14 DAY TRIAL // We reported yesterday that EA had just announced that it would develop a rival for Nintendo's very popular fitness game Wii Fit, which would be produced by its EA Sports label. The game, which will be cleverly entitled EA Sports Active, will be launched early next year and promises to give players a totally different experience than the Japanese game.
Recently, Peter Moore, the president of the EA Sports label, has talked about the differences between these two titles. He stressed that this new game wouldn't be a rival for Wii Fit, but it would offer a different type of experience, which would be focused on Western audience. Moore praised the Japanese game for being an innovator, but thought that EA Sports Active would take it to a whole new level.
"It's a completely different fitness experience. There's a different philosophy between the East and West about what fitness means, and Wii Fit does very well with some of what I'll call the Eastern philosophy of fitness, which is balance and coordination. But you're rarely in danger of breaking a sweat and getting your heart rate up. It's just not intended for that. We looked at that when Wii Fit came out and said, 'How can we be complementary and yet differentiate and be more applicable, if you will, to a Western consumer who looks for a different fitness experience?'"
He then approached the key goal of EA Sports Active, which was to get the heart rate of players high for a short while. Let's not forget that a lot of people will play this game for short periods of time, so it will definitely be a key factor. Moore then touched a certain aspect that was sure to make the game very attractive in the eyes of players: "We just think the applicability of what Western consumers look for in fitness is difficult to achieve with Wii Fit."
EA will surely market this product as a complete fitness experience, and, with such statements, it is sure to get customers very interested in this upcoming title. Let's just hope that the company will do a good job with this game and turn couch potatoes into home athletes.