EA’s Soderlund says relying on big brands a costly mistake

Big publishers like EA and Activision may have a wide reach, but each of them has a few franchises that are their really big earners, such as Call of Duty and Battlefield.

However, head of the EA Games label Patrick Soderlund says publishers would be foolish to rest on their laurels, saying those who rely heavily on their big names risk making a “costly and short-lived” mistake.

Speaking to USA Today, Soderlund said, “As game makers, we have to continuously work and launch new intellectual properties into the market.

“If we think we can live off of our existing brands and that only, I think it will not only be costly, but a short-lived mistake.”

He goes on, “I still think there’s a lot of creative juice in brands like Battlefield and Need For Speed and a bunch of our franchises, but I also do think there’s a lot of room for new intellectual properties. We are investing in that today, and you will see new IPs from EA and the Games label in the future.”