Electronic Arts seems to always be looking to sell games wherever gamers are, which makes it odd that the company has been pretty quiet when it comes to the Nintendo Switch and virtual reality. EA only has one game in the works for the Switch, and has only produced a single VR experience in the PS4-exclusive Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission for Star Wars Battlefront. Why has the company been so slow to embrace these new platforms, unlike other developers? EA is waiting to see if there are going to be gamers using these devices first.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, EA’s executive vice president of global publishing, Laura Miele, explained the reasoning behind the company’s actions. When asked about virtual reality, she expressed excitement for the technology, and mentioned EA is working on some experiments that may or may not turn into proper games.
"VR will be an incredible step change at some point in the industry," Miele told GamesIndustry.biz. "It's something that's immersive and engaging, and it will continue to evolve. We need to see a larger install base, and I also think the industry--and EA is part of that--will continue to work on engaging experiences. We continue to work on it internally. We're watching the marketplace and install base and technology evolution of the hardware providers. We believe in it, but we need the market to grow."
In other words, EA is interested in VR and working on some projects, but will not fully pursue the new technology until more gamers buy headsets. As of right now, only higher-end PCs and PS4s can easily run VR, with cell phones capable of running only a very stripped-down VR experience.
When asked about EA’s support for the Switch, the answer was pretty much the same. The publisher is dipping its toe into the Switch waters by seeing if its most popular franchise will find an audience.
"FIFA is the largest game in the business, so the offering and expansive footprint FIFA has around the globe will help connect Switch hardware to gamers as well," Miele said. "So I think it's a strong mutual partnership with Nintendo. We love the mobility of the Switch and I think the content they've put out is really strong on it so far. We're going to continue to watch how the hardware does. We are exploring other products. We are looking at other IP and what the technology connections need to be for that."
It’s interesting to see that EA is carefully considering the Switch’s unique inputs and differences from other consoles, as well as its different demographics, when deciding if games will be made for it. "There are technical differences, yes, but I think most importantly there are player differences," said Miele. "When you have a game you're playing on the go, it's a different interface, different experience, different features, and different flow I think, then it would be if you're playing on the sticks in your living room on a TV.”
This means simply copying games from the PS4 or Xbox One to the Switch will not work. “ We never want to do just a direct port of something; we want to have a meaningful experience on the hardware,” Miele said. “So it's tech and design and user flow that we're considering as we're looking at future titles."
So what do you think? Are you bummed to know EA is taking a backseat on VR and Switch games until there’s a larger install base? What games would you like to see on the latest Nintendo console? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
