andrew-wilson
Latest
DICE producer admits Battlefield 4 woes damaged fan trust
Almost a full year after its launch, DICE LA producer David Sirland has admitted that the glitches that long plagued Battlefield 4 damaged the public's perception of what was once a highlight of the first-person shooter genre. "I can absolutely say that we lost [player] trust in the game's launch and the early parts of the year," Sirland told Gamespot. "We still probably have a lot of players who won't trust us to deliver a stable launch or a stable game." Like EA CEO Andrew Wilson, Sirland is quick to offer assurances that Battlefield 4's woes were an isolated issue that will not be repeated: "I am certain that [Battlefield 4's problematic debut] won't be repeated because we've changed the way we work." Sirland offers few specifics, but key to this shift is a new transparency in the Battlefield development process while more attention is being paid to fan input. Whether that holds true or not remains to be seen. Specifically, it remains to be seen once EA launches Battlefield: Hardline, an open-world cops and robbers shooter now slated to appear at some point in 2015. According to Ian Milham, creative director at developer Visceral Games, unlike Battlefield 4, this one will actually work. [Image: EA]
EA's CEO on lessons learned from mobile Dungeon Keeper
With Dungeon Keeper's frequent ultimatum of giving into micro transactions or waiting hours to make another move, EA's mobile revival of the evil lair builder didn't win over many fans, new or old. Its reputation as one of the least player-friendly examples of free-to-play gaming was rampant closer to its launch, and discontent was widespread enough for EA CEO Andrew Wilson to hear about it. Speaking with Eurogamer about the mobile successor, Wilson described the situation as "a shame" and said EA had "misjudged the economy." Wilson outlined two overarching types of feedback that EA received from the situation: staying as true as possible to a revived series' essence rather than purely going for new players is important, and that "when you're thinking about any business model, premium, subscription, free-to-play, value has to exist. Whether it's a dollar, $10, $100 or $1,000, you have to [deliver] value, and always err on the side of delivering more value, not less." Achieving that sense of value can be tough, particularly in a series like Battlefield that offers purchasable content in season passes and deluxe editions on top of a $60 base price. Just as long as those pools missing from The Sims 4's launch aren't eventually sold to us in a water-focused expansion, right? [Image: EA]
EA CEO deems Battlefield 4 launch 'unacceptable'
In an unexpected display of candid honesty, EA CEO Andrew Wilson has opted to own up to the failures of Battlefield 4, drawing a connection to the game's online scope. Though our review of the game was positive, once Battlefield 4 launched players were faced with months of ongoing connectivity issues, to the point where EA delayed development on the game's promised DLC packs in favor of fixing extant bugs. According to Wilson, this laundry list of malfunctions is the fault of a development team that was trying to do too much in too little time.
EA looks to WB's Batman: Arkham success with Star Wars games
In a recent interview with Fortune, Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson discussed his vision for the company, as well as the challenges he's faced, since taking over in September of last year. While most of the interview was a CEO issuing statements meant to assure his company's audience that they're focused on making great games, Wilson also noted the success of other publishers. When discussing the company's recent licensing deal with Disney to produce Star Wars games, Wilson pointed to Warner Bros. Interactive's Arkham series as an example of how to do licensed properties right: "What Warner Bros. did with Batman was take the core roots of that IP and manifest that inside the walls of Gotham City and delivered an interactive experience that had real ties to what you would see in the films and what you had read in the comics, while having its own life because it could provide such deep and more immersive storylines," Wilson said. "When we look at the Star Wars properties, that's how we're looking at it. We're not trying to build a game that replicates the storyline of any particular film." Wilson also left the door open regarding what business model future EA games would follow. Comparing the mobile and home game markets, Wilson said, "I don't think ... that all of us are suddenly going to stop playing games on our 60-inch TVs because that's great gaming, and that's great entertainment. How you get that game there, I think that's anyone's guess." [Image: Warner Bros.]
EA CEO: Publisher may skip a year between future UFC games
Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson recently contemplated a bi-annual release schedule for future MMA games that follow EA Sports UFC, which is slated to launch on Xbox One and PS4 this year. In an interview with CNN's Fortune Tech, Wilson described the frequency of some games and the "appetite" players have for them, noting that the UFC brand "feels like it's in that every-other-year mix" without committing to that release schedule as a guaranteed development plan. "We get a new GTA game every four or five years, but there is an immense appetite. What we're looking at right now is how long is it going to take us to build a truly innovative game in that genre, and when do we think gamers are going to be ready for that next one," Wilson said. EA announced the acquisition of the UFC license at E3 2012 following the demise of THQ, which published three UFC games. THQ's crack at the series began with annual releases in UFC 2009: Undisputed and UFC Undisputed 2010 prior to a two-year absence in the series. THQ's final game, UFC Undisputed 3, reportedly failed to "break even" at two million units sold as of June 2012. "Do I think that UFC would be an every year game? I don't know," Wilson said. "It feels like it's in that every-other-year mix, but in all honesty we haven't made that decision yet. That really comes down to how long it's going to take to make a great game and when do we think the audience is ready." EA Canada's Fight Night team is behind EA Sports UFC's development, led by creative director and Fight Night Round 4 and Fight Night Champion gameplay designer Brian Hayes. Wilson previously noted that the Fight Night series is "on hold" while the developer works on EA Sports UFC. [Image: EA Sports]
EA's CEO talks gaming modality, virtual reality futures
Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson talked up his company's plans for virtual reality tech at last weekend's SXSW Gaming expo. Wilson told Polygon that "there's clearly a desire to add a modality of play to the three we're focusing on." Said modalities include "lean back" which focuses on the living room experience, "lean in" which focuses on PC proximity, and "lean over" which relates to mobile devices. "When I look at any of the VR devices, I look at that not in terms of 'what is that device going to deliver' but a desire for gamers to have a different type of modality," Wilson explained. "The 'get In' type of modality, right? That might be delivered to you through a headset or through some hologram that evolves out of your living room floor."
EA CEO views VR as fourth 'modality' of playing games
Between the Oculus Rift, Valve's prototype virtual reality technology and rumors of Sony's plan to enter the VR space sometime this year, there are plenty of opportunities for developers to experiment with the concept. We've seen plans to support the technology from games like The Witness and Strike Suit Zero, but it's not quite to the point where Oculus Rift support is listed in the same breath as planned platforms during a game's E3 reveal. EA CEO Andrew Wilson sees potential for the technology to shake things up however, and Polygon's interview explores his view of VR as a possible fourth "modality" of play. Wilson sees three existing styles of play: "Lean Back" experiences, where the player is in a home entertainment environment, "Lean In" titles where the player is using PCs or consoles for first-person shooters, real-time strategy or role-playing games, and "Lean Over" games, where the player is using a phone or tablet. Wilson views VR gear as a fourth "Get In" style of play, one that uses headsets or "some hologram that evolves out of your living room floor" to further involve the player in a game's action. While it's no confirmation that VR projects are in active development, Wilson added that he has told his team to "start thinking now about the experiences" offered with the "Get In" style of play. We can only hope that includes integrating VR tech with the Mirror's Edge reboot, so we can properly trick ourselves into feeling like we can do parkour without the involved spraining of ankles. [Image: EA]
EA considering free-to-play UFC game for Brazil
During a talk at the Credit Suisse Technology Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, EA CEO Andrew Wilson noted that the publisher is leveraging opportunities to create free-to-play games for Brazil. Among the two properties Wilson said the publisher is actively considering for the region was a new game using the UFC license, as Brazil is home to a strong fanbase for mixed martial arts. Additionally, Wilson said the company has plans to launch FIFA Online World in Brazil and Russia leading up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup event slated to take place in Brazil. The free-to-play game is built on the same technology as FIFA Online 3, which EA will bring to China after having already launched it in Korea with Nexon as its publishing partner. "We are absolutely looking at [Brazil] in detail, and we think we have at least two, but likely more products that will have strong appeal there," Wilson said.
New FIFA World Cup game in development for Xbox One and PS4
During yesterday's investor call to discuss EA's second quarter of fiscal 2014 financial results, CEO Andrew Wilson noted that the publisher is working on a new FIFA World Cup expansion game. Additionally, CFO Blake Jorgensen brought up FIFA World Cup again when asked about next-gen games in development, indicating that the game will appear on Xbox One and PS4. It is unknown if the game will also be developed for current generation systems. "In the last two weeks, you've also seen several announcements about our product slate for the remainder of this year and into FY15," Wilson said. "We are refining our focus on our biggest brands and great new IP in development, including The Sims 4, EA Sports UFC, FIFA World Cup and Dragon Age: Inquisition." EA Sports traditionally launches a new World Cup-branded game in line with the global sporting event, which occurs every four years. The last game in the series was 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, which launched in April 2010. Given that the next World Cup is scheduled to begin in June 2014 in Brazil, a new entry in the sub-series is hardly surprising. The publisher's next-gen efforts will not include Tiger Woods in its future golf games, and Jorgensen also noted that Titanfall will be exclusive to Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC "for the life of the title" during the call. EA will launch the next-gen version of FIFA 14 along with the new consoles this coming month.
EA CEO Wilson puts Gibeau in charge of mobile, Soderlund on sports
Andrew Wilson has made his first big move as CEO of EA, re-establishing managerial roles and clarifying that all senior staff now report to him directly, an internal memo hosted on GamesBeat reveals. Frank Gibeau, formerly president of EA Labels, is now in charge of EA Mobile. Patrick Soderlund is still executive VP of EA Games Label, but he's now also head of EA Sports, the role that Wilson left to take over as CEO. Peter Moore remains brand president and Lucy Bradshaw keeps her role as head of EA Maxis, the developer of SimCity. Rajat Tenaja is still Chief Technology Officer, Blake Jorgensen is still Chief Financial Officer, Joel Linzner is still senior VP of legal and business affairs, and Gabrielle Toledano remains executive VP of HR. "Our priorities right now are simple – we must deliver on our FY14 plan, continue the transformation of our organization for our digital future, create amazing games and services, have a ruthless focus and execute," Wilson writes. "I will work closely with my senior management team to help drive these priorities through the organization. Each of these leaders will report directly to me in their roles."
EA's new CEO is Andrew Wilson
Former EA Sports Executive Vice President Andrew Wilson is now CEO of EA, following John Riccitiello's resignation in March. "In the short term, our mission is crystal clear: We are 100 percent focused on delivering our FY14 business plan," Wilson writes. "We have made strong progress in the first half of the fiscal year, establishing financial discipline and continuing to create a slate of fantastic games for current and next-generation consoles, mobile and PC. But now we've got to finish the job – execute in Q3 and Q4 and deliver on the promises we made to our fans and our shareholders." Wilson lists three areas he'll focus on as CEO of EA: "continued transformation for our digital future, delivering amazing games and services across platforms, and Instilling a culture of execution that will drive profitable growth." As CEO, Wilson's base salary is $800,000, with a target bonus of 150 percent of that base amount. He has an option to purchase 1 million shares of common stock in EA. As CEO in 2011, Riccitiello's base salary was also $800,000. Interim CEO Larry Probst received a $1.03 million salary during EA's leadership downtime this year. Wilson has been with EA since 2000. He recently held the spotlight at the Xbox One event in May to announce Microsoft's "special relationship" with EA Sports.
EA's Wilson wants to 'reestablish Origin as a service to gamers'
EA's Vice President Andrew Wilson told GamesIndustry International at E3 this year that the company plans to "really re-establish Origin as a service to gamers, not as a means to drive transactions." Wilson was on the initial team that planned out Origin, which he said was originally designed as "a service that makes your EA games better." Over time, however, as Chris Roberts (from the same team) told Joystiq earlier, Origin became less about adding functionality, and more about selling games in a branded store. Origin's role, according to Wilson, is as "a complementary service that enhances your game experience irrespective of where you made the transaction. That's the shift you're going to see from us." Wilson admits that the change will take time, but would like to send a clear message to EA's Origin users: "We get it. We understand it. We have heard, we have made some changes already in terms of how we do things, and we're looking at more changes that we'll talk about over the coming months that really are gamer-focused."
Fight Night franchise on hold as EA Canada focuses on UFC
With EA Canada focused on EA's upcoming UFC game, the Fight Night franchise has been put on hold at EA Sports. "Right now, a great portion of the core of the Fight Night team are actually the team that are building UFC," EA Sports executive vice president Andrew Wilson told IGN. "Do I see a future for Fight Night? You know, sure. But right now, UFC is where our fighting focus is." 2011's Fight Night Champion was the latest game in EA's boxing franchise, introducing a new "Full-Spectrum" punch control system and a Hollywood-inspired campaign following fictitious convict boxer's struggle to overcome adversity and many, many punches to the face. The series was born from the ashes of EA's previous boxing series, Knockout Kings, in 2004.
EA, Microsoft enter into 'special relationship,' FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, NBA Live 14, UFC on Xbox One [Update]
Andrew Wilson, EA Sports boss, took to the stage at Microsoft's Xbox One event and confirmed that EA and Microsoft have entered into a "special relationship." This will see four EA Sports games on Xbox One: FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, NBA Live 14 and UFC. All four will launch within the next 12 months, Wilson said. EA Sports Ignite, a new engine created at EA, will power each game, attempting to emulate human intelligence and true player motion within each games. There are "four times more calculations per second" to achieve this. Special content for FIFA 14 Ultimate Team will "only be on Xbox," Wilson concluded before showing off an EA Sports sizzle reel. Update: EA has clarified via Twitter that FIFA 14 Ultimate Team will be available on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, though there will be content exclusive to the Xbox One version. The text of this post has been updated to reflect that.
EA executives Andrew Wilson, Stephen Bene unload stocks
Two of Electronic Arts' top-level executives have collectively unloaded a total of 57,085 stocks, following a general increase in EA's stock value after this week's Star Wars exclusivity announcement. According to SEC forms filed yesterday, EA Sports executive vice president Andrew Wilson has sold his entire stake in the company: 32,085 shares at $21.42 a pop, for a grand total of $687,260.70. EA senior vice president and General Counsel Stephen Bene followed suit, today exercising an option to buy 25,000 shares from EA at $16.06 per share for $401,500 in total, well below the current market value. Bene then sold those shares for $22.40 each, making $560,000. After subtracting the amount originally spent when the option to buy the shares was exercised, Bene made a net profit of $158,500. Unlike Wilson, Bene is still in possession of 6,700 shares of EA, according to SEC documents.
NBA Live 13 canceled by EA
EA Sports has canceled NBA Live 13. The company plans on taking a full year off to work on the next game in the series."But making great games is not easy, and we're just not there yet on NBA LIVE 13. Having continued to look at the game over the past few days, it's clear that we won't be ready in October," EA Sports Executive Vice President Andrew Wilson wrote in a news release today. "And rather than launch midway through the season, we're going to sit out the full year and stay focused on making next year's game great."The news comes after an announcement on the game's delay and its absence from EA Sports' E3 showing. More notably, the cancellation of NBA Elite 11 makes this the third year in a row that EA's simulation basketball series has failed to see publication."We're committed to delivering new innovation in online, and our progress in the visual presentation of the game continues to take big strides. We also know that a great game starts with great gameplay, and this remains a huge priority for us," Wilson wrote.
More NFL Blitz possible, but fans have to ask for it
In January, EA Sports released a reboot of Midway's arcade football game, NFL Blitz. Basically, I loved it, so when I sat down for a chat with EA Sports executive vice president Andrew Wilson, I asked him if we would see more NFL Blitz. "I would say so," he responded."I think what we've come to realize is we need to build games fans want to play," Wilson said. "We just want to hear that fans want to play it. We don't want to be the brand anymore that just puts it out because we can. I think NFL Blitz was a great value, so will we do it again? Absolutely. When will we do it again? When fans tell us it's time for the next one."
NBA Live not at EA's press conference because 'it deserves its own time'
EA Sports is resurrecting its basketball franchise this fall, yet oddly it is absent from E3. With only months to go until we're in that fall timeframe, the decision was made to hold back NBA Live 13 from E3. "We have some really cool and aggressive stuff we have planned for NBA Live, and we felt it deserved its own time," EA Sports executive vice president Andrew Wilson told me.
EA has big plans for its UFC game
It's an exciting time at EA Sports for executive VP Andrew Wilson. He's pretty stoked about acquiring the UFC license, the result of the dire financial situation going on at THQ right now, the previous UFC license holder. "Yes, yes it is," Wilson tells me when I say it must be a good time to be in the sports game, uh, game.But how did EA get the license? Who approached who? How did it all go down? How much did EA really pay for the license? While Wilson couldn't go into the specificity I would've liked regarding some of those subjects, he did at least give me some background on how this new deal came together – and just what it means for MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) gaming fans looking forward to the future.
The caddy will return in the next Tiger Woods PGA Tour game
Andrew Wilson, president of worldwide development for EA Sports, told Joystiq today that the caddy feature in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters was "well received" and destined to return in the franchise's next installment. As you may know, this is a decision we wholeheartedly support.
