Talking to Develop, EA games prez Frank Gibeau reckons games need some sort of online connectivity to be successful in the current market.
“Well, it’s not only about multiplayer, it’s about being connected. I firmly believe that the way the products we have are going they, need to be connected online. Multiplayer is one form of that,” he says.
On the topic of publisher and developer relationships, he explains that, “I don’t go up to every game team and ask – what is your deathmatch mode? I look at how to make games a broader idea with online services. It’s about collaboration – looking at being both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. It’s both, and I like to give studios a lot of creative autonomy, and that’s certainly proven by the types of games we’ve brought out over the last couple of years.It’s one of my core cultural studio values to allow developers to decide more on what they want to build. And a studio’s creative call needs to be balanced against a commercial imperative, and if you look at online these days – that’s the place to be.”
Which probably explains why Dead Space 2 is packing multiplayer, a feature many gamers might consider somewhat superfluous in this particular title. That said, the same might previously have been claimed of Ubisoft’s decision to include multiplayer with Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood – which turned out to be rather excellent.
“[EA is] very comfortable moving the discussion towards how we make connected gameplay – be it co-operative or multiplayer or online services – as opposed to fire-and-forget, packaged goods only, single-player, 25-hours-and you’re out. I think that model is finished. Online is where the innovation, and the action, is at.”
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