ERGs Engage With EA’s Game Teams
SOMOS, BEAT! and Need for Speed
Need for Speed™ Heat takes place in Miami-inspired Palm City. The SOMOS ERG was crucial in helping the game development team create an authentic storyline by validating game scripts in Spanish and providing feedback on character designs and dynamics to reflect Latin American culture. The BEAT! ERG was also instrumental in consulting on the imagery and experience of African American/Black characters in the game. In partnership with the ERGs, the game team was able to create an authentic experience for the characters that resonates with our players.
Women’s Ultimate Team and FIFA
The Women's Ultimate Team (WUT) was formed in 2016, and some members had already been focused on gender representation in games. These individuals were connected and began to formalize a process for evaluating the way that EA games represent and characterize women and other underrepresented groups. This process was eventually packaged into what became known as the Inclusion Framework. WUT has supported the roll-out of the Inclusion Framework across multiple game titles, and our development teams are adopting and embracing the framework as part of our culture.
Read more about the diverse character creation for FIFA 19 here.
Aspire and Battlefield
The Battlefield V: Tides of War team reached out to Aspire to collaborate on cultural sensitivity and historical accuracy checks of the game expansion chapters. These take place in the Pacific theatre of war that started with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and moved the storyline into the dense jungles of the Solomon Islands for another look at the war.
Using the Inclusion Framework, they utilized Aspire as an internal resource to ensure some of the characters, clothing, weapons, geography, sayings and names were truly representative of the soldiers of the Pacific army at that time in history. Through a series of communications, Aspire was able to make some insightful observations and requests for changes. This helped the Battlefield team achieve deeper authenticity for a game that is popular amongst hardcore history fans and resulting in a better gameplay experience for our players.
PRIDE and The Sims
In the June 2019 update for The Sims 4, content was added that celebrated Pride Month. This included new clothing and a partnership with the ‘It Gets Better’ campaign. There was also an in-game pride flag that players can use in build mode to add to their homes or venues. Instead of only including the familiar Rainbow flag, the team included additional flags that represent LGBT+ communities. Through careful research of different PRIDE flags, The Sims team selected ones that were representative of the primary groups that someone may associate with around sexual orientation and gender identity.
