EA will change its development and publishing strategy in the wake of the chaotic launch of Anthem

By Hope Corrigan

After Anthem, the latest major release of EA that did not meet expectations, the company plans to modify its development and publishing strategy.

PC Gamer reports that Andrew Wilson, CEO of EA, talked about some of the issues the industry is facing in developing gigantic games like Anthem at the company's last financial results teleconference.

"The reality is that it's not just an EA challenge, it's a challenge for the entire industry," Wilson said. "You go from what was originally a BioWare game, which would represent between 40 and 80 hours of offline gaming, 40 to 80 hours of offline gaming, plus 100, 200 or 300 hours of gaming for old ones that occurs with millions of other players on a scale, online. "

Wilson also discussed the difference between the release of such games in the west compared to Asian markets. In Asia, such games are offered after multiple tests or incremental launches in small communities before being launched on a large scale. In the West, Wilson said, there is a tendency to stick to the more traditional hype and then set a release aimed at a wider audience.

"As the games get bigger and bigger, the system does not work as well as it did in the past, so you should expect that we do not have to change game development processes or change the game. quality assurance process in the game – although these two things are changing dramatically in our organization right now – but it's also about changing the way we launch games, "said Wilson.

"You should expect us to start experimenting with solutions such as launches-the same things you see in the mobile space today-and it's also about changing the way we communicate with people. players in presentation and conversation mode, and changing the way we interact with players over time. "

The hope is that this new approach will give players a better idea of ​​the game and help developers discover how to support it once it's fully launched.

If Anthem was not exactly the financial success that EA was hoping for, it still managed to be the best-selling game in February. The developer BioWare also promised to commit 100% in Anthem, even though some staff members left the project.

Hope Corrigan is an Australian freelance writer for IGN. You can follow her Twitter and Instagram.