Look at the biggest games of the last few years, and you’ll no doubt notice that the majority of them carry a number at the end. This year has been no different, with many developers and publishers deciding to play things safe, drawing in the crowds with sequels to their top franchises, such as Call of Duty, Elder Scrolls and Forza, just to name a few.
EA, on the other hand, spoke about how the company wants to keep their stable exciting by focusing on some new IPs every year.
“We’re always going to be in the new IP business,” EA Labels president Frank Gibeau said to CVG. “It’s entertainment, we have to stay fresh and we’ve got to change with the times and stay ahead of the curve in terms of what people are anticipating and wantâ€.
“We’re always going to be building new IP and the mix that we have now is, you’re right, we do have a lot more titles now that are proven, where as a few years ago we we’re coming out with a lot of IPs because the cupboards were bare. We had been a licensed-oriented group. Of course I’m talking about the Games label at that time; it was Bond, Potter and Lord of the Rings. As those went away or diminished, we didn’t have anything.”
That very bare digital cupboard was the catalyst for the company to take a chance with some new properties during that time period, which saw them release critically-acclaimed games such as Dead Space and Mirrors Edge, with Dead Space going on to release a well-received sequel earlier this year.
“I figure we’ll probably be doing one to two new IPs a year as far out as I can seeâ€, Gibeau said. “And we always have new IPs in development. We go through a green light process and in technology development and gameplay development we’re always looking at new, fresh ways at applying productâ€.
Gibeau also confirmed in the interview that the company was also considering the idea of rebooting some classic games, and bringing back a few old favourites, with the classic squad-based game Syndicate leading the rumour charge. Personally, I want to see EA bring back Road Rash in all its asphalt nipple-surfing glory.
But at least its comforting to hear that there is an effort to bring some fresh ideas and ingenuity to the market, instead of continually milking the same cow dry until its udders fall off.
Source: CVG
Last Updated: August 25, 2011
