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Gamers Forcing EA To Return To Old Ways
by dkpatriarch
© 2009 David Hilton
Remember the bad old EA so many of us gamers spent oodles of time criticising?
EA was the big time publisher that made huge amounts of cash off only releasing games from their pre-existing IPs (Intellectual Properties) like Medal Of Honor, Battlefield, and Burnout, their yearly sports ‘updates’, and off movie licenses like James Bond and Lord Of The Rings.
Most of the games were good, and some of them were bad, but what annoyed many of us the most was that they were being safe and not bothering to try and bring creative new gaming experiences, especially to consoles. They had the money and the clout to try and be fresh and innovative, but they were just sitting back because they could.
Then they changed. But now huge financial losses and a layoff of 1,500 staff may herald the end of their positive experiment into new IPs and innovation and a return to the old EA business model.
And it’s our fault.
While EA Games were changing their attitude and creating new IP games like Dead Space, Mirror’s Edge, Brutal Legend, and The Saboteur, the other big publishers like Microsoft (Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Halo 3, Halo: ODST), Ubisoft (Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, Assassin’s Creed 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Avatar), and Activision (Wolfenstein, Modern Warfare 2, Shrek, Spider Man, X-Men) seem to have adopted EA’s previous philosophy particularly this year after the financial crisis.
Sure there are exceptions like Endwar by Ubisoft and Prototype by Activision, but on the whole the games have been sequels or film tie-ins.
But this problem is not just due to the financial crisis.
As I wrote last year, EA didn’t sell enough of either Dead Space or Mirror’s Edge, despite both games being critically acclaimed by the gaming media. At the time I argued that their releasing the games during the busy end of year rush was to blame, with new IPs not getting a look in next to the better known titles.
While I still agree with that statement, with some exceptions like the original Assassin’s Creed, a lot of new IPs haven’t done so well this generation next to their sequel or movie tie-in counterparts. And it hasn’t always been a question of quality.
The top selling Xbox 360 games so far are:
1. Halo 3 (8.1 million)
Big name sequels sell
2. Gears of War (5 million)
3. Gears of War 2 (5 million)
4. Grand Theft Auto IV (4 million)
5. Call Of Duty 4 (3.77 million)
6. Call Of Duty: World At War (3.35 million)
7. Forza 2 (2.6 million)
8. Fable 2 (2.6 million)
9. Halo: ODST (2.5 million)
10. Assassin’s Creed (2.28 million)
Of those titles, only the original Gears of War and Assassin’s Creed were new IPs. The story is only slightly different for the 360′s major competitor, Sony’s PS3, which has Motorstorm, the original Uncharted, the original Resistance, and Heavenly Sword in their top 1o.
While many gamers demand innovation and new IPs, the reality is that it is a hit or miss risk for the publishers. Ubisoft last generation released the wacky but highly praised Beyond Good & Evil, only to see the gamers shun it.
And this is why I say it is our fault. We will happily fork out extra cash over usual retail price for Modern Warfare 2, but Dead Space, despite great reviews and price cuts soon after, was not attractive enough. Mirror’s Edge, despite giving us the innovation many craved, scared off many gamers who instead forked out for Gears of War 2.
What chance has Brutal Legend got against MW 2?
Brutal Legend, also highly regarded by most critics, as of October 24 apparently has sold 370,710 copies on both consoles.
EA went out on a limb and tried to change its image and corporate strategy to expand its gaming philosophy beyond sequels, sports title rehashes, and movie tie-ins, and did we support that after all our winging? No.
The situation is that the average gamer has limited funds and may not play as many games as the hardcore. The casual gamer will buy whatever they know will give them the fix of fun they are after and don’t follow the updates and innovations of new IPs. They see Mirror’s Edge or Dead Space and think- never heard of it.
The Call of Duty or Halo series on the other hand is not only well known, but is in a genre that is easy to identify and play and their friends are likely to also have it.
This gives big publishers who have the funds to create strong new innovative games less incentive to do so. Creatively, I’m sure their staff would love to try new things, but the risk outweighs the potential benefits, especially now. They are more likely to try mini new things within an existing franchise, like the upcoming Splinter Cell: Conviction is.
Which brings me back to EA going back to what they were before.
In January EA CEO John Riccitiello said:
I also believe that there is no inherent conflict between great creativity and achieving strong profitability – I believe they go hand in hand.
This is a business and much of our success will be measured with a calculator – sales, revenue, profit and improving shareholder value. There is also a qualitative aspect of our industry. Making games we can be proud of. Pushing boundaries. I believe the quantitative and the qualitative measures go well together.
However, he now looks to be saying that EA will be concentrating on known franchises, some to be released twice a year:
Electronic Arts has a core slate of games label and sports franchises that we will iterate on a either annual or bi-annual basis. And I think you know what those major titles are – all of them are selling or have sold in their most recent edition 2m units or more.
What does this mean for innovation in the gaming industry? Well to me it looks like innovation will now be mostly focused within existing franchises and, increasingly, in the casual market where the big publishers expect bigger returns for less cost.
Innovation Future?
So for example Microsoft’s Project Natal and Sony’s motion controller will seem to publishers as a safer investment in finding ways to innovate for a larger gamer and casual market.
Innovation will also come to gamers in smaller form like downloaded Xbox Live Arcade or Sony PSN games, and the even portable gaming like the Iphone and DSi. Some of these might make a big enough name for themselves to get a bigger budget version for the consoles, but they would be sequels.
If it turns out to be true that EA and the other publishers shy away from new IPs in the future and we are still playing Call of Duty 15, really we only have ourselves to blame.
But then it seems most gamers are quite happy with their sequels, and so perhaps that’s fair enough. For me, though, new upcoming IP games like Alan Wake and Heavy Rain seem more interesting, even if I’m still staying fairly cautious about them.
What do you think? Comment below.
© 2009 David Hilton
Filed under: Editorial, Game Industry News, GameBanter, Handhelds, Industry News, Xbox 360 News | Tagged: Activision, alan wake, Assassin's Creed 2, Brütal Legend, Dead Space, EA, EA games, Gaming, Ghost Recon, Halo, Heavy Rain, innovation in gaming, Mirror's Edge, Modern Warfare 2, montion sensing, project natal, Rainbow Six, Shrek, Spider Man, Splinter Cell, The Saboteur, Ubisoft, X-men
what is it with developers and running their mouth like a speed train lately?
i mean first it was dan greenwalt the most arrogant annoying person i have ever seen.
than it was dice with there “our game supports dedicated servers” BS. OK I GET IT YOU DONT HAVE TO TELL ME 10 TIMES!
and now EA with this “no studio has the track record we do”
O PLEASE! dont make me start.
they turn out crap after crap after crap for years, than maraciously turn it around and release 3 or 4 good games and thats it there now the worlds best development studio?
O PLEASE GET OVER YOURSELVES!
i give respect to developers that have earned it.
like valve, ID software, crytek, naughty dog, guerrilla games, polyphony digital, quantic dream.
these devs have turned out quality after quality NEVER releasing a bad game.
EA has a long, long, long, long, long, long, long way to go till they can roll with the big boys.
and if mirrors edge 2 or dead space 2 were in that cancellation im not going to be a happy chappy.
they keep the crap like madden but chuck the good stuff like dead space 2?
Excellent article, and you are absolutely correct about EA, they have been the most creative studio in the last 2 years contrary to public opinion while supposed “innovators” such as Nintendo have been churning out unimaginative sequels. I must admit, I myself havent bough Mirror’s edge or Dead Space but did go out an buy Brutal legend, would be a tragedy if Tim S never made another title.
I doubt new IP ideas would be the only reason EA would lay off employees. The tough economy alone could have done it. People are not buying video games because they don’t have the money not because they don’t necessarily like what EA is doing.
Yes there are a lot of financial reasons for the layoffs and a lot of decisions that were made that led to their situation besides investing in new IPs.
I have said that they released their new IPs last year at a bad time, and again this year they have chosen the end of year where they have to compete with other huge titles.
However their new IPs not making what they hoped would have an impact on their strategy for game making in the future. Because we didn’t buy their new IPs in the numbers they want they will conclude it isn’t worth doing them.
thats not exactly true, borderlands sales are through the roof.
and brutal legend has sold quite well too.
dead space did not sell too bad either, EA is just having a fit because dead space extraction did not sell well.
they should know
1 FPS dont sell well on wii
2 third party games dont sell well on wii, basically if it does not have mario in front of it, it wont sell well.
3 people do not want a on rails shooter for gods sake this is 2009 not 1959.
dead space was perfect why the hell did they have to completley destroy it?
IPs are a delicate thing, you have to release them at the right time.
hence why heavy rain got set back till next year, it would of been killed by MW2 and AC2 and L4D2.
may-july is the perfect time to release new IPs because well basically theres no games out then, so gamers have no choice but to buy those new IPs.
EA did not do there homework, they release dead space extraction against mario brothers wii.
which one do you think is going to win?
quite obvious.
EA did not do their research, they stuffed up and are to pathetic to admit it.
their like my ex boss, its never my fault.
just own up to it already!
by the way HOW LOOOOONG are we gamers suppose to play call of duty, devil may cry, modern warfare,mass effect, assassin creed,dead space,heavy rain,splinter cell??????? til each game get sequal 18???? enough is enough already good lord what happen to variety??? why not add ps2 or ps1 titles on ps3 same games over and over is boring
my ps3 sit collecting dust no variety for this generation.
cant believe only titles i do have and will have is R&C TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION, QUEST FOR BOOTY,A CRACK IN TIME. and GRAN TURISMO 5 when it’s released.
last one
EA i gurantee if u up-grade highstakes for ps3 with shift graphics, even if you dont change gamplay but graphic only bet you’ll sell over 3 million copies.
P.S.
what made NFS–NFS it had COPS!!! thats what we gamers want in NFS!!!!! we dont want NFS to compete against FORZA 3, GRAN TURISMO 5, GRID
let those 3 games compete. and plz!!! dont fuse NFS with BURNOUT keep need for speed … need for speed.
it is the need for speeding, the need to out run COPS, the need to crash into COPS, the need to beat your opponet to finishline, the need to get excited.
Comparing dead space to gear of war or modern warfare 2 is absurd…. for one survival horror games are niche products that service a community of gamers who like playing crappy games.
2nd, mirrors edge was a $60 vomit inducing no guns, no multiplayer shooter… excuse me, but jumping off buildings isn’t innovative and head bob are you serious? The game boils down to being a single player time trial event… big whoop. Should have come with a throw up bag, I might have purchased it for that novelty alone.
Our fault? Didn’t ea heavily invest in the wii and didn’t they just spend hundreds of millions to buy that nonsense casual developer?
Lets be frank here, I don’t buy ea games at launch if at all for numerous reasons of which there past business practice and current dlc scams etc the point is the old/new ea as far as I’m concerned is still and has always been the same ea.
They can’t spend a decade or more screwing gamers and then half a console cycle making a couple of new ip’s and expect the damage they done to be wiped clean. Some gamers have long memories, if ea wants to get my business back there gonna have to make a concerted effort and sustained effort to convince me that they changed there ways.
Suggesting the consumer is responsible for anything is absurd. I’m not entitled to buy ea games and games built around head bob and survival horror genres are hardly innovative.
If ea thinks the only way they can make money is to whore madden, battlefield, need for speed then there sadly mistaken because there not growing the market for consumers for those products. I’d suggest they have to work hard just to keep those consumers. I play 1 out of every 10 need for speed games.
I’m not buying madden games ever. I will not buy a new battlefield game every year in fact I’ve never played a battlefield game. I can recall two ea games I recently purchased at full price time splitters future perfect which I liked and need for speed black edition on xbox which as for limited editions go was one of the biggest rip offs.
Don’t blame me, ea has to compete for market share and if they failed that’s there problem not mine. If they can’t compete with other higher caliber developers then perhaps they should downsize and if they really think they can grow there market share by making the same games ever year then let them try. I Really don’t care.
if these lame a$$ companies afriad to support new IP’s then why not improve on old IP’s like for example
it would not be to hard for EA up-grade nfs highstakes, hotpursuit2, the need for speed,porsche unleashed etc.. cant believe out of 14 nfs titles only 7 was excellent , after underground which is the 7th good one all the rest is flops. hate to say it but from UG2 -shift all flops . EA dev. if you read any comment at all plz!!! read this one!!! if criterion’s nfs IP not a rebirth of old school NFS you mise well stop producing NFS period!!! no need to drag nfs in to the ground any more.
I will say this is nicely written, Even If I don’t 100% agree with you.
I love Dead Space. I really appreciate the New EA, Obviously this is a business and business is about profit, so you can’t really fault them for trying to stay in business. Which many gamers just dont understand.
Don’t forget though, that EA just released Dragon’s Age. Thats not a sequel, and hopefully it will sell in the millions.
In these harsh economic times, you cant fault the consumer for sticking with what they do know, with their limited funds. Nor, can you fault a company trying to make a profit, and going the safe route.
anything Successful will have sequels, its how the company handles the sequels, and what they do for new IPs.
I think EA, is handling the projects well enough. Perfectly, maybe not. But no horrible as EA of old.
I agree with you that EA are currently okay with their release mix of new and old, but the quote above by the CEO in the article indicates that they could be changing their current position.
A balance of new IP risks and sure-fire sequels is ideal, but will the current economic climate and gamer buying choices encourage that?
I bought Dead Space and loved it. Easily more fun to play than Assassin’s Creed. Often new IP’s breakaway from the standard fast paced accessible action formula of popular IP’s or appear to be weak imitations of an already established IP. Sometimes people cannot be bothered learning how to play new games. Take Tom Clancy’s endwar as an example. I tried the demo after reading reviews but just put it in the too hard-don’t know what’s going on basket and deleted it. Now if I had just bought it instead of playing the demo I may have been motivated by my spent money to try to get something more out of the game. Then I may have come to enjoy it.
Well said… well written and overall one of the better game articles i’ve read in awhile. Props
I didn’t buy Mirrors Edge at full price because I didn’t like the demo. I later bought the full game for PS3 for $20 and still didn’t like it. I like the austere look of the buildings but that’s about it.
I preordered Dead Space for 360 and I loved it. I never bought an DLC but then most of the DLC was janky crap at best.
I’ll probably buy Darksiders this Christmas too because it seems like the kind of game I’d like. I am also planning to get Dante’s Inferno next year (if I still have a job( despite one of the most obnoxious advertising and PR campaigns I’ve ever seen.
So how is this crap my fault again? Was I supposed supposed to blindly buy games I don’t like just so EA would make more new IP’s?
Whatever.
BTW EA just bought a creepy social gaming company called Thinkfish for $300 million dollars. That’s how bad they are hurting and what their 1500 layoffs and canceled projects all somehow led to.
Maybe EA is just a messed up company with a lot of flaky ideas and it’s not really their audience’s fault. Ever think of that?
Well I’m certainly not saying it’s your fault personally…more that the lack of sales indicate gamers aren’t supporting new IP games. As I point out, most high selling games are sequels etc.
About Thinkfish…that supports my position that publishers are looking more at the casual market.
Great article, you guys may have just gained yourselves another reader.
Thanks for the comment mate, much appreciated.
I wonder if people agree or not if innovation will now come less from the big games and more from the little ones?
Very good article. I was thinking the same thing. they tried the new ip thing. it did not make money and now they will go back to the old ea. I take mirror’s edge over mw2 any time. I love new ip’s . last gen beyond good and evil and psyconauts where my favourite games. This is how game journalism should be. My compliments