EA boss talks about 3D gaming

10 June 2010

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello was recently interviewed by Industry Gamers, an interview in which he shared his thoughts and predictions on the move toward 3D gaming. Riccitiello began by giving his positive thoughts on 3D: “I will tell you that a great 3D game experience is a truly wonderful thing. I was playing a title we’ve got for fiscal 2012 in 3D yesterday up in Vancouver and it was definitely unbelievably cool.”

Riccitiello was quick to point out that 3D gaming still has a way to go before it becomes the story of the year. “I think that before you see a revolution you have to have an army, and right now there’s like twelve people in America with 3D television sets, and they’re not exactly an army.”

“The first thing you need for a large installed base is 3D televisions and 3D PCs. I think they’ll come over the course of the next two to three years in large numbers. Samsung and Sony are certainly putting a lot of weight behind that and you’ll see that play itself out,” he continued.

Outlining his fears for the fledgling gaming trend, Riccitiello said “I am a little nervous that some game companies will put out poorly authored 3D content…because…most nearly all games are 3D already. It doesn’t take that much to separate two and a half inches and sort of redraw the entire frame and have it run through any of the various polarization or the primary blinking system between the right and left eye.”

“It’s quite a different thing to author it in such a way that the “Z-dimension,” the third dimension, is really well done. When it’s not really well done, it’s a new kind of headache that you haven’t ever experienced,” he explained.

“I’m actually a little afraid this year that we’re going to get less than well-authored content. I think that over time, probably in the course of 2011, 2012, the strongest publishers will author some great content, the installed base will be there, and there will be a good positive growth spurt. I just don’t think it will be this year,” Riccitiello conluded.

Thanks to Industry Gamers for the original interview.

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