EA answers all needed questions for us......

Thanks to our loyal poster hoj3.

EA issued the following statement today in the form of a Q&A, and includes first talk of the company\'s prospects on Gamecube, EA position on Dreamcast development and just what you can expect from the publisher in the first year of Xbox being on store shelves.

NB: According to EA reps, these answers are taken from a spread of senior execs within the company.

Why did EA decide to support Xbox?

The technology and the business model are solid. But we also like Microsoft\'s philosophy toward interactive entertainment. These guys are serious. We see a solid understanding of the business and a long-term commitment to growing this industry.

Is EA making a serious commitment?

Absolutely. We\'ve ordered more than 500 Xbox development kits and we\'re already working on 6 to 10 EA titles that will be ready around the time that Xbox debuts. Some of our best developers are working on this system and there is a lot of excitement in our studios.

Why did you wait so long?

EA doesn\'t jump at every opportunity. We take time to evaluate the commitment of the manufacturer and to do a thorough analysis on where this console will be in two, three even four years out.

How does EA evaluate a console?

We use four general criteria:


Will the console deliver a great experience for the consumer?
Can our studios master the system in an efficient way?
Can we make money on the games?
Does the manufacturer have philosophy and business plan that demonstrates a sustained commitment to growing this industry.
In the case of Microsoft, we\'re certain that Xbox meets every one of those criteria.

What were the key points in your negotiation?

First, we wanted a licensing agreement that allowed for a multi-year commitment to this console. Second, we wanted flexibility to determine what content would be most appropriate for the Xbox console. Third, we wanted to co-operate with Microsoft to deliver on the promise of online console gaming offered by the Xbox console.

What is EA\'s licensing fee on Xbox?

The agreement is fair to both EA and Microsoft. Beyond that, we choose not to disclose the financial terms of our agreement.

Did EA get a better deal than other developers?

I can\'t say. We think that having EA develop for the system is going to be an important factor in the success of Xbox. However we have no idea what other developers have agreed to.

How many games will you develop for Xbox? What are they?

We haven\'t committed to a number but you\'ll see games from all the EA studios including EA SPORTS hits like Madden football and FIFA Soccer? You also will see EA Games franchises such as Bond and Harry Potter.

How many games at launch?

We\'re targeting to ship 10 titles in the first six months after the console debuts.

Is Xbox a better than PS2?

Our job is to make fun games that look good on any platform. The consumer decides which one they prefer.

Is Xbox easier to develop for than PS2?

We don\'t anticipate any problems developing for either system. Companies that that take the time to learn the system don\'t have problems. The ones who try and cut corners do.

Is Xbox simply a port strategy from your PC games?

No.

Will EA make titles for GameCube?

We\'ve been working with talking with Nintendo for several months. However EA has no licensing agreement to develop titles for Gamecube.

Who will win the console war?

The big winners will be consumers and game developers. Consumers are going to get a fast, fun console for an affordable price. Developers like EA are going to providing a lot of games for the next generation of systems.

Will they all meet their hardware goals?

We think that competition among next generation consoles is going to spark unprecedented growth and attract people who never considered themselves gamers. They [Microsoft] could sell between 100 to120 million units in the next five years.

Who will make the dominant console?

We predict there will be three winners. Microsoft and Sony will slug it out for the number one position, Nintendo will continue to hold a profitable niche in children\'s games. All three are going to see sustained profitability.

What about Sega?

We think there will be three winners.

Why don\'t you make games for Dreamcast?

We like Sega and think they\'ve got great game franchises. However, we have chosen to focus our studios on those platforms that were going to show sustained market leadership.


I guess Microsoft and Sony met those expectations.




 

"We think there will be three winners."

lol... I love my DC but there is something humorous to the cold bluntness of that statement.

EA cannot respond greatly to any question "Very Sad"

Sony/MS will fight until the last fight.

It doesn\'t matter. Pretty much all software developers will create programs/games for all systems. They would loose money if they don\'t. Look at DOA2. everytime they release it they make it a little better. It\'s not because of the system it\'s just the fact that they play with idea\'s and if they like them then the keep them in the game. I believe that no one system will truly be better than the other, and I for one will put forth money for each system as they appear. This way I can enjoy all the games that will be released. Now you can set there and tout that one system is better than the other and set yourself around that one system. In the end though, if you choose that path, you will miss lots of good stuff and good times.

proud owner of..
PSX, N64, Dreamcast, PS2, and soon Gamecube and X-box.

Like the song says "I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now"

Oh and money is not a biggy. since there is a nice bit of time beetween each system you can save up a little each week/payday. This is how I afforded the PS2 and this will get me the other systems as well.

those bastards dissing the dc like that. Dam sega has gotten no friggin respect from nobody. how sad

Originally posted by Playstation2_Rulz

Who will make the dominant console?

We predict there will be three winners. Microsoft and Sony will slug it out for the number one position, Nintendo will continue to hold a profitable niche in children\'s games. All three are going to see sustained profitability.

What about Sega?

We think there will be three winners.

While I don\'t agree completely with it, that little excerpt had me practically pissing myself with laughter.

Funny how they say this. I think they just can\'t compete with Seg\'a franchises. Look at NFL2K1. It outsold Madden2001. NBA2K1. Well, let\'s not talk about how NBA Live 2001 is looking

I don\'t think there gameplay can match Sega\'s. Have thjey ever made a sports genre game for a system that has had it\'s own exclusive? No. They want to directly compete with Sega on this. And so far, Sega is winning. Goo thing too, because now that they are battling, we get to see some fantastic games out of both companies in the future!

Eric Jacob

But now, I offically hate EA.

"Nintendo will continue to hold a profitable niche in children\'s games"

Yeah GoldenEye, Perfect Dark, Sin and Punishment, Bad Fur Day, etc. Those are all kiddy games. I am sick of this bull, cause these are big sellers. Nintendo may make great kids games, but becuase they are kids games, doesn\'t mean they are for kids, or are only fun for kids. :rolleyes:

These guys are starting to sound like Vic Ireland and Working Designs, "No system will ever be number 1 without us." blah, blah, blah. Working (echo) Designs.I hope they don\'t decide to dev. for Nintendo or Sega and they wein the consoele gen. That would be hilarious! Friggin hilarious!


Too bad those bastards bought out and shut down so many great companies! errgghhhh - Looking Glass, Origin, etc.!

Eric Jacob

yeah.. NINTENDO game is fun but hope they stop those f-cking pokemon crap..  come on Nintendo, stop taking money from white kids!!

you got a problem with rich white kids? (not that im a kid but im white, hate pokemon.)

Originally posted by AlteredBeast
But now, I offically hate EA.

"Nintendo will continue to hold a profitable niche in children\'s games"

Yeah GoldenEye, Perfect Dark, Sin and Punishment, Bad Fur Day, etc. Those are all kiddy games. I am sick of this bull, cause these are big sellers. Nintendo may make great kids games, but becuase they are kids games, doesn\'t mean they are for kids, or are only fun for kids. :rolleyes:

These guys are starting to sound like Vic Ireland and Working Designs, "No system will ever be number 1 without us." blah, blah, blah. Working (echo) Designs.I hope they don\'t decide to dev. for Nintendo or Sega and they wein the consoele gen. That would be hilarious! Friggin hilarious!


Too bad those bastards bought out and shut down so many great companies! errgghhhh - Looking Glass, Origin, etc.!

Eric Jacob

 

All EA is saying is that Nintendo concentrates more on the Kids and always has and always will , they have some Adult oriented games but not nearly the amount that the PS2 and Xbox and DC will have. Nintendo has a hill to climb to distance itself from that distinction, and do they really want to do that, Kids are there real bread and butter

and Hate EA, for what putting out great games, pretty naive, EA know there **** extremly well, and I agree on pretty much every last word they said.

I predict MS and Sony duking it out for the top spot, Nintendo hangin out with Nintendo fans like always, and the DC slowly fading away to the more powerful competition. You don\'t have to agree but its more then likely the truth

I hope that EA doesn\'t dump sony. Remember, Nintendo had there moment with the SNES! (HUNDREDS of 3rd party titles) Everyone dumped them for Sony. I hope Ps2 doesn\'t suffer the fate of N64.

Originally posted by animal_mother1
I hope that EA doesn\'t dump sony. Remember, Nintendo had there moment with the SNES! (HUNDREDS of 3rd party titles) Everyone dumped them for Sony. I hope Ps2 doesn\'t suffer the fate of N64.

The only wat EA will dump Sony is if the PS2 fails, otherwise EA already has a big understanding of the PS2 hardware and a large instaleed EA/PS2 fanbase. I don\'t forsee them throwing away guarenteed money.

EA has the 4 or 5 of the top 10 PS2 games on the market, and that market will just be getting larger and larger