EA Montreal shifting focus to 'big, blockbuster-type titles'
by David Hinkle 
{ Nov 24th 2009 at 11:45AM } 
Tascan explains that the Wii market is "a little bit unpredictable these days," further encouraging a shift to additional "big, blockbuster-type titles." We probably don't need Tascan to point out that Army of Two is "the most successful original IP EA has had in the last few years," since it's the first to get a big, blockbuster sequel ahead of Dead Space and -- can we dream? -- Mirror's Edge.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Darth Bradwart, The Dark Lord of the Sith-ATDF Co-Founder @ Nov 24th 2009 11:49AM
Well, apart from EA Sports Active, their Wii titles aren't exactly flying off the shelves. Can't say I blame them.
Cody @ Nov 24th 2009 12:34PM
Here's a prudent approach: Target the Wii with "fewer and bigger things".
TreyIM @ Nov 25th 2009 2:37AM
Here, here! The Wii is a W-A-S-T-E of money. Been saying that from jumpstreet...Johnny Depp not included....
xxh3llb0y14xx @ Nov 24th 2009 11:51AM
at least mirrors edge is getting ported to the wii and psp right?.................right??
baby sea tuna @ Nov 24th 2009 11:54AM
Wow, that 3rd party Wii market that everyone (especially EA) was so hot on in 2007 seems to be drying up already, huh? Guess it sort of makes sense since, with the exception of Boom Blox, I've yet to play a 3rd party Wii game that was more than moderately impressive.
Markez @ Nov 24th 2009 12:15PM
I think the only 3rd party games I have are both Boom Blox and Zack & Wiki. Zack & Wiki is great but kind of wears on you after awhile. I also have No More Heroes but never put more than 30 mins into it, I'll get around to it at some point.
Had the first Raving Rabbids game, but I think I enjoyed that one more simply since I had someone to play through it with and trade off with.
Cody @ Nov 24th 2009 12:41PM
"I've yet to play a 3rd party Wii game that was more than moderately impressive."
Not the Wii's fault.
RE4 was exactly the type of game the Wii needed. And what does Capcom do on the heels of its millions in sales? Two lightgun games. I mean honestly. Dead Space was RE4 in space. What's EA do for Wii? A lightgun game.
It's retarded decision making from under achieving developers that take to Wiis input device like its the da Vinci Code.
Just wait 360 owners, your time is coming in the form of Natal software. Just wait.
MUAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH
Markez @ Nov 24th 2009 12:47PM
Nintendo wonk that you are, you should know better than to reference a gamecube game as your first example.
baby sea tuna @ Nov 24th 2009 1:12PM
Just exactly how many lousy 3rd party games and middling-to-good first party titles have to come out before we *can* start blaming the Wii?
Personal preferences aside, there's only a small handful of titles (90% of them first-party, and most of those retreads of previous-gen experiences) that are essential to Wii. Out of the hundreds and HUNDREDS of games that are available, I'd say that's a pretty lousy signal-to-noise ratio and it makes sense why publishers are becoming a little more wary about putting out titles that require any risk on their part.
Cody @ Nov 24th 2009 3:02PM
@ Markez,
The fact I'm having to reference a Gamecube title only further proves my point, you Simpsons wonk.
Cody @ Nov 24th 2009 3:11PM
@ tuna,
I'll say it again. Wait til Natal launches. And hell, PS Motion for that matter. Although unlike PS Motion, Natal is a whole new beast for developers to tackle (i.e. http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/devs-to-get-project-natal-tips-at-gamefest-in-feb/ ). PS Motion can more or less be applied from Wiimotion/ Motion Plus knowledge.
It has so much to do with the input device its not even funny.
We've been going off dual analog set ups for the better half of 3 console generations (if you count PS1s analog DualShock) and developers have become way too comfotable with this set up. They just direct most to all assests to visuals nowadays, and slap on a cookie cutter control layout that "works ok".
Assests for the vast majority of all Wii games have been focused so much on controls that alot is left to the imagination in other areas, namely, and obviously, graphics.
Jawmuncher (PSN & XBL:Jawmuncher) @ Nov 24th 2009 11:55AM
After Dead Space Extraction I can understand why they might not want to try so hard when it comes to making games on the wii.
ximena79 @ Nov 24th 2009 11:55AM
Its not the quantity of games you make its the quality, that is what matters.
Jawmuncher (PSN & XBL:Jawmuncher) @ Nov 24th 2009 12:01PM
But on the wii that doesn't seem to matter.
Games such as madworld or Deadspace extarction games with good reviews and such sold very little on the wii,
So while what you might be saying is true when it comes to the wii, it seems to be a little bit different.
ximena79 @ Nov 24th 2009 12:04PM
@jaw
no offense but statics show that the wii has the most games but the worst ave. for all those games added up, compared to ps3 and xbox 360. But i dont know about EA there games could be different.
ximena79 @ Nov 24th 2009 11:57AM
Its not the quantity its the quality of games, that is what matters.
ximena79 @ Nov 24th 2009 11:58AM
dammit it popped twice sorry guys *prepares for a massacre of down votes*.
tmacairjordan87 @ Nov 24th 2009 11:58AM
Irony?
Phylogenetics @ Nov 24th 2009 12:10PM
I`m upvoting you so your shame will be visible to all the internet.
tmacairjordan87 @ Nov 24th 2009 12:01PM
Anytime a dev moves away from shovelware and just bad games in general, in favor of supposed AAA blockbuster HD games, you gain my interest. I'll be looking forward to seeing what they can do.
Space @ Nov 24th 2009 12:08PM
yeah, hopefully we get more games that are dead space quality.
ximena79 @ Nov 24th 2009 12:01PM
@tmacairjordan87
I agree.
Stteevvveee @ Nov 24th 2009 12:15PM
I'm suprised we haven't buried all the shovelware wii games... wait... somehow I feel like history SHOULD be repeating itself... nahh.
XBL: xGeneral DEATHx PSN: Deeth82 [Planeteer | Power of General Hostility and Angst] @ Nov 24th 2009 12:16PM
Once again, the dude's G3 has no mag in it. What's he firing...imagination bullets?? These are the important things we must ponder.
aristokrat @ Nov 24th 2009 1:16PM
You didn't hear about the chin magazine upgrade? You stick the magazine on the end of your chin, then you really spit bullets when you smack talk!
XBL: xGeneral DEATHx PSN: Deeth82 [Planeteer | Power of General Hostility and Angst] @ Nov 24th 2009 1:39PM
Oh, snap! Talk to the hand, 'cause the face don't wanna hear it!
*Fires 30 rounds*
johnnynumber5 @ Nov 24th 2009 12:21PM
Army of Two was a good game and I'm the hopeful the sequel will improve as muchy as say Uncharted 1 to Uncharted 2 did. I actually like most of EA's games this generation and I'm hopeful they take this quality initiative seriously and make the already good franchises into iconic ones. A perfect example is the first army of two ... super fun game but a few annoying design issues/bugs kept it from being one of the better games of the year. The melee was broken, the campaign was short, lame forced back to back shooting sequences and at the time I remember the achievements wouldn't always work when playing the game in online co-op mode.
The franchises that EA has created (Army Of Two, Dead Space, Mirrors Edge, C&C, Mercs etc) have all been at the very least solid games. Still, they haven't had that one internally produced mega blockbuster game that was praised by the media and gamers alike. Hopefully they can capture lightning in a bottle with AoT:2 and deliver one of the best games if '10. I'm also hoping Saboteur is a sleeper hit but looking at all the aspects of the games development it's hard to see it getting any better than an 80 average on metacritic.
Xeones25 @ Nov 24th 2009 4:00PM
Dead Space was a critical hit and just about everyone that has played it enjoyed it. EA just didn't do any advertising for it so it didn't sell well.
I can't wait for Dead Space 2.
Mirror's Edge was a hit or miss for people, hit in my case (really enjoyed it).
I've never played Army of Two, maybe I'll rent it the sequel over next summer break (winter break is for Uncharted 2 and Modern Warfare 2).
Joey @ Nov 24th 2009 12:23PM
I'm fine with this. Maybe they should have followed this idea in the first place, instead of just creating a bunch shitty casual/niche games and hoping to hit the jackpot. Woulda been nice to have just one good 3rd party action/adventure type game on the Wii from them. I have a Wii, and play all the "hardcore" games the 3rd parties create, after they hit bargain bin. I have fun, and they're cool (at a bargain price) but nothing that I feel would have ever been a huge hit in the first place.
D-5 @ Nov 24th 2009 12:33PM
The Wii Dev Kits are already starting to get removed from the work areas (Probably just to some closet). Not that it's a surprise, but the higher ups are saying what everyone else is: Only Nintendo is making significant $$$ from Wii games, for the most part.
Benjamin Heckendorn @ Nov 24th 2009 12:48PM
I would like to point out that some us of have been saying this about the Wii since the very beginning.
On that note, the Natal will flop. Anybody that wanted that kind of game already bought a Wii and has already stopped playing it. Anyone who bought a 360 doesn't want that kind of game.
baby sea tuna @ Nov 24th 2009 1:21PM
That's *if* the developers are as lazy with Natal as they tend to be with the waggle-wand programming. I think if they can be creative about it (and if you think Lionhead won't at least try to be creative about it, then you're nuts) and figure out a way to integrate it into new games without it feeling like a gimmick, then we might get some pretty excellent results.
I wouldn't necessarily look towards what people have done so far on the Wii as the be-all end-all for motion controlled interfaces. I think the well there is pretty deep.
Grimcicle @ Nov 24th 2009 12:53PM
I wasn't aware anyone gave a shit about Army of Two, honestly. The title came and went with little fanfare in my corner of the world.
baby sea tuna @ Nov 24th 2009 1:22PM
Did you just say "making fuck?"
Mads @ Nov 24th 2009 1:33PM
Activision made more than all their "on market titles" in 1 week.
No wonder why they rapidly want to change focus to do like they do.
Its obvious that they envy their success.
The question is if that is good or bad for the gamer.
For the PC gamer it will most likely mean something bad, i guess they will most likely try to mimic the +$10-20 to all highfy PC titles that Activision is pushing in.
I guess it might hear a few of thoes new-bie titles but can maybe assure more high quality titles across the board.
johnnynumber5 @ Nov 24th 2009 2:20PM
It seems EA is learning from Activisions mistake with MW2 and the PC by advertising Bad Company 2 on the PC as being above and beyond the console version. I think that Bad Company 2 will be successful in roping in disenfranchised COD PC players. I doubt that any game the rest of this generation will be as successful as MW2 in terms of sales but certainly the Battlefield franchise and a Medal of Honor reboot can give EA plenty of marketshare in the military FPS genre.
Jesus (PSN: Luttdawg) @ Nov 25th 2009 1:01AM
I'm all for big blockbusters but there are a heap of better action games out I would take over Army of Two (Gears, Uncharted, Modern Warfare). Good thing they are shifting away from the Wii but, I feel bad for developers who have been burned trying to make core games for a platform where the majority of owners would rather buy (and probably not use again) some gimmicky exercise board than play a real game.