I wanted to take a moment to clear up something for gamers that seems to be causing a bit of confusion. Last week at Gamescom in Germany (what a phenomenal event that was, by the way – 340,000 gamers! I’d need another post…), I spoke about the fact that EA no longer makes “offline” games.
That is a fact. But in industry headlines, on Twitter and in forums, I see some misinterpretations as to what that means exactly. So allow me to clarify.
Today, most games are “online” in some way, shape or form. Many games connect in online multiplayer modes; others include online services which allow for periodic content updates, sharing stats or achievements or connecting with friends; and others are games downloaded through digital delivery methods like Origin or the App Store. The reality is, the Internet and social connectivity touches every one of our titles today – and has for several years.
What that does NOT mean is that every game we ship will require an online connection. Many, if not most, of our games include single-player, offline modes that you can play entirely without an Internet connection, if you so choose. We know that’s something many of our players want, and we will continue to deliver it.
I also see confusion about our plans for free-to-play games. Many of our most popular franchises for PCs and mobile – including Battlefield, Need for Speed, FIFA, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Plants vs. Zombies and now Madden NFL, to name a few – already offer free-to-play experiences. Command & Conquer is another exciting new free-to-play game coming online later this year. However, NOT ALL of EA’s games will offer a free-to-play mode. We will continue to explore new free-to-play experiences for our franchises when we believe there is gamer interest and a cool new game we can build. But of course we will continue to deliver award-winning core gaming experiences on ALL of these franchises.
I hope this helps to clear up a few things, and I look forward to your feedback in the comments below.
