EA has two teams prototyping Apple Watch game experiences
Apple revealed its new piece of wearable tech yesterday, a watch with a touchscreen, fitness apps and all sorts of other smart device functionality. Among the possibilities with the Apple Watch are gaming applications; EA has confirmed it is actively investigating, and was listed among the developers on-board with the device yesterday.
EA Mobile head Frank Gibeau told CNET that the publisher has "two teams prototyping wearable experiences that are not only standalone, but also some ideas where you can actually use the fitness component in the watch that can unlock capabilities in the game that might be on your iPhone." Gibeau suggested that Watch users could possibly handle minor game experiences on the device, such as "crafting or some auction trading on your watch that goes back into your tablet game that you might check out later when you get home."
The publisher sees a trend in the rise of wearable technology, in that "wearables are going to increase in performance, capability and unique functions over time that we believe will enable gaming experiences," Gibeau said. He added that the "emergence of another gaming platform is compelling" for EA. Of course, this is the same company that called the decision to jettison sports games (such as FIFA 14 and FIFA 15) from Wii U a "rational" business decision, and the same executive that said the company goes "where the audience is." For those equally intrigued, our friends at Engadget went wrists-on with the Watch at Apple's event.
