[Wii] The Wii made EA Sports staff want to leave

[Infernal Monkey]

Speaking at the Edinburgh Interactive conference, EA Sports boss Peter Moore gave a refreshingly honest insight on how the team initially handled the Wii and its 'casual' shift - not very well.

"In all the games we made, everything was focused on making things more realistic, each year – particularly at the beginning of a cycle – sports games were used to show how realistic video games had become," he said. "That was fine back in the early '80s when there was a huge chasm beteen what the real world looked like and what games showed."

"But then this thing [the Wii] came along and presented us with some challenges. The dynamics changed with the launch of the Wii – play and fun was coming back in, the demographic was changing enormously, and the amount of time to play was being compressed."

"It was hard. A lot of people at that time thought they would move on from our studios – they wanted to chase the core consumer." Moore explained that Wii Sports was considered a serious rival, and that EA Sports staff were 'unwilling' to cater to the 'casual' consumers (now the majority of the market) and couldn't handle the need to step back in terms of visuals.

Now, in 2009, one of EA's biggest success stories is EA Sports Active for the Wii, aimed at the so-called 'casual' market.

[stubbietubbie]

Re: EA can't handle change.

[Twid3l]

I wish it did make them leave because EA is bad and having no team might have destroyed them :).

[Scott]

Originally Posted by Infernal Monkey

"But then this thing [the Wii] came along and presented us with some challenges. The dynamics changed with the launch of the Wii – play and fun was coming back in

Shock horror!! God forbid!

I'm glad it happened. I can barely stand sports games as it is, let alone yearly iterations with minor changes.

[Elena]

Well sport games don't really target casual gamers. I think it is a good idea

[Zelda_Elite]

Why do they have the need to provide the casual gamer? Everybody's opinion of the Wii is a casual console but maybe it wouldn't be this way, if companies like EA actually made good core games that got the core gamer to buy the console. It is everybody's reluctance to make core games that is causing casual to reign supreme and so they feel they have to make casual games too.

[warpy]

Question

Originally Posted by Zelda_Elite

Why do they have the need to provide the casual gamer?

Answer

$

Personally, I am not a fan of realistic sports games and like my soccer with giant italian plumbers crushing everyone

[Bhaskar24]

Sports games were for the core consumer?

[Waveguider]

Wouldn't casual gamers rather play real sports rather than a simulation?
Meh, I hate sports games anyway. And when I say that, we all know Wii Sports isn't a sports game. It's a sport in itself. D:<

[SlowbroKing]

cry moar EA

[TSPhoenix]

Yet the reality of the matter is that EA has produced one of the most authentic sport sims out there, Tiger 10 for Wii.

[Toadsiliwraith]

Originally Posted by Peter Moore

"But then this thing [the Wii] came along and presented us with some challenges," he explained. "The dynamics changed with the launch of the Wii--play and fun was coming back in, the demographic was changing enormously, and the amount of time to play was being compressed."

Bold highlighted for emphasis, as it shows just how far removed many game developers who lack this view have become. Shouldn't video games ALWAYS be about play and fun? How else do you expect to sell software units if potential onlookers don't see any entertainment value in the product...? If this is the way us gamers are being looked upon by developers, then maybe it's a good thing the Wii is giving them a royal spanking. Kudous to EA for realising and seizing the opportunities on the Wii; it's done wonders for them. :)

Originally Posted by Bhaskar24

Sports games were for the core consumer?

If you actually sit down and think about it, sports games are very core orientated at the heart of their gameplay. Simple to learn, but difficult to master, they offer significant depth, challenge and re-playability that can only be fully experienced through many hours of practice and dedication. Not everyone is wiling to play their games to such a level; the easy entry curve ensures that the "casuals" can continue to enjoy their experiences without intimate knowledge of the game's inner complexities. Even taking all that out of consideration, sports games started out on the earliest of game consoles and arcade machines; by today's standards, that's pretty "hardcore". :P

[Elena]

Originally Posted by Waveguider

Wouldn't casual gamers rather play real sports rather than a simulation?
Meh, I hate sports games anyway. And when I say that, we all know Wii Sports isn't a sports game. It's a sport in itself. D:<

I love sport games like FIFA and so on. I really don't like Wii sports because well it isn't fun.