EA's money man spills the beans on its next-gen plans

GS:EA's chief financial officer Blake Jorgensen returned to the company during an interesting transitional period this year, as CEO John Riccitiello's leaner, hits-focused company pares down on what's not working anymore (i.e. Facebook) and prepares for the costly transition to a new generation of dedicated game consoles.

[Dylila]

"We recently heard from Riccitiello, who said that the company is investing heavily in what it's calling "gen-four" consoles: the next systems from Sony and from Microsoft but not, in his estimation, Nintendo's Wii U."

[NYC_Gamer]

Nintendo is in a tough spot because 3rd party studios aren't taking Wii-U serious..It's gonna be Wii all over again with no real kind of support from major publishers just a lot of shovelware and games like Mario and the other typical Nintendo stuff..It's real bad when one of the biggest publishers around doesn't even view Wii-U as next gen..

[Dark11]

"It's gonna be Wii all over again"

no , It's gonna to be gamecube all over again

things will get really ugly
http://i.qkme.me/35p9a7.jpg

[thaimasker]

and where does X, Monster Hunter, Bayonetta, Zombi U,AC3, Ninja gaiden, mass effect,injustice, COD,Trine,etc fall into all of that?

and Nintendo hasn't had strong 3rd party support since the SNES. Anyone expecting a newly released nintendo system to have as good 3rd party support as microsoft right off the bat is fooling themselves.. If it ever does get it it won't be till next year.

@Giru..They are obviously current gen. My comment is in response to NYC gamer who said the wii u will only have shovel ware, mario and typical nintendo stuff. None of those games fall into that category. And Unless The PS4/720 somehow have graphics better than a current high end PC then they will be current gen as well.

[Kevlar009]

Some people are a little too obsessed with how much a brick wall looks like a brick wall. While the WiiU won't handle the graphics of the other consoles, I don't see how gameplay will have to suffer in bringing over a WiiU version. or creating a new title for it It's one thing when you could have Dead Rising on 360 and have a thousand zombies in one area but only a few hundred on the Wii, now there shouldn't be those kind of limitations (apart from maybe <.1% of games).

1080p and 30 FPS is good enough for most people, not sure what makes the WiiU so bad. If we can accept that the WiiU is stronger than the PS3, then why shouldn't we expect the WiiU to have great content and visuals? If you want Crysis 4 with real life graphics, then you can go to the other consoles. But for just about anything else, not sure what the problem is. Yeah power is important, but it shouldn't be everything (at least it isn't to me).

[Giru017]

@thaimasker

Those games fall into the "curent gen" bracket. When addressing next-gen, specially given the hazy outlook with what little is known on the consoles, it's hard to see how the WiiU will fare.

[SAE]

Wii is a proof that specs does matter....

[zebramocha]

@sae how is that?I'm pretty sure nintendo didn't want to release the wiiu until they new no one wanted a wii any more but were force to make the wiiu because they were losing money.

@thaim if the next xbox and ps4 are capable really good tessellation and their development tools are better than the wiiu,than it makes port from pc to console easier.

[juandren]

Kevlar009

You really think developers are going to spend most of their resources to port a game to a console that will have sold less than 10 million units by the time the new ones come out? The PS4 and 720 have a similar architecture so it will be little more than copy and paste. Wii U is the odd one (far) out

[ZombieNinjaPanda]

Seriously this next gen talk again? And you're listening to EA??

Next gen is a buzzword. It's a word used to hype up the games they're making to try and sell to sheep that are willing to buy them. If next was a real term, we'd have already been in next gen while every console competitor would have been attempting to play catch up for the last 7 years and will continue to do so for the upcoming years.

A generation is simply when the next iteration of consoles start. If you seriously think it has anything to do with graphics power then you're fooling yourself, because the PS2 was definitely not on the same level as the gamecube or xbox graphically.

[ziggurcat]

"It's real bad when one of the biggest publishers around doesn't even view Wii-U as next gen.."

because the wii U isn't really next-gen...

[dcbronco]

@Kevlar

The Wii U will suffer because all of the power of the PS4 and 720 will be for more than pretty pictures. It should allow for better physics, AI and things going on on the screen.

And I hope, maybe most of all, that it allows for no more load screens.

[Legion]

@Kevlar009

"If we can accept that the WiiU is stronger than the PS3, then why shouldn't we expect the WiiU to have great content and visuals?"

I am sorry but who is this WE that has accepted this fact of yours?

WiiU is a joke. Not Next Gen... and really not even This Gen. As it is doing little then offering what has been offered at the beginning of This Gen.

[SilentNegotiator]

@SAE
EA just said that they have few plans for Wii U, and many other pubs/devs are saying the same citing a low specs.
Specs ABSOLUTELY MATTER.

@kev
Typical Nintendo fanboy, looking at specs as "just graphics" and not the AI, physics, etc, etc that it is.

[BitbyDeath]

3rd parties are lacking cause the conditions state you must sleep with Reggie.

Is your body ready?

[_-EDMIX-_]

All 3rd party cares about is can we port Mass Effect Next Gen (EA) to all systems and have it look boss.

Now why would this matter? Could they all not just port Mass Effect on PS4 and 720 from the Wii U (it clearly being the lessor)? Yes! They can....but why on earth would they? So make there game look like some last gen crap for some sales?

Another thing to note, are we forgetting that Ubisoft, Activision, Take-Two, (even Bethesda) are now in the mix? So....why should EA make a crappy game for EVERYONE JUST to get Wii U sales when Bethesda can say "well we have a new RPG like Elder Scrolls....IN SPACE and we are looking to make it on a beast engine made ONLY for high end"

So...EA is just going to let them win? ALL for the sake of selling on the Wii U? LMFAO! Its business, EA won't support Wii U JUST like they didn't support the wii.

I'm sorry...but did anyone see BF3 on the Wii? I mean.....it could be ported? I mean it could be made like crap and ported......the Wii is the number one system. But why? Cause its not worth it and it won't sell.

They didn't for the Wii and its number 1! Why would they for the Wii U?

Put it this way, major franchises and series will be on PS4 and 720, Mass Effect, COD, GTA, MGS etc. The Wii U will see none of those games JUST like Wii saw none of those games (and if you say COD4...your just really proving my point of just how bad its going to be for them)

[Oh_Yeah]

Nintendo is Nintendo man, that's all you really have to say about that. People don't buy Nintendo systems for multiplats. It's been what? Over 15 years since they had good 3rd party support. Fans know what to expect. Nintendo have shown they can hold their own without 3rd party, thier target has always been family and fans who like Nintendo's games and by looking at their game sales... They definitely have a lot of fans, their games sell more than anyone's.. Just look at the chart domination lol http://www.vgchartz.com/gam...

[RumbleFish]

I thought next gen graphics began with BF3. BF3s graphics are the goal for the coming console generation. Some devs will hit that quality but not all of them. Sooner rather than later we will see devs who will squeeze even a bit more out of those coming machines, but that's it.
On top of that I think that's ok. The market is very diverse and photorealistic graphics are expensive to realize, so there has to be a big hit game to justify high development costs. Nintendo are doing another thing and have done that since the Wii. They deliver what their crowd is demanding on last gen tech with a gimmick controller. So it's logical that those who showcase top notch graphics in their games do not aim to the Wii U.
It all depends on what you want. You want high end graphics? Buy a pc or wait for the next SONY/MS console. You want Mario and Zelda? Buy a Wii U. To each his own.

[Gamer1982]

People are saying this is going to be the gamecube but looking at UK sales this could be the new dreamcast. It had massive 3rd party support, Sonic games exclusively but the competition was so strong and the dreamcast was so badly advertised it failed and 3rd partys eventually pulled out and it died and tooks SEGAs console division with it. Nintendo is making all the same mistakes SEGA did with the dreamcast with the WiiU. That's a scary thought.. I'm not saying it will break nintendo I mean they they made a LOT of money from the wii but it will certainly hurt them and may make them finally give up on the console market.

[cleft5]

Nintendo's saving grace is going to be eShop and independent developers. It seems like they are going to support indie developers and between that and first party Nintendo titles the company will be solid.

I do believe it is going to cost developers a lot more to make ps4/720 games than they initial think. Early on they are just going to be porting 360/ps3 games to the 720/ps4. Those second generation ps4/720 games are going to be very expensive because they are going to have to get competitive and no longer rely on the novelty of people playing games on a "next gen" console.

The idea that EA is going to be able to keep costs for their games under $100 million is a foolish one. Dead Space 3 already easily cost them over $20 million and that is only 1 title. Development cost are going to be closer to $200 million easily and that's before the Marketing cost is thrown in. Next-gen is going to be very expensive and we are going to see a lot more companies close down or get brought. THQ is only the beginning.

[dcbronco]

The changes made to the CPU and GPU of the Wii may make the Wii U better than the PS3 and 360. But, it will quickly be out-classed by the PS4 and 720. It happened two years later than it should have.

If they had released it in 2010, it would be the lead console right now. It would have had 2010, '11, '12 and most of '13 to dominate. Now it has slow sales because everyone knows that better consoles are coming out this year. Nintendo may have milked the Wii for too long.

Now they need to start work on a true next generation console for release by 2015. Shrink the cost of the Wii U as soon as possible to get the price down and gear it towards kids. No way they can compete with a under-classed console for $350 when the PS4 and 720 will be $400. With huge harddrives.

The Wii U controller may be Nintendo's Blu-ray.

[lzim]

Thought it was generation 8, but who's counting at this point.

[snowman2149]

EA says gen four because they're counting from the playstation 1 not the magnavox odyssey

[_-EDMIX-_]

@Snowman2149- Agreed. PS1 was one of the greatest leaps in gaming.

The gen pretty much starts there. It is the true beginning of modern 3D gaming.

[TacoTaru]

Next Gen? Next Gen Stealth games will be action shooters. Next Gen Horror games will be action shooters. Next Gen RPG will be open world shooters with level-ups. I'm not sure I want Next Gen.

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

Remember Remember the 20th of f3bruary.. Damn didn't rhyme. Still can't wait for sony to dominate.

[JoGam]

This article got me excited. Cmon feb 20th

[SuperShyGuy]

Well if you are going to take that quote I'll take this one

"Never count Nintendo out. They've got some of the best IP in the game industry. When their marquee titles show up, that's when you usually see the bounce. I deeply respect the achievements they've had over the last several years. And as I said, you never really count them out."

http://www.gamasutra.com/vi...
""Never count Nintendo out."
"They've got some of the best IP"

[AsheXII]

I dont think anyone knows what Gen 4 is but EA themselves.

[colonel179]

PlayStation - Gen 1
PlayStation 2 - Gen 2
PlayStation 3 - Gen 3
PlayStation 4 - Gen 4

[andibandit]

@Colonel179

Yeah right, because Console generations only start "WHEN SONY SAYS THEY DO"

you might have heard of a console from the late eighties called the "NES", and if you research further you will find that theres are a bunch of console before that.

[HeavenlySnipes]

Andy

Its not hard to understand what the guy meant by gen 4

Its not like he's going to go through video game history and count the releases of consoles to make his point

[Kevin ButIer]

"Spills the beanS" not really, anyone still arguing that the next gen is not coming is living under an ugly and heavy rock...

[nevin1]

Nintendo never really had strong 3rd party support since SNES.

[rezzah]

I heard nintendo had bad 3rd part buisness regulations, or something like that, during the N64.

[linkofrs]

It was more of that fact that making games for ps1 were much easier. The n64 had limitations due to still storing games on cartridges

[Qrphe]

Nintendo implemented a lot of conservative regulations that allowed them to bring back home console gaming into the picture in the mid 1980s but these conservative regulations also cost them greatly with the arrival of Sony.

[deSSy2724]

Yes, but...... N64 and GC 3rd party support was still much better than Wii 3rd party support.

[mechlord]

And you say it like its a good thing ...

[dubt72]

Interesting points. Somewhat telling that it doesn't sound like used games are going away. He also seemed to think the pricing on the new systems won't be up at $600, as it isn't as big of a monetary jump. We will find out shortly. I love this time of speculation before consoles are revealed. It's like the early stages of dating, lol.

[MultiConsoleGamer]

Origin Box exclusive to Time Warner Cable.

[thaimasker]

@SAE. Yeah but this time the gap won't be anywhere near as big
In terms of sales The PS2 is also proof that specs don't matter. It was much weaker than the Xbox/Gamecube but blow out the sales just like the wii. The Console with the best tech hasn't sold the most in a long long time.

[NYC_Gamer]

PS2 had the 3rd party exclusive advantage over all the other consoles...That's not the case for Nintendo though because they lack support from major publishers/studios...Wii did huge numbers but the console didn't offer much quality for the core crowd of gamers...

[zebramocha]

@thaim the ps2 and gc were close,with gc having a bit of advantage in terms architecture and hardware specific features,plus the ps2 launch before nintendo and Ms.

[Imalwaysright]

GC was significantly more powerful than the PS2.

[Qrphe]

@Imal

The GC was more powerful but not significantly. The Xbox was however significantly more powerful than both GC and PS2.

[Imalwaysright]

Compare PS2 version of RE4 with the GC version. PS2 wasn't even able to run the game at 60 FPS.

[SuperShyGuy]

No one read the article?

Sounds to me as if EA isn't planning any next gen games other that Battlefield 4 because more people will still be playing on "Gen three"(which is actually "gen 7") and they will be focusing more on sports title for a while because the budgets for those games are under $100 million.

Then he says next gen will be more integrated with mobile devices or in other words things that if Nintendo did would be "gimmicks"

[rainslacker]

Yeah I caught that too. Seems like all they're looking at for next gen maybe is what they know sells now. Not surprising given this gens heavy focus on sequels and limited new IP's all around.

The whole integration thing is more a way for publishers to give added value without actually adding anything, as well as work out competing technologies(or gimmicks) from different manufacturers. It makes sense in some ways, for some games. I can imagine some fantasy football type thing with their Madden line for instance. It could be a way for them to keep up new game sales as well, as obviously they wouldn't offer the "extras" to those that buy it used.

I do have to admit though, it was rather surprising to see an exec from EA actually saying that used games actually do have their positives, even citing one. It's also nice that he gives credit to the retail space, and discusses that actual drawbacks of DD instead of the "DD is the future" line we get from so many others. Hopefully this is a company thinking, and not just his personal feelings, as sometimes they aren't always the same.

[mechlord]

so...will i be able to tag the enemies i want to kill on my 5 inch android and then, when i get home later ill pass the targets NFC style to the console, which will boot the game and mark the targets so i can pull the trigger and assassinate some virtual character?

ALL HAIL NextGen !!!!!

[brave27heart]

"I can't really comment on where the next generation boxes are going to be relative to used games. I will say that the trend in the business is to have that always-on connectivity and connect with a customer, and to the extent that the software identifies a certain customer is going to create some issues going down the road in the used game market."

Did no one notice he's practically confirmed at least one of the consoles has an "always on" internet connection and that software will be tied to a user? Huge huge bit of info there. Im expecting one of the consoles to limit used games unless you buy access to it, like a game pass. Im also expecting that to be Microsoft.

[rainslacker]

Yeah. Not going to speculate on which company, and wouldn't be surprised if it's both...the bigger question is if it's optional or not. I don't care if they have it as an option, but mandatory is just annoying, and severely limits the consumer for the publishers gain.

[brave27heart]

Rumours circulated that Microsoft were going to do this so looks like there might be some truth to it.

Dont think its a good move. Digital distribution is the future, possibly even the generation after this, and with it used games will be gone. Would Sony or Microsoft really be willing to endanger peoples goodwill by enforcing such an unpopular move a generation early?

[rainslacker]

Yeah, I'm aware. But they are just rumors, albeit somewhat supported by other stories that have cropped up, including this one.

I don't like the idea either. Consoles should be simple. I want to play my games, not have to jump through hoops to load the game.

I can't speak to if they would or not. It all depends on their reasons for doing it. If they are willing to do it, they should have a strong compelling reason, and again, it should be optional. For people like me, I'd prefer not to use a mandatory always on connection. I see no need for it, other than a way to keep tabs on the consumer on a personal level. No doubt if this is the case some PR line will come out how it's good for the consumer, even though we've never needed it in over 4 decades of gaming.

DD does have a future, I agree, as it is already viable in the present. But I don't want it to be the only future, because I have strong feelings that it is very bad for the consumer to go all digital with no retail choice. That however I believe is another debate.:)

[e-p-ayeaH]

So in other words EA wont have nothing interesting for gamers.

[WitWolfy]

Yes it will, but only via micro transactions DLC purchases..

[brave27heart]

Id like a next gen SSX please. No round the world Malarky, just one big mountain with a couple dozen laid out routes, the possibility to go top to bottom in one run and the option to go off track and explore the mountain in its entirity.

Unfortunately from the sound of it they'll be focusing on bringing Battlefield, Fifa, Madden and Tiger Woods to next gen first. Games like SSX will be a few years down the line I think.

[snowman2149]

" next-gen consoles will most likely not be backwards compatible" something tells me EA hasn't heard of Sony's plans with Gaikai, also interesting that he points this out, maybe he's talking about the next xbox and how it will now play blurays and run on windows 8..maybe the next xbox will be the one thats not backwards compatible

[Ju]

But you did, huh?

[DivineAssault]

I don't bother with EA games unless they're developed by bio ware & even they are going downhill now with the mainstream run n gun style gameplay

[yeahokchief]

Oh god this quote from the article made me laugh so hard.

"So if someone goes in and trades in a game, there's a good chance they're going to buy another one of our games."

EA games had the opposite effect on me. I will never give this company another penny of my money. i hope they fail spectacularly next gen.

And they are ignorant to call it gen-four. Just because it's the fourth playstation doesn't mean it's the fourth generations.

EDUMACATE YOURSELF EA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

It is gen 8.

These people don't even know how to do their own jobs. All they know is money.

[cyguration]

Agreed.

I hate that gamers keep them in business and I hate it more when gamers defend them for piss-poor products.

"We needs to give dem teh money, becauz teh needs teh money"

Is anyone even still playing that cash-in version of Syndicate they published?

People are real stupid sometimes.

[shivvy24]

are you planning on getting ME4 / BF4 ?

[deadfrag]

Same shit all over again!No im not!If they are going to make the same games version 5,6,7 ...for the next generation and expect that im going to pick the same experiencies i already had this generation just because they have a touch up in resolution and look i little better ,well they are very wrong!They better start showing new IPs because im not going to pick the same game or buy a new console to play the same games i have play this generation just because they look better!For that i have a PC that is already more powerfull than whats coming on new consoles.I want new game experiencies new IPs,if i dont see that im not going to pick a new console.EA want to sell the same shit all over again,im out.

[Hufandpuf]

I'm going to buy BF4 regardless. But ME4? doubt it very much.

[-Gespenst-]

Sometimes I think consoles have just become stable platforms for big companies to extort money from us. We think we're getting quality when really this shit is just churned out for a quick buck.

If PCs have anything over consoles, it's that they afford more freedom and creativity, and aren't as stable a platform for big greedy companies. I suspect for every 1 interesting console experience, there's a dozen interesting PC experiences.

I'm not a fanboy btw. I own a middling laptop, but do most of my "modern" gaming on my Ps3 and my handhelds.

[Gr81]

Been feeling that way as of late also. That's why I refuse to jump into next gen any time soon. Between patches, paying for extras that should already be on the disc, paying an arm and a leg for peripherals that may or may not be utilized etc. Having a console becoming this bloated piece of tech in which games seem like a secondary thought? Wtf is going on here?

And if EA really believes whole heartily that this is where next gen is heading, I'm in no position to doubt that other big name pubs will follow suit. And that is scary. Nothing I read in that interview was encouraging in the least. It seems we are just going to get more of the same. Just a bit prettier, more expensive, less bang for buck software which can communicate with a tablet or smartphone.

Disinterest is settling in. I wouldn't be surprised if games began costing $70. And the industry is trying to ban used games? give me a break.

Games are getting prettier, bigger, and shorter. But prices keep rising. In economic times such as this, I'm not sure it is wise to keep going this route. Changes are coming, whether the industry wants it or not, or is ready for it or not.

[metroidfusion2]

HA HA I like how people assume this and that like its facts or is going to happen and I could go on and on but don't feel like it today but look up HUMAN ELEMENT THAT GAME IS COMING IN 2015 FOR THE PS4,720,WII U AND IM SURE THE WII U IS GETTING MORE PORTS AND EVEN VICE VERSA but dumbass people judge too much and too often lol that's like me judging a baby or a little kid saying you wont do this or that or wont get this or that and then that baby or little kid grows up and becones extremely successful and then I wouldn't have anything to say anf can't come up with any dumbass excuse as to why that person became successful because there are many reasons why but people think they have time machines lol can I have one lol

[BanBrother]

No full stops and commas make Jack a breathless boy.

[juandren]

Meth. Not even once

[hardcorehippiez]

human element is ouya exclusive unless that already changed

[Rhaigun]

I don't know why any one is surprised that it seems devs will ignore Nintendo again. I mean, the last few consoles they put out should have warned everyone.

[MacDonagh]

EA's share price has plummeted from the good ol' days of 2009.

The good ol' days are gone and EA should think twice if they think that they are too big to fail.

[Yodagamer]

I have $5 on ea releasing crappy ports and when they actually make a great game (with no ads) and it doesn't sell well on wii u (because no one with a brain will trust them again) they'll blame the wii u. Almost sounds like the wii again...

[Gr81]

Money is safe, my little green friend.

[WitWolfy]

Well they aren't the worst company in the US for nothing... Wonder what they ever did with that turd trophy of theirs?

[chukamachine]

It's nothing to do with wii u specs.

It's whether or not a game will sell on the system.

If 3rd party's think they won't get enough sales, they won't bother in this climate.

[RetroRaconteur]

"No one's really seen yet… I mean, we have internally, but no one externally has really seen what the look and feel will be like on the new consoles. So I'll reserve judgement other than to say that I think people are going to be pretty excited."

Ok now I'm pumped.

[FlyingFoxy]

it's a shame Wii U isn't a bit more powerful, but as long as it can run new engines at a lower detail setting i can't see it being a problem. One problem i do see though is pricing, if there are multiplat games on Wii U with downgraded graphics i don't think it would be fair to set the price the same as the other consoles, it should be cheaper.

[iNathan]

That wont change anytime soon.

[Cam977]

My ps3 is adequate right now.