EA Sports has announced that it plans to share some news on the forthcoming FIFA 14 tomorrow. The news coincides with the Nintendo 3DS focussed Nintendo Direct, but that’s in all probability just a simple coincidence. FIFA 13 was released on both the Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS, so expect to hear news regarding both formats.
Yesterday, we reported that a Need for Speed: Underground remake could be in the works, according to a logo sent into EGM Now. Apparently, these rumours are entirely false. Criterion Games creative director Alex Ward enlightened fans on Twitter that the game in question was just a rumour and nothing more. Earlier today, he tweeted: “Totally fake. Remakes and Reboots? #movedon”.
An anonymous source sent the logo above to EGM Now and claims that it’s from the Xbox 360 version of a supposed remake of Need for Speed: Underground, which was originally released in 2003 on multiple platforms, including Game Boy Advance and Nintendo GameCube.
The developer of the unconfirmed remake is said to be Criterion Games, subsidiary of Electronic Arts (EA) and the studio behind Need for Speed: Most Wanted. While a remake of Need for Speed: Underground can only be confirmed by EA, keep in mind that several employees from Criterion Games are apparently working on an ‘unannounced racing title.’
For the second year running, EA has been named the ‘worst company in America’ after battling it out with rival Bank of America for the trophy. A whopping 78% of consumers voted EA to be crowned champions in a web-poll on The Consumerist, giving them a landslide victory. Unfortunately, this is not good news for EA’s chief operating officer Peter Moore, who announced in a recent blog post, that the company ‘could do better’. Do you think EA should have been given the crowning glory once again?
Thanks, Flanneryaug
For the second year in a row, EA has made the semifinal list for the ‘worst company in America’, courtesy of an annual web poll by The Consumerist. Electronic Arts has brought Nintendo a whole host of games, including FIFA, Need for Speed and, most recently, Mass Effect 3 for Wii U, but are they really the ‘worst company in America’? Well, a lot of people seem to think so.
Last year, EA was crowned champion followed closely by Bank of America, so it’s no surprise that EA is facing a stand-off once again for the trophy. But this year, it appears we’re seeing deja-vu; Bank of America is again in the semifinals trying to see off Comcast, while Ticketmaster is throwing down the gauntlet against EA. It begs the question whether we will be seeing the exact same result as 2012.
In a statement by EA’s chief operating officer Peter Moore he said simply, “we can do better”, He defended the company by using an illustrious metaphor, “the tallest trees catch the most wind”, but when your trees are constantly being felled, isn’t it high time you ought to be planting more?
Continuing on behalf of EA, he said: “Are we really the “Worst Company in America?” I’ll be the first to admit that we’ve made plenty of mistakes. These include server shut downs too early, games that didn’t meet expectations, missteps on new pricing models and most recently, severely fumbling the launch of SimCity. We owe gamers better performance than this.”
We’re breathing a sigh of relief that the Nintendo/EA merger really was just a joke. Do you think EA should be hailed the worst company in America?
In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Electronic Arts chief operating officer Peter Moore said the death of console gaming is ‘very premature.’ Moore acknowledges that the console business makes up for more than half of EA’s business, and he thinks that although playing video games on mobile platforms is becoming increasingly popular, people still enjoy playing video games in the comfort of their homes, on the TV screen.
“The console business is still a core part of our business; it’s the majority of our business. The demise of console gaming is very premature as far as we’re concerned.”
“We still have thousands of people focused on developing current-generation Xbox 360 and PS3 games, as well as people focused now on the next generation when that finally arrives. And so, people still want core games. People want to sit back in their living rooms, take advantage of their HD TVs, and and play fully immersive games like [Battlefield 4].”
-Electronic Arts chief operating officer Peter Moore
DICE creative director Lars Gustavsson has confirmed that Battlefield 4 won’t be coming to Wii U. Speaking about Wii U Gustavsson said that the team would rather play it safe and ensure that the team deliver something good rather than risking the project by spreading the team too thin.
“I think overall for me as creative director, number one is to deliver a really great game and experience. Sometimes, at least for us, it’s focus on what you do well and what you know well, and ensure that you deliver something good than trying a bit too much, stretching yourself too thin and risking it.”
“I’d rather play it safe, deliver something really good and then look at the future and what could possibly be done than trying a bit too hard and [failing].”
Consumerist has nominated video game giant EA as the worst company in America for the second year running. EA is pitted against notable companies such as Google and Facebook to win a Golden Poo award. EA took the crown last year as the worst company in America, so it will be interesting to see just how they will fare this time around. Who would you say is the worst company in America in 2013?
Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello has announced today that he is stepping down as chief executive officer of the company. Riccitiello will be temporarily replaced on March 30th by former EA president and CEO Larry Probst, who will step in as EA’s executive chairman. Probst will remain chairman of EA until a suitable candidate is found. Here’s what Riccitiello had to say about his departure from the long-running company.
“My decision to leave EA is really all about my accountability for the shortcomings in our financial results this year,” he said. “It currently looks like we will come in at the low end of, or slightly below, the financial guidance we issued to the Street, and we have fallen short of the internal operating plan we set one year ago. And for that, I am 100 percent accountable.”
“EA is an outstanding company with creative and talented employees, and it has been an honor to serve as the Company’s CEO. I am proud of what we have accomplished together, and after six years I feel it is the right time for me pass the baton and let new leadership take the Company into its next phase of innovation and growth. I remain very optimistic about EA’s future — there is a world class team driving the Company’s transition to the next generation of game consoles.”
Thanks to everyone that sent this in.
EA has released a new trailer for Need for Speed: Most Wanted on Wii U. The trailer showcases the unique features of the Wii U GamePad to introduce “Co-Driver” where your friend plays using the Wii Remote. You can activate boost, adjust cop difficulty and change mods using the Wii U GamePad. Need for Speed: Most Wanted arrives on Wii U on March 22nd.
