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“450 million people are currently on Facebook. Nearly half of those are playing social games. And if you look at people who follow the World Cup, it gives you a sense of the potential a game like FIFA Superstars has.” Wilson adds: “What the Playfish team has shown us is where we will ultimately end up for all of our businesses. The consumers vote with the way they play, and you respond, and if you respond right you will be successful and if you don’t then you’re not. That puts the power in the hands of the gamer and I think that is great.”
IT’S JUST NOT CRICKET If FIFA Online, Tiger Online and FIFA Superstars prove as successful as EA hopes, then the company is optimistic that it can bring back some of the franchises it turned its back on – titles such as Rugby and Cricket that fell by the wayside as EA Sports transformed its business.
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EA Sports team today but it isn’t the only area the publisher has recently invested in. There’s a host of new platforms and technology that promise to be the next revolution for games – beyond Facebook and iPad there’s Natal, Move and 3D. Ultimatley, EA Sports’ aim is to make sure it is well prepared for all of them uniquely. “It is no longer the internet it is the splinternet,” explains Moore. “From EA’s perspective, if there is a consumer that wants a game experience on something that has a screen and a button input, we’ve always tried to be there. iPad is a great example and EA is dominating on the iPad right now with Mirror’s Edge, Need for Speed and so on. “Who’d have thought of Facebook five years ago? If you were around during the height of GameCube, who’d have thought Wii would be where it is now? For us, we have spent years investing in a technology and tools and
With iPad and Facebook there are different ways to offer games based on rugby and cricket at lower cost. Andrew Wilson, EA Sports SVP
“All of the sports we did before that we are not doing today is because there isn’t consumer demand for them,” says Wilson. “I have built Rugby and Cricket games in my time here. The problem is the cost of development has begun to rise and the size of these markets have not. “As a public company it is difficult to justify offering those experiences. I hope with the future we are seeing with iPad and Facebook, that there are different ways to bring these alternative sports to consumers that don’t cost hundreds of millions to build.” Moore agrees: “It is very difficult to justify from a business perspective to dedicate 20 or 30 people full time to deliver a cricket game. “But is there a browser-based version
of Rugby and Cricket which we can look to develop? I think yes. We’re not there yet, but ultimately we should be able to digitise that content and offer more experiences for more regional sports that is more difficult to scale.”
TECHNICAL INNOVATION Online games may be what excites the
IT’S IN THE GAMES
We run through the biggest titles on EA Sports’ roster for 2010
FIFA 11 Platforms: PC, DS, PSP, 360, PS3, Wii, PS2 Released: October How do you improve on FIFA 10? How about new passing and accurate body types? Yep, that should do it.
FIFA ONLINE Platforms: PC Released: Out Now The free-to-play browser game is designed to attract a broad audience of consumers. Facebook’s FIFA Superstarsis also due soon.
EA Sports MMA Platforms: PS3, 360 Released: Christmas It may not boast the UFClicence that has benefited THQ, but EA Sports feels its new fighter “will be the dominant force in MMA” by 2015.
people, it is strategic but at the same time you are throwing mud against the wall and saying ‘lets see if this sticks.’ “We are learning so much more every day. We are looking at 13 core platforms now and when you think about what these teams have to do here, we have to make strategic bets. You can’t spread yourself too thin because your quality levels are going to come down.
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“But if gamers are saying ‘We want to play on iPad, or on browsers, or for free’, then we have to go after that business.”
In whatever direction video games may head in, there’s no doubt that EA Sports is ready. And with Moore and Wilson at the helm, you can guarantee the publisher won’t repeat the mistakes of ten years ago and rest on its laurels. With a wealth of new titles across an even broader range of platforms attracting a wider number of audiences, Moore and his team are starting to realise that dream of getting EA Sports up the Forbes ladder – to become the number one sports brand in the world.
TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 11 Released: July 2nd Formats: PS3, Wii, 360 The controversial golf icon returns and this year’s game features a full Ryder Cup mode and support for PlayStation 3’s Move.
EA SPORTS ACTIVE 2.0 Platforms: Wii, PS3 Released: Christmas The next EA Sports Activecomes with new leg and arm straps with motion sensors, a heart rate monitor and an online hub to track workout data.
MADDEN NFL 11 Platforms: PS3, 360, Wii Released: August Madden 10was the second biggest selling game in the US. 11is more of the same, but with a simplified playbook to make it more accessible.
NBA ELITE 11 Released: 2010 Platforms: TBA EA Sports’ NBAgets a facelift complete with new name. Further details on the revamped control system are expected at E3.
NHL 11 Platforms: PS3, 360 Released: September 2010 marks the 20th anniversary of EA’s NHL, and this latest title boasts a new physics engine to top last year’s award-winning release.
NBA JAM Platforms: Wii Released: 2010 The arcade basketball game was a massive hit back in the ‘90s – it grossed over $1bn. EA is revamping the over-the-top action for Wii.
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