The famed gaming company Electronic Arts has insisted that its single-player games are still “a really, really important part” of the overall mix of products that they offer players. EA is very well-known for its online games, specifically franchise games like FIFA, Madden, and NBA Live, with these sporting games and other online games being the greatest source of finances with over 70% of the business.
The acclaim and popularity of EAs online multiplayer games are so great that during the 2010s, the company had seemingly shifted away from single-player games altogether. However, success has once again fallen upon those games, and with the favorable outcome of games such as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, EA has since warmed to them again.
It was during the first quarter earnings call on Tuesday that EA was asked how single-player games currently fit into the mindset of the company, with EA CEO Andrew Wilson saying, “Our players, on balance, they have these core motivations—inspiration, escape, social connection, competition, self-improvement, creation—these things that bring us together as players of games.”
Wilson went on to say:
“When we think about our portfolio and we think about building it out, we really think about it on two key vectors. One, how can we tell incredible stories? And two, how can we build tremendous online communities? And then how do we bring those two things together?”
EA has always made great single-player games, along with the recent Fallen Order they also developed the Dead Space series, Medal of Honor, Mass Effect, and many more. As portfolios go, that is rather an impressive one, to say the least, so it would be a travesty to simply forget about them.
Wilson continued to explain:
“And as we think about single-player games, we think it’s a really, really important part of the overall portfolio that we deliver in the fulfillment of those core motivations. And the way we plan for it over time is really just looking at our community, and looking at how they’re spending their time, and looking at where motivations may or may not be fulfilled.”
The single-player games currently in development at EA include Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, and a Dead Space remake, so the future looks bright.
