EA is one of the biggest names in games publishing, and they make a whole lot of money. But this isn’t just about milking some powerful franchises – they are also trying to take more risks and appeal to what gamers want. At least, that’s according to an interview with Peter Moore that also clarifies the future of EA Access.
Moore, EA’s Chief Operating Officer, was quite candid with Gamespot when it came to the topic of EA Access. When asked if he’d like to see EA Access on PS4, his blunt reply was:
A: Doesn’t matter. It’s on Xbox One, and those customers love it. We have analytics on everything these days, and subscriber satisfaction rates are through the roof. EA Access customers get to play more, because of the Vault, they get to play early, ahead of general release date, and they get to pay less because of the discounts it offers.
Q: So, consumers love it. It’s doing well. If you expand to another console, business will be even better, right?
A: But it’s not. It’s on Xbox One.
Okay, okay, we get it. It’s just on Xbox One and that’s not going to change anytime soon. Or ever. But there are other tidbits in the interview that reveal just how important subscription-based services like EA Access can be to a company. Yes, gamers might benefit with earlier access to games and some older games via the Vault, but it’s the steady income stream that I think is a bit of motivation.
Moore explains that profit margins on AAA games are getting thinner and thinner, particularly depending on whether it’s a wholly owned IP or licensed. Even only eight years ago, EA was publishing 70 games a year. Now, they’re looking to do 12. That’s a huge change and it shows the evolution of gaming in a key way:
Yes, and there’s a reason for that. The big games drive so much engagement nowadays, because they are not games you play for a while and then walk away from. Triple-A games today have live elements to them, and things like season passes are a way of keeping people engaged.
Season passes themselves are also a huge investment. Today we’ve got what used to be the size of a whole game development team, of about 40 or 50 people, working solely on the extra content.
I think this is the thing; sure, maybe games were “better” when they released years ago – they weren’t as glitchy and they gave us complete experiences. However, their longevity was pretty dismal. Some games had excellent replay value, but in a different way than they do now. The other titles were replayed to experience the same thing all over again, while the newer games are constantly tweaked and added on to to provide all new experiences each time you play. It’s just kind of mind-boggling to think that entire teams are working on extra content – it really is a key part of the industry that helps support the making of those titles we know and love.
Last Updated: August 17, 2015
Hammersteyn
August 17, 2015 at 09:21
What an asshole. “We have analytics on everything these days” Bullshit! How long did it take you to analyze peoples disgust with SimCity or Dungeon Keeper. Seems you only pick that statistics that pleases you and you ignore the rest.
Rock789
August 17, 2015 at 09:29
“only pick that statistics that pleases you and you ignore the rest” – nail head, meet the Hammer! 🙂
Couldn’t agree more… Just look at NFS. “We’re ‘listening’ to the masses and giving you NFS: Underground back… But it’ll be online only.” Oh please… That’s like saying you can have $1million dollars, as long as 95% is given to the government…
Captain JJ Fantasticus
August 17, 2015 at 09:30
Don’t forget that it won’t have manual transmission either, even though people have been asking for it since the last Most Wanted.
They can keep their new NFS
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 17, 2015 at 09:37
No Fun Shifting?
Rock789
August 17, 2015 at 10:13
NFS… More like NFBS! 🙁
Hammersteyn
August 17, 2015 at 09:41
I love how subscriber satisfaction is through the roof. Sure, Dragon Age has been added. But everyone that wanted to play it has played it. The rest is essentially sports titles. Now if I played those I’d not shell out $60 a year for FIFIA. I’d just wait, but I bet the die hard fan can’t wait that long.
George Sumpner
August 17, 2015 at 10:19
I actually held off buying Dragon Age, as i knew it would eventually be in the vault.
I have stopped buying EA Games altogether, as they will all be free at some point XD
Hammersteyn
August 17, 2015 at 10:24
If all of them including Battlefront and Mass Effect ends in the vault then it will be worth it.
George Sumpner
August 17, 2015 at 11:00
I would imagine so, everything so far has made it in, i guess it just a case of when sales start to dry up, they will stick it in the vault.
Evil_Annie_2015
August 17, 2015 at 19:17
Isnt that the beauty of having choices? You can choose to wait for a game to be on the vault. I am a big fan of DA, so naturally I had to buy it at launch, but for the battlefield games I can definately wait
George Sumpner
August 18, 2015 at 11:23
Oh yeah, for sure. I enjoyed DA:O and DA2, i did think about buying this on release, but decided to go for something non-EA for vault reasons XD I actively avoid buying EA games, purely because i am happy to wait until they arrive in the vault.
WitWolfy
August 17, 2015 at 10:13
Reminds me of MAss Effect 3… “most fans were left happy.” Yeah right…
Evil_Annie_2015
August 17, 2015 at 19:19
I am sure that he was referring to the EA Access subscription in particular.
WitWolfy
August 18, 2015 at 08:05
*rolls eyes* I know, the point I’m trying to make is they always make it out as if EVERYTHING they ever do is a success.
Captain JJ Fantasticus
August 17, 2015 at 09:25
Speaking of companies that don’t care much for their customers.
This weekend I see you get 20% discount coupon from Ubisoft if you trade in your Uplay Units. So, of course, I do it (without any idea what I would actually buy with that 20% discount). Ubisoft kindly takes my Uplay Units from my account but never sends me the discount coupon code. I’m not even surprised.
Rock789
August 17, 2015 at 09:30
Lol. Got ya! 😉 🙂
Captain JJ Fantasticus
August 17, 2015 at 09:31
I emailed support.
You think I even got a reply?
Rock789
August 17, 2015 at 09:59
They’re probably too busy giggling about it…
“I can’t believe he fell for it…” 😉 🙂
Captain JJ Fantasticus
August 17, 2015 at 10:56
They swimming in everybody’s Uplay Units now like it’s Ducktales.
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 17, 2015 at 09:29
I don’t think the blockbuster culture (which they’ve inherited from the movie industry) surrounding AAA games in publishers now is helping.
They spend more money on everything surrounding the game than developing the games themselves, so if the game tanks they lose big time. And by tanks I mean doesn’t live up to sales expectations to quickly enough recoup their investment. That’s why they’re always so focused on pre-orders.
It also leads to the increased focus on DLC which is far cheaper to produce, and thus more profitable, than the base game. And very few of games I’ve played over recent years have had high-quality DLC that really added to the game, as opposed to cheap cash-ins.
Kromas,powered by windows 10.
August 17, 2015 at 10:06
I call BS. Games in the past had just as much replayability. Sims,SimCity,KotoR,BF1942,C&C,C&C:Red Alert. notice how I only mentioned EA games?
Ryanza
August 17, 2015 at 10:10
PS4 has like double the numbers of Xbox One right if not more. I guess EA doesn’t want more playing play their games and making more money from those subscriptions.
I guess the tiny amount of people using Vault is all that EA servers can handle without turning into Sim City 5.
Why is EA supporting EA Access on Xbox One only. If you look at Windows 10 and how it’s built around micro-transactions, selling you apps and shit. You want a video player that can play your dvd’s, there’s an app for that, $20 or some stupid amount like that.
Xbox One was built around micro-transactions and DRM. Publishers loved that. Consumers didn’t. But EA was still left with deals in place with Microsoft after the Xbox One failed to impress gamers.
That’s why I say, let the publishers buy the Xbox One console because it was meant for them to use to rape us.
Don’t Support DRM. Don’t Support EA. Don’t Support Origin. Cyberpunk 2077 is coming.
Lardus-For the Emperor!
August 17, 2015 at 10:16
Really looking forward to Cyberpunk 2077. That clip they released back when was awesome!
SojournZA
August 17, 2015 at 10:17
This above is so incorrect its scary
Ryanza
August 17, 2015 at 10:24
Xbox One when it was announced was a publishers wet dream. Windows 10, advertisers and data collectors wet dream.
What’s the price of your soul, dx12.
George Sumpner
August 17, 2015 at 10:25
You can have my soul if you stop being a fanboy…
Ryanza
August 17, 2015 at 10:29
lol fanboy. lol. I have never owned a Sony console. I have owned two Microsoft consoles. So just because I hated the Xbox One when it was announced and I still wont support that shitty console, makes me a fanboy? lol.
So when I was talking shit about the PS3, was I a fanboy then? lol.
Oh god this fanboy argument. Really useless and pointless.
George Sumpner
August 17, 2015 at 11:01
Your general Fanboy attitude…i didnt say you were Sony or Xbox fanboy…just a fanboy…
Ryanza
August 17, 2015 at 11:05
No you were calling me a Sony fanboy.
George Sumpner
August 17, 2015 at 11:25
No, i called you a fanboy, you dont have to have an allegiance to be a fanboy…clearly are a fanboy though…
Ryanza
August 17, 2015 at 11:42
ah i see. trolling.
Evil_Annie_2015
August 17, 2015 at 21:05
Because you are.
SojournZA
August 17, 2015 at 10:34
lets state the obvious errors:
“I guess EA doesn’t want more playing play their games and making more money from those subscriptions.” you making it sound like EA denied Sony, its actually the otherway round, so the problem is from Sonys side, dont blame MS or EA here. Hows the DRM with your Steam games btw?
“Why is EA supporting EA Access on Xbox One only. If you look at Windows
10 and how it’s built around micro-transactions, selling you apps and
shit. You want a video player that can play your dvd’s, there’s an app
for that, $20 or some stupid amount like that.”
This is a pretty much general market strategies, all OS developers are doing this, apple, samsung etc, the best thing about ms that beats the rest is the unified design. movie player is free btw and the codec support is rather large
“Xbox One was built around micro-transactions and DRM. Publishers loved
that. Consumers didn’t. But EA was still left with deals in place with
Microsoft after the Xbox One failed to impress gamers.”
All developerspublishers are pretty much open to this including Sony, DRM is here to stay get over it. Xbox One “failed to impress”, it seems you live in a deluded world.
how do you play games?
Ryanza
August 17, 2015 at 10:45
Unified design. Oh god the rise of Skynet. We all doomed to enslavement.
I didn’t say Sony is not into DRM. But Sony changed it’s strategy really quick and now they have to run with it. Sony did say that the world is not ready for the full DRM approach. But come next consoles Full DRM around. I can see how games are being pushed towards always online to get people ready to accept full drm. So gaming industry crash coming soon I guess.
SojournZA
August 17, 2015 at 10:50
case in point
stop using every excuse to rag on ms, this would make you a fanboy as your opinion it seems is very jadedblind, as discussed and found out before
your steam drm runs 24/7 there really is no issue, ppl need to realise its here to stay, makes sense for the platforms.
I find it incredibly odd that you so anti DRM but im sure a quick look on your machine will just show how much “you support” it
*Unified design makes sense, one code to be optimised on multiple platforms. a developers and users dream, get with the program
Ryanza
August 17, 2015 at 11:02
wait ragging on MS makes me a fanboy of what?
I can’t even remember when last I opened Steam. But you say it runs 24/7. If I want to buy a game and it comes with Steam activation I won’t buy it. I will wait till that game is $5 on special and still not buy it because I don’t open Steam buy shit.
Anyway you should know my style of commenting by now. Don’t expect serious, facts, proper reasoning, sense. Expect shit. lol.
It’s funny how when you say bad shit about bad shit, it makes you a fanboy in this day and age. A fanboy of what? it doesn’t matter lol.
SojournZA
August 17, 2015 at 11:06
Im just scared one day some person somewhere out there actually believes what you write as fact.
have a lekker dag
Ryanza
August 17, 2015 at 11:54
this is lazygamer.net comment section. I doubt that that people would take the shit I write on here as serious and/or factual.
At best they would go look up the shit I talk and learn for themselves.
Plus this is the internet. Number 1 rule when reading stuff on the internet is to not believe anything. All sides, truth, lies, and the plan fucked up, is represented on the internet.
So some person somewhere out there one day, the responsibility is upon him or herself to sort through the mess to find the truth that they can accept. Or just not care like the rest.
This Guy
August 17, 2015 at 16:29
Hey that’s great and all that people should double-check what they read, but they don’t. Hell there’s still people out there that think the X1 has DRM and it spies on people somehow, even without the Kinect. That’s why a lot of fans of a particular product get annoyed when they see someone mouthing off incorrectly about their platform of choice and feel a need to point it out. The success of a gaming platform is 99% public perception. Sure a fan of the platform won’t financially gain anything from it’s success, but if their chosen platform that they have invested heavily in, falls to the wayside because of negativity based on false facts and simple anti-MS BS, the platform no longer has exclusive deals and third-party support and ends up like the Wii U. Since I have surmised that you are a strict PC gamer, you know first hand how annoying it is when you see a great game appear on consoles only and wish it had come out on PC as well. So imagine that happening to a console owner, seeing it appear only on the other console they don’t have because of the things noted above.
Jayce Knitter
August 17, 2015 at 20:33
Speaking of microtransactions and drm…*cough* PS NOW *cough*
Jayce Knitter
August 17, 2015 at 20:33
Speaking of microtransactions and drm…*cough* PS NOW *cough*
George Sumpner
August 17, 2015 at 10:22
Just an FYI, but Sony didnt want EA Access on the PS4 because “it’s not good value!”
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-07-30-sony-says-ea-access-program-isnt-good-value
I am also yet to be raped…
Ryanza
August 17, 2015 at 10:25
Because the Xbox One changed after it was announced. But if it didn’t change…
George Sumpner
August 17, 2015 at 11:02
It would still be the same as it is now…stopped nay saying Fanboy XD
Ryanza
August 17, 2015 at 11:03
A fanboy of what?
George Sumpner
August 17, 2015 at 11:26
fanboy
noun
informal
a male fan, especially one who is obsessive about comics, music, film, or science fiction.
Ryanza
August 17, 2015 at 11:43
i’m not obsessive about comics, music, film nor science fiction.
Want to try again or you going to continue the trolling.
George Sumpner
August 17, 2015 at 12:10
I think the dictionary entry is a little out of date, but you get the gist of it…but your temperament screams Fanboy dude…i’m sorry to be the one to break it to you…
Ryanza
August 17, 2015 at 12:31
so you continuing with the trolling. You say fanboy i ask fanboy of what and you say fanboy again. So clearly a troll move.
your fanboy argument failed and now you pulling at strings.
anyway. let me not feed this shit.
This Guy
August 17, 2015 at 16:35
Out of curiosity, why do you hate MS so much?
George Sumpner
August 18, 2015 at 11:18
I dont think you know what Fanboy means though…even after posting the meaning…
Evil_Annie_2015
August 17, 2015 at 21:04
Your hate for MS is making your lack of reading comprehension very evident.
Mabenito
August 17, 2015 at 10:21
FIFA = Euro = PS domain.
Francois Knoetze
August 17, 2015 at 11:38
Well in all fairness it will never come to PS4 since Sony didn’t want the service and said something like “our clients deserve better” or some PR hubbub like that. this is a really old topic though…when this was announced EA actually approached Sony too and Microsoft was the only guys that took the offer
Dawid Eduard Roestorf
August 17, 2015 at 11:52
TBH, I have not signed up for EA Access, as I don’t play enough EA game to justify it.
I also prefer playing on my PS4 over the X1, so if it is cross platform, would get it on the PS4.
Would I get it on the PS4, hell no.
Pieter Kruger
August 17, 2015 at 15:00
Good value for money service! Just glad MS is giving me the option…..
JustAnotherGamerGirl
August 18, 2015 at 13:35
LOL