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EA says sequels are boring, skies open
Author: Joe MartinPublished: 11th July 2007
EA is trying to move away from sequels and movie spin-offs in favour of original content and new IPs.
Still, the CEO of EA, a man called John Riccitiello (but whom we shall call simply John to avoid massacring his surname), still has a few ideas about the future of gaming. A man with his finger on the pulse, John recently told The Wall Street Journal what some of the problems with the games industry are:
"For the most part, the industry has been rinse-and-repeat. There's been lots of product that looked like last year's product, that looked a lot like the year before."
Yep, in hypocrisy so massive that you'd need climbing shoes and a pack mule to get past it, the CEO of EA reckons that there are just too many sequels on the computer game market. This from the man whose company will soon be bringing us a re-release of Earthworm Jim on the PlayStation Portable!
John's trying though and is obviously trying to evidence how EA is trying to move away from repeated movie licenses and Madden games towards more original games and IPs.
The problem is; though EA is supposedly moving in the direction of more original games it's still way too early for them to be bigging itself up in this manner - especially to the educated kind of gamer who might read the Wall Street Journal.
What do you reckon to the future of gaming? Do we need less sequels or just better sequels? Catch the first part of the discussion in the forums. The second part will be available next year, complete with a sneak peek at the third instalment.
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Comments (27)
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It is partially true, but only for some low quality games. I mean we are all happy when a new Gran Turismo is released,right ?
Not particularly... The last three have just been a small update in graphics and that's it. Same dodgy AI and same tracks.
If they don't give cars damage, add an on-line mode and allow more than 6 cars at a time I wont even consider the next one.
only the fourth one was kinda disapointing
AI isn't an issue if you're using a competitive car against them
Sequels are a great idea, except the idealists behind them tend to lose touch with innovation. Homeworld 2 is the first PC sequel I an think of that did it mostly right.
I hate big companies like this, they spend soo much money paying people in suits to work out what the public want, but when we try and tell them they dont wanna know :(
Tim, I think you and the rest of the team need to combine your powers Captain Planet style and get some interviews with these idiot big wig's and probe them with questions from us forumites :)
Demonstrate to the EA CEOs what http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/1750/teabag2ju4tf5.gif means for wasting our money and time.
... that is all ...
If this came from someone else, maybe with industry clout other than heading the game company most known for treating the public like baby seals needing to be clubbed, I might listen. As it stands, this is like Sony saying "we think that consoles are overpriced and offer too many unjustifiable addons."
Tim Smalley, He's our hero, gonna take crap games down to zero!
And the need for speed games, what the gamer has been crying out for since they started churning that crap out, was another good top notch Hot Pursuit....
Oh and!!!, Did I say I hate EA
Most Sequels are good, HL2, Soldier of Fortune 2, Medieval Total War 2 ect. It seems that every sequel made by EA is bad, where as lots of other programmers comeup with good stuff.
http://news.com.com/2100-1022-5457274-3.html
I've read quite a few articles on EA employee standards and it's not good. This is your wake up call John. Time to go to work.
The sims is now developed by EA Sims, not EA games ;p it got so big they split it off into a department all of its own .. so I doubt it will be stopped any time soon.
Of course, in sportsgames it is difficult to innovate, the game is the game.
On other sectors, FPS or Racing, this also applies, but limited. There is no need to update a FPS every year because in real life the teamsponsor changes. *g*
In FPS the sequels often offer a big difference in Gameplay, (most are combinations though):
FPS with Horror (FEAR)
FPS with Racing (GTA)
FPS with Roleplaying (Vampires / Thief)
The really big change is the level of interaction has risen. First you'd be happy if your FPS person could push a button, then conversation entered, then vehicles entered, now you've to worry about squad tactics befor running in somewhere.
Not to mention the complexity of a nearly fully interactive world. (Oblivion)
Hmmm, do EA make any roleplaying (Oblivion-like) or adventure games?
Just some random thoughts :D
Xir
For XX = 01 to 2000
FIFAXX
FIFASTREETXX
NBAXX
NBASTREETXX
NASCARXX
NFLXX
NHLXX
SIMSXX
NCAAXX
TIGERWOODSXX
NFSXX
Next
Yeah right....
EA are a business. they will take the profitable path, be it at the cost of creative output, just like any other business. It's easy to look at the games industry with some magical fanboy spectacles where every new title released is new IP, pushes the boundaries in new and unexpected ways, and goes on to sell millions. Fact is, those games ARE released occasionally, and 80% of the time they tank. Clover made Okami and God Hand, two outstanding, and original games. Where are they now? they shut down. Same story many many times over. Doing something different --> taking a risk.
let it not be said, however, that EA are not innovating. some of the stuff they have been putting out and announcing recently, pretty awesome :)
not all sequals are bad,
more its the serials that are bad.
Its not even that the sports games are "same old same old"
its that its "same flaws same flaws" with few bug fixes in between.
Sequels, if given the love of the original, can be amazing or innovative.
Resident Evil? Two and Four are often highlighted as excellent games.
Just my 2c.