EA has finally come clean on the easy barrier to entry of Star Wars Battlefront. If you were wondering why it seemed easier than you expected, you can relax now, as it really was not just you.
Electronic Arts Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen revealed in the recent NASDAQ investor conference that this was a deliberate design choice, intended to broaden the game’s appeal to players of all ages (and presumably, skill levels). In his own words:
We had designed it to be a much more accessible product to a wide age group. So, an eight-year-old could play with his father on the couch, as well as a teenager or 20-year-old could play the game and enjoy it. It is more accessible. And for the hardcore, it may not have the depth that they wanted in the game.
This design choice is a double edged sword, as the choices made to broaden appeal can backfire and make these kinds of games unattractive to everyone. Case in point, Splatoon has done very well in the way its broken genre conventions, but it’s no threat to the hardcore gamers’ shooter of choice, Call of Duty.
In this specific case as well, EA must have had Star Wars fans in mind when they made these choices, but there’s no guarantee the broader number of Star Wars fans would be interested in crossing over from the movies into their games. EA touts the game’s teen rating, but truthfully speaking, teens usually are playing games rated above them anyway. Could EA have been better off playing to their crowd after all?
What do you think of EA’s decision? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
