seat.
So, alongside new IPs coming to the Nintendo console, other existing franchises would start to be ported over from the PS3 and Xbox 360 as well. Overall, the Wii is going to receiving 50 percent of EA’s focus from here on in, at least until it stops selling I assume.
In an interview with MCV, EA Sports President Peter Moore spoke about the change of console priority but went further and discussed how working more on the Wii has made the company change its priority of what it needs to offer gamers too. He said:
You can’t ignore the guy who’s got half the business now. So we’ve had to adapt our franchises and our messages.
We’ve been used to using graphics as the selling point for the latest FIFA or Madden. The Wii can’t deliver that, but we’ve come to learn how to adapt to the motion. We had a slow start and maybe we were leading on Xbox 360 and PS3 a few years ago and not paying enough attention to the Wii.
It’s not about the detail in the shirts and being able to smell the grass anymore. It’s about having fun and how the games feel.
I can fully understand EA’s shift of attention onto the Wii. After all, the Nintendo console is currently running away with this generation and those numbers must be appealing to a unit-shifting company such as Electronic Arts. But moving away from graphics-led game development in order to make games more fun and enjoyable, and dare I say it casual, seems a risky endeavor to me.
More worryingly, this trend could spread beyond EA to other multi-platform companies. If they’re what is going to sell then why not make games to appeal to the lowest common denominator. In other words, pile ‘em high and sell ‘em cheap. Oh dear.
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30 Responses to “EA focus changing from graphics to gameplay, thanks to the Wii”
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May 7th, 2009
I don’t get it. EA can poo in a game case and people will still buy it.
May 7th, 2009
Fire Peter Moore and that will help a lot and make games for real gamers PC/PSP/PS2/PS3 HHM WELL DA TOO Xbox
May 7th, 2009
Love your work, Ivan.
May 7th, 2009
harry sachz:
Don’t worry i just got a bunch a Xbox 360 games but inFAMOUS still top priority for me.
Electronic Arts needs to start making new IP worth buying profit is one thing but damn stop being such stupid company.
The Godfather II
Street Fighter IV
Saints Row 2
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Watchmen: The End Is Nigh
Pure
Bully: Scholarship Edition
Fallout 3
Left4Dead
John Woo Presents Stranglehold
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buyer
May 7th, 2009
Really the man is right. Game play should take presidence over graphics. Left for Dead is a great example of that. You can have the pretties looking 1080P what ever but if the game play suck then what good are the graphics. PES has been showing what good game play is and FIFA has never really got that realism down packed but a FIFA game looks real good and graphic hores go after it but PES is the better Football (Scoccer) game which true fans know has the better game play.
May 7th, 2009
If we get better games then ok, fair enough.
But with this being about EA I have my doubts.
Whatever happens graphics will evolve and improve, maybe it’ll be less noticeable with EA’s stuff but other devs will always push the envelope (especially those with a PC connection, 1st party and/or close ties to any particular console).
This will be especially true when/if we get a new gen in the next year or two.
EA will not be content to leave their games looking the worst of the bunch or the most ordinary.
Besides, when just about everything is out as a 1080p (native) game that alone will be a major step forward for most.
That is surely the single biggest move forward yet to come?
Obviously (with the exception of the new Toshiba 2k upscaling HD TV) 1080p is the limit for TV for the foreseeable future so that has to be the next most logical move.
May 7th, 2009
Ivan, what site is that? Or is it you?
Yeah, every game should look like it was created a decade ago, have broken motion controls, subpar sound, and the word “party” in the title. Thanks Wii.
Dead Space was pretty decent. Lets see how that crappy on the rails Wii version does for them. I’ll bet about as well as other third part Wii exclusives. The Wii is “fools gold”. I really hope these developers start to loose lots of money with these crappy Wii games.
May 7th, 2009
They already are, Barnabe. They’d be losing more if they actually put any money into MAKING this garbage. You can barely call them video games anymore. Anyone here play Madden on the Wii last year? Downright awful.
-Arvis
May 7th, 2009
For my $500 Ps3 I expect games with good graphics and good game play.
Why do they have to focus on one or the other?
F#$k the wii! I got a PS3 for the good looking (And Fun) Games.
May 7th, 2009
Yeah ncaissie, looking at the headline for this article I really REALLY wish it were true… sadly, with the Wii we don’t get either graphics OR gameplay. Everyone knows that gamers who want both get a PS3 or 360.
-Arvis
May 7th, 2009
Moderate this post fast please. Or I’m out for good and fix the log out issue it never lets me log outer the site.
May 7th, 2009
“Moderate this post fast please. Or I’m out for good ”
PLEASE DO **NOT** MODERATE HIS POST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FOR THE LOVE OF FUCKING GOD!
May 7th, 2009
“Moderate this post fast please. Or I’m out for good ”
Hands up who wants this post moderated fast…..
May 7th, 2009
“Left for Dead is a great example of that.”
Presuming that you mean L4D is good, compare the gfx of that game to lets say… Animal Crossing : City Folk. I can handle playing games that look like L4D for a while, but fuck, if things start to look like AC:CF then I’m going to cry.
The level of detail you get in L4D is enough to give you ‘immersion’ in the game imo. And thats what games are partly about imo. Take Oblivion, walking around in that gorgeous world, deer running away from you, orchestrial music playing in the background etc,.. was fucking awesome…
All I’ve ever seen on Wii is meh-sticles with the exception of Metroid Prime 3, and they’re not making anymore of those…(fuckers)
I’ve said it before and Ill say it again, PC gaming, its where we can all retreat to if needed
May 7th, 2009
Like i will ever stop
SW:
Stop being a dick rider loser.
Most people here hate Xbox 360 so shut the fuck up.
May 7th, 2009
“PC gaming, its where we can all retreat to if needed.”
Sad but true. I never thought I would agree with that, but if consoles go all “Wii-y” on me, then I may just have to let them die.
The Sims 3 looks like it might be fun for a while…. *sobs*
-Arvis
May 7th, 2009
about time madden is starting to suck…go back to last gen gameplay
May 7th, 2009
“dick rider loser.”
Bwhahahaha
“fix the log out issue it never lets me log outer the site.”
Need to log into your alt. logins to agree with your own posts?
May 7th, 2009
lol @ SW. Don’t poke the hornet’s nest, he might go ‘Dominican Gamer’ on your arse.
May 7th, 2009
True.
*hunkers down for the storm*
May 7th, 2009
CAD you smoking crack?
PES has been a hunk of shit the last 3-4 years… not since like 2005 has PES had the better game, fifa right now is king of soccer, you obviously haven’t played 09 on next gen… your funny… PES was the best… but it has fallen, that and i hate the fact my fav team is called man blue, wtf kinda name is man blue?
May 7th, 2009
A soccer team consisting of the Blue Man Group?
May 8th, 2009
that a family guy quote?
nah just shits me how little licencing that PES has… like come on every year theres 5 different basketball games yet PES only gets the “big” clubs, sorry but that right there is a biased view in my part… that and the game play has seriously suffered resently… and fifa has always had the better GRAFIXSORZZZZ
May 8th, 2009
about time madden is starting to suck…go back to last gen gameplay
May 8th, 2009
Graphics are semi important to me, but a “good” game needs to have other quality’s like good controls, enjoyable story and characters, and most importantly it needs to be fun.
Nintendo has completely dropped the ball with the Wii. Nintendo’s massive sales gave them an opportunity to really do something new and innovative with gaming. Instead, the company chooses to release GameCube and PS2 ports with waggle. Nintendo’s new Wii line up has been nothing but rehashed IP’s with minimal improvements over there GameCube counter parts. Add in an unprecedented amount of shovel ware from third party developers, and you have the worst console in history.
May 8th, 2009
u been smokin crack huh gamers
May 8th, 2009
Arvis, Two new JRPGs for PS3 just announced:
“Last Rebellion” (Nippon Ichi – Fall US release)
“Trinity Universe ” (NIS – US release to be announced today) supposed to be similar to Xenogears.
Also Persona 5 will probably be announced at E3.
May 8th, 2009
I’ve read up on Trinity Universe, but Last Rebellion is new to me. I’ll check it out, thanks!
-Arvis
May 9th, 2009
well your right I have not played 09 so I have to check that out but before that it was the better game.
May 13th, 2009
@Barnabe,
“PS2 ports with waggle”
kotaku.com/5071145/sony-patents-ultrasonic-waggle-controller-technology