EA's Swedish label boss Patrick Soderlund has defended the publisher's track record of delivering new IP and "innovation" at large, citing Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Battlefield 3 as proof of a commitment to new ideas.
"A lot of people criticise EA for not being innovative", Soderlund commented in an interview with MCV. "But look at what EA has done with Battlefield 3.
"Then you look at Most Wanted this year and Need for Speed really looks cool and different," he went on. "Those things don't just happen by mistake, those are all diligent strategies with someone saying: 'probably not good enough'.
Asked about EA's current projects - there are "three to five" in the works for next generation consoles, according to fellow executive Frank Gibeau - Soderlund declined to give details, but asserted that crafting new IP is vital both to sustain developer morale and invigorate the market.
"To me, the day we stop doing new IP is the day we put ourselves on life support and then we're slowly going to die," he said. "It's not only needed for the industry and for the consumers but it's also needed for the creatives.
"They need something different to think about. They have a lot of creativity built into them that they need to get out. The day that we stop thinking about new things that are not Need for Speed is the day that I'll probably leave the games industry."
We'll hold you to that, Patrick. Company CEO John Riccitiello says next generation consoles will arrive next year, and that boxed gaming is no longer the deciding factor for EA.
7 comments so far...
CunningSmile on 3 Oct '12 said:
I'm really hoping something was lost in translation.
OXM ETboy on 3 Oct '12 said:
I guess he's talking about innovation within franchises there. But yes: dust-brown shooter sequel and shiny racer sequel =/= mind has been blown
Plamsa wing on 3 Oct '12 said:
"The day that we stop thinking about new things that are not Need for Speed is the day that I'll probably leave the games industry."
"Then you look at Most Wanted this year and Need for Speed really looks cool and different."
I hope he's joking, either that or he might have no concept of time.
rabidcrab on 3 Oct '12 said:
....So what was new about Battlefield 3?
msbhvn on 3 Oct '12 said:
All the so-called innovation he's talking about is how games look rather than how they play. The reason the current console generation has lasted so long is that gameplay trumps fancy graphics. If he doesn't know that, he shouldn't be running a company that makes games.
Caligulove on 3 Oct '12 said:
The things he's mentioning, motion capture, audio ect. They're not examples of innovation, they're examples of improvements and, especially on console versions, are pretty poor ones at that. To say Battlefield 3 was innovative is so wrong I think this guy doesn't understand the meaning of the word.
The multiplayer on BF3 isn't as good as Bad Company 2, thought BFBC2 was almost perfect. The campaign was a blatant rip off of Call of Duty... and it was worse (how the f*$k did you manage that Dice)! Destruction physics in BF3 should have been an innovation with the use of Frostbite but they somehow managed to balls that up as well, half the environments in both SP and MP are indestructible and again aren't as impressive as BFBC2.
I've heard so many people rage about multiplayer maps like Grand Bazaar and Operation Metro, and I can see why. Whats the point in putting in destruction physics in your game when you can't blow a hole in the wall of a room, that has a half dozen bad guys inside it, all of them fixing their sights on the only doorway in.
As for Need for Speed, well unless a racing title includes the words Project Gotham or Mario Kart 64 I'm generally not interested and never buy them. Not because the game may not be well made but because racing games are seldom fun, those two examples being the exceptions obviously.
SidTheSloth on 4 Oct '12 said:
Slight tangent (i know, unlike me!), but it's funny he mentions Need for Speed, surely one of EA's oldest and most tired franchises, and one i've been calling for them to shelve for a few years - yet this years looks like the best ever with the old Burnout team >ahem< behind the wheel...? Can't help but think though that the diminished name of the series might do it more harm than good now though. Forza Horizon probably not going to do it any favours either, plus you've got F1, F1 Racestars, Sonic karting etc. Considering racing games never seem to do so well lately that's an awful lot of games (albeit vying for slightly different audiences) for a small catchment area - think there's going to be some casualties which is a shame as all of the titles i mention actually look pretty cool. Can't help but think Forza will >ahem< win the race with the marketing strategy/brand name behind it, but their DLC personally puts me off (can buy the season pass for $60
).