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New tech puts ESPN anchors on video game gridiron

by Kyle Orland { Sep 5th 2008 at 4:50PM }

Don't be surprised if this Sunday's edition of ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown looks a bit more like a game of Madden. According to a New York Times report, the Disney-owned sports network will use the "EA Sports Virtual Playbook" and a special studio and camera setup to allow "both real and virtual people move around the ESPN set to demonstrate plays and possible situations." It sure sounds a lot simpler than getting real NFL players to crash around the set, but we'll reserve judgment until we see it in action this weekend.

Peter Moore calls E3 'soulless,' calls for public event

by Jason Dobson { Jul 26th 2008 at 1:00AM }

His face may be broken, but EA's Peter Moore likes to speak his mind, and what's on his mind lately is last week's E3, a gathering that he thinks can be fixed by opening it up to the public. Whoa, maybe all of that ink has gone to his brain, or has he already forgotten the madhouse that the annual used to be, when everyone and their brother seemed to find a way to roam the show's halls? Plus, isn't that what E for All is for, anyway?

Calling the event "soulless and lacking an epicenter," the former Microsoft exec suggests that organizers "invite the community" to the show, adding that given enough planning, letting gamers experience E3 first hand will help companies create better games and forge new ideas. Of course, it would likely be too crowded for any of the attending press to get any work done, but that's beside the point. Right, Pete?

Peter Moore explains EA Sports' PC snub

by Kyle Orland { Jul 4th 2008 at 1:00AM }

PC sports gamers are somewhat justifiably unhappy with Peter Moore right now. Earlier this year, the EA Sports executive announced that Madden and many other EA Sports games won't be coming to the PC market this year. But wait, you didn't give him a chance to explain! Well, actually, you did, and he did, but today Moore went into more detail about his division's scaled back PC support. A summary of the reasoning behind the decision:

PC sports gamers are gravitating to consoles.
The PC sports gaming market is gravitating to a downloadable model rather than a "packaged" model.
The PC versions of EA Sports games aren't getting a good enough return on investment.
You PC gamers just pirate everything anyway and we're not going to make a PC version just so millions of you can just steal it! (We may have exaggerated the tone a little bit on this one, but you get the idea).

PC Sports fans can still hold out hope that EA Sports will change its mind, though. Moore hinted that the company might be coming back into the PC space next year with "new, innovative, maybe even less-expensive ways to play all of our franchises on the PC." If there's one thing sports fans should be familiar with, it's squeezing that one, slim ray of hope for all it's worth.

EA Sports working on sweaty Wii Fit

by Alexander Sliwinski { May 8th 2008 at 3:00PM }

EA Sports president Peter Moore tells Eurogamer that the division is working on a Wii fitness game utilizing the pressure-balancy-board thing. The game will release under the new casual-oriented Freestyle label and will focus on "western" cardio workouts instead of Wii Fit's "eastern holistic fitness."

EA's version of Wii Fit is intended to make the user sweat while still having fun. Although Moore wouldn't get into specifics of the game, he would say that the key is to distract the user and make them have fun without realizing they're having a good workout. Hopefully, EA's exercise game will come with a Shamwow and some disinfectant spray for the board. Yes, we've now come to fear the fungal side of Wii Fit.

Moore 'disappointed' Home still isn't done

by Alexander Sliwinski { May 8th 2008 at 12:58PM }

Peter Moore tells Eurogamer he wishes Sony's Home service would just ship already. The former Xbox exec turned EA Sports president says he's interested in working with Home, but he's "disappointed" that it keeps getting pushed back.

Moore expresses that he really wants Home to become the portal to the PlayStation Network and something that EA Sports could utilize, but that nothing's going to happen until it's done. Moore's got plenty on his plate currently as he tries to reinvigorate the EA Sports division and launches a new sub-brand.

Moore knows people are 'pissed' about no PC Madden '09

by Alexander Sliwinski { Apr 30th 2008 at 4:30PM }

EA Sports President Peter Moore recently talked to GameDaily about his decision to not release Madden NFL 09 on PC. He acknowledges the move "pissed off a lot of people," but it was a business decision based on sports games in the PC market.

He stands by previous statements he made, when he was still with Microsoft, that there'll be a PC gaming renaissance, but he says sports games aren't going to play a "huge role." He says that whether people agree with it or not, EA Sports is designing its games to be played ten feet away from a high-definition screen with groups of people playing online or in the same room. The full interview is actually quite deep, with Moore discussing a lot more about EA Sports' design philosophy, its targeted consumer and the issue of PC piracy.

EA's NFL Head Coach '09 gets full-price, standalone release Sept. 2

by Kyle Orland { Apr 22nd 2008 at 4:30PM }

Remember last month when EA mentioned that coaching simulator NFL Head Coach '09 would only be available as part of the Madden '09 Collector's Edition? Yeah, funny story about that -- it's not true. EA revealed in a press release today that the game will actually also be sold as a $49.99 standalone release for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in time for the start of the new football season on Sept. 2.

We're a little skeptical that U.S. gamers will be willing to shell out nearly $50 bucks for a coaching simulator -- remember, the 2006 original NFL Head Coach was budget priced at $20, and still got savaged in reviews. Then again, Europeans seem to go nuts for the similar Football Simulator series of soccer-management sims, so maybe North America is just behind the curve on this one. Then again again, maybe we Americans are just too discriminating to enjoy a game where you simply manage a sport rather than actively participating in it. We report, you work out your patriotic vitriol in the comments thread.

Moore talks casual, Wii focus for EA Sports

by Kyle Orland { Feb 6th 2008 at 2:00PM }

Amid talk of Facebreaker and the impact of an exclusive NFL license, an quick IGN interview with EA Sports President Peter Moore highlights the prominent studio's focus on making sports games more accessible to a wider audience.

"There will be more announcements that will be ... looking at the more casual consumer that we see as a bigger force in the business," Moore told IGN. "We need to do better on the Nintendo platforms, and we intend to do that. It's a different type of game mechanic that the Nintendo Wii consumer, in particular, can play."

The statement seems to indicate a continuation and upgrade for the company's Family Play initiative, which made simplified, Wii remote specific controls for games like Madden, NBA Live and Fifa. But do these dumbed-down controls end up dumbing down the gameplay? Or could sports games use a dose of simplicity? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Madden '08 simulation predicts Patriots win over Giants 38-30

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 31st 2008 at 7:00PM }

EA Sports sent us a tip on how we should bet on the big game this Sunday. According to EA's Super Bowl XLII simulation in Madden '08 the New England Patriots defeated the New York Giants with a final score of 38-30. EA Sports would also like to point out that over the last five years the group has had a perfect record of predicting the Super Bowl winner.

The Madden '08 simulation used each team's current roster and player statistics. If the simulation holds up, the Patriots would be the first team in NFL history to have a perfect 19-0 season. The full release and video of the simulation can be found after the break.

Continued →

Analyst: EA Sports is underperforming and trend may continue

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 18th 2008 at 5:30PM }

Remember this pic? Speaking of disappearing players, that seems to be the trend in EA Sports titles. Deutsche Bank analyst Jeetil Patel points out that EA Sports titles are trending down in sales, with juggernaut Madden '08 selling 100,000 less copies this year (5% drop) and NCAA Football '08 seeing a 17% drop; furthermore, compared to previous years the average selling price declines of these games accelerated.

Patel says that the underperformance of EA Sports titles represent two major issues: That an exclusive sports franchise is diminishing year after year, and whether future iterations can compete in a competitive market with many AAA titles available. He gives EA a "SELL" rating as its industry leadership is challenged along with the quality of its titles. We humbly present as anecdotal evidence: When the guys at this blogger's ultra-blue-collar barber shop spend the last three visits complaining about the quality of Madden games, that's definitely a sign straight from the "key demographic."

College football players train on custom EA Sports simulator

by Griffin McElroy { Jan 6th 2008 at 4:00PM }

Coaches of college football teams have a lot of resources at their disposal to make sure they can get the best performance possible out of their student athletes -- resources like research films, exercise and diet regimens, and other training programs. However, according to a recent article on MSNBC, quarterbacks from LSU and Tennessee State have received additional training from an unlikely source: A custom-built college football simulator using the Madden and NCAA engines by EA Sports.

The game features the playbook of the offensive line of the team it was designed for, and includes the defensive playbook of every other team. Based on the offensive play you choose, you can see how your opponent will react -- and how to best counter each team's defense. The quarterbacks who have played the game said that it helps them learn how other teams match up against their own, and the best routes to use to get around their opponents.

It sounds like a pretty fun learning tool -- we wish there was a game we could play that would teach us how to blog more effectively. Perhaps Broderbund, the now defunct makers of Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, could get back together to make JoySim: The Joystiq Simulator. A doubtful scenario, to be sure, but still -- we can dream.

The Sports Guy slips on the NBA Live 08 mo-cap suit

by Dan Dormer { Oct 17th 2007 at 3:58PM }

Who says mo-cap is the technical capturing of data to create realistic, fluid motion in gaming that's devoid of soul? Sports writer Bill "The Sports Guy" Simmons did a piece for ESPN's new show, E:60, wherein he heads to EA Sports studios to undergo the motion capture process for NBA Live 08. He even schools Boston Celtics all-star Paul "The Truth" Pierce in the process -- sorta.

While you might have seen mo-cap videos before, Simmons speaks candidly about the technology, observing that sweat makes the suit moist. TMI there, Bill. T-M-I.

Peter Moore issued $22 million in EA stock

by Kyle Orland { Sep 24th 2007 at 12:44PM }

As if we needed more reasons to be insanely jealous of Peter Moore. Not only does the guy get a $1.5 million bonus and six-figure salary for jumping from Microsoft to EA Sports, now comes reports that the executive is making even more scratch off EA stock awards.

CNN/Money's "insider actions" table for Electronic Arts shows Moore receiving a whopping 400,000 shares in the company last week, a transfer worth upwards of $21 million. As if that weren't jaw-dropping enough, the stock has since gone up two points to $55.73 a share, earning Moore $800,000 in virtual money in just seven days. Nice work if you can get it.

We understand that stock ownership gives Moore a more personal stake in the success of the company, but we can't help but boggle at the worth EA is placing on having this one man lead one of their biggest divisions. Will having Moore at the helm really sell that many more copies of Madden? Here's hoping ... for the sake of Moore's stock value.

[Via CVG]

Today in Joystiq: September 6, 2007

by Ross Miller { Sep 6th 2007 at 11:59PM }

"Hello everyone, my name is Peter Moore. As a sign of good faith, I have trapped half of my soul inside of a video game. It's actually a new feature we're working on for future EA Sports titles. We're tentatively calling it Moore's Law." (Check out the highlights for today.)

Joystiquery
Austin GDC: Live at the Hiromichi Tanaka keynote
Joystiq & PSPFB hands-on: PSP-2000: Part 3
Today's hottest video: the Lair 'Hot Coffee' code

News
New Simpsons parody section includes Mr. Sparkle
The Orange Box delayed on PS3
NBA Live 08 demo is now ... well, live
Black College Football Experience coming in November
Austin GDC: Live at the Sulka Haro keynote
Shivering Isles to get retail disc on 360 in October
Molyneux: Xbox Live 'far more impactful' than Wii waggle
White PSP Slim delayed in UK
Tabula Rasa ends six-year wait with Oct. 19 release
Morhaime talks change at Blizzard following WoW
Everquest I and II adds card game Legends of Norrath
Red Octane says Wii will have GHIII online play, no DLC initially
ESA wants Schwarzenegger to pay for legal fees
Nintendo says Metroid Dread is dead, at least as 2D
OK, Alone in the Dark PS3 is not more delayed than before
Heavenly Sword to be bundled with French PS3
Video Games Live CD coming October 15
New Street Fighter movie helmed by Doom director
No more PSP homebrew talk on Sony's forums
F.E.A.R. 2 officially dubbed 'Project Origin'
Stranglehold demo now available on US PSN

Rumors & Speculation
ONM: Mario Kart Wii supports 16 online, includes DS maps
Rumor: 23,000 Xbox Live users barred for using CoD4 exploit
Rumor: More BioShock plasmids ready to unlock

Culture & Community
Rock Band tour dates across US
BioShock gets the Zero Punctuation treatment

Moore: EA Sports can take on Nike and ESPN

by Dustin Burg { Sep 6th 2007 at 10:00AM }

The enjoyable and ever so determined Peter Moore is all about shooting for the stars at his new job at EA Sports in Cali. No really, he wants it all and is going for it.

In an interview with the New York Times, Moore lays out his goals and vision for the EA Sports brand, hoping that he and his team can turn it into a general sports brand that could go up against others like Nike and ESPN. Moore's ambitious vision sees a future where sports camps, on-air broadcasts, retail products and stadiums (okay, maybe not stadiums) will be branded with the EA Sports logo, similar to how Nike already runs business. These are all lofty goals indeed, but we say go get 'em Peter. And if ever you get in a bind or business gets rough, get yourself some new ink and rock a sleeveless shirt around the office. The morale boost would be immeasurable.