EA is interested in making great games rather than in what VR hardware will appear

Mar 13, 2014 01:46 GMT  ·  By

Electronic Arts' recently appointed CEO, Andrew Wilson, has confirmed that the large publisher has internal teams dedicated to experimenting with virtual reality, as it wants to deliver great experiences that make sense in this new niche of the gaming industry through the Oculus Rift.

The virtual reality revolution is already underway as more and more independent developers and tinkerers are creating bold experimental games that use the Oculus Rift VR headset, which is so far the only one currently available on the global market, albeit in a developer edition.

Electronic Arts isn't sticking to the sidelines, however, as CEO Andrew Wilson has confirmed during a panel at SXSW, via Polygon, that the big publisher has a special attitude when it comes to different paradigm shifts, like virtual reality or other types of technologies.

"When we think about making games today, we think less about the technology or the means of experiencing the game, and we think more about the modality of play," Wilson said. "So, how are you trying to interact with that game?"

Wilson quickly highlighted three big ways of playing videos. These include the "lean back" method, which involves playing games on a console in the living room, where customers want "high-def, high fidelity, highly immersive entertainment."

The second big way of gaming is the "lean in" method, which revolves around the PC and experiences like shooters, role-playing games, or strategy titles.

Last but not least, there's the "lean over" method that appears when gaming on mobile platforms like phones or tablets.

When it comes to virtual reality devices, EA is more interested in making experiences for them in general than wondering what actual device will make VR viable to the world.

"When I look at any of the VR devices, I look at that not in terms of 'What is that device going to deliver,' but a desire for gamers to have a different type of modality — the 'Get In' type of modality, right," Wilson said. "That might be delivered to you through a headset, or through some hologram that evolves out of your living room floor."

Wilson also emphasized that there's an EA team that is experimenting with VR experiences so that the publisher has an advantage when the revolution is in full swing.

"The thing I challenge my team to right now is, 'Listen, there's clearly a desire to add a modality of play to the three we're currently focused on. I don't know who the technology partner is that's going to deliver that modality for us, but let's start thinking now about the experiences [...] so that we can deliver experiences that make sense for you; experiences that deliver on the promise and the fantasy of being inside a video game."

As of right now, Oculus seems poised to lead the VR push, as it will debut the consumer edition of its Rift headset at some point in time but it's unclear if EA will bring games for it right from the get-go.