EA: We Won't Be Supporting Virtual Reality

Electronic Arts' chief financial officer has suggested that the publisher is showing caution when it comes to virtual reality, citing user numbers.

"There's some challenges still and I think the biggest challenge is just the size of the market. We don't make games anymore for the Wii or the Wii U because the market is not big enough, the PS Vita - the Sony product - we don't make games for that anymore because the market is too small, so it's all about the size of the market," said Blake Jorgensen during the UBS Global Technology Conference.

Full article: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2015-11-16-ea-cfo

I hardly care for most EA projects and games by this point, but not having the biggest third party publisher in the world supporting an upcoming advance in gaming surely marks a blow against it. Remember, the previous major platforms that EA declined to support - the Dreamcast, the Wii U, the PS Vita - all suffered in the marketplace.

Sidenote, I also like how he has to clarify what he means when he says PS Vita. As if he thinks most people wouldn't know what a Vita is lol.

They do make games for the masses. When VR is affordable, or impressive enough to the mainstream audiences, we will have EA pumping out games for VR.

Lol EA.

Not really a big deal to me since I am skeptical of VR technology just being gimmicky at the moment. Just like motion controls. But I won't lie I would love to see Mirror's Edge with Oculus from EA

I still dont think VR will appeal enough to the masses to make it mainstream, so he is right. They wont make games until VR is a big enough market.

Any first person game out there can be made into a VR headset compatible game.... It just isn't very good on consoles currently because of their hardware being pretty subpar for the kinds of requirements you need to use vr atm.

Wise move, i wouldnt support that shat either, its DoA all day. Also, EA did support Wii U, its probably what help caused it to start off so slow. Nintendo tried to repair it, but the damage was done. Third Party bout destroyed Wii U, thank the gods Nintendo saved it.

Not really surprising. Not many of their games would work in VR

If it turns into a thing, I doubt they'll pass it up.

They're not really into supporting much of anything so I can't say I'm surprised.

They've got the right idea.

To be honest I don't blame them. VR will be like 3D HDTVs, once the novelty wears off nobody will use it.

Who the **** wants to wear a headset to play a game for any extended period of time. I can understand games supporting it on PC as a optional thing, but dedicated titles makes no sense.

VR is a gimmick. Just like the last time VR floated around. It will be big for a short period of time. Then people will realize it really doesn't add that much to the game, and they will drop it like 3D. I can't blame EA for not investing the money.

So in other words, Playstation VR RIP.

Cant blame them, VR is just a gimmick

Makes sense, VR will be niche at least throughout this gen. EA doesn't make niche games, but mass market ones. It's a bit suprising there aren't doing some smaller game with say the Star Wars franchise though. Like a Millenium Falcon walkinging sim or whatever.

VR is going to fall flat on it's ass for all involved.

I feel like VR will be a niche like like 3dtvs and 3d gaming were.

Smart move. I love my monitors, VR can f off.

No point until VR becomes bigger. There is also a chance that VR stays niche.

Yeah, i just don't see how VR can become something big now, maybe when everyone can get it plus 5 years, yeah possible, but now - PASS.

No, no, no, you're doing it wrong.

It's LOLVITA.

Couldn't care less about VR, tbh. Good for them.

Could be another kinect scenario, too risky to build a VR game, but if nobody does then the tech does not become mainstream. Another problem could bes that there are going to be too many systems on the market.

I personally don't see VR being successful in the short term at least, but it might take off if it has a few really awesome games. Too soon for VR imo, next gen maybe.

3rd parties didn't destroy the Wii U, Nintendo destroyed the Wii U with there Japanese Pride and putting down Western Devs.

Nothing of value was lost. EA sucks.

I put most the blame on weak HD remastered third party support. It wasnt enough to get people to commit, who wants to play old games? Not all that appealing, Nintendo should have never let them have so much freedom and should have released a stronger 1st party launch. Hopefully with NX they wont make that mistake and release with a super house elite 1st party lineup.

Seems to me like you're butthurt that Sony's VR headset won't get any support!

If there is so much of a sniff of profit to be made EA will be there drooling like Pavlovian dogs.

Probably the smartest thing to come out of the mouth of anyone at EA in a long time.

No EA just makes shit games.

At least he acknowledged the lolvita's existence.

ea is pussy as always

A decision they will, without any doubt, have to reconsider.

http://techcrunch.com/2015/11/21/samsung-gear-vr-sold-out-online-at-amazon-and-best-buy/

As if anybody cares!!!

lolVR

They missed the part "...unless it becomes a massive hit, then we'll buy up a bunch of developers, destroy their ideas, turn them into slave labourers and make tons of money off their hard work".

That's probably smart actually. My money is on VR flopping in the way stereoscopic 3D has.

Well, Samsung would probably disagree with you right about now lol

Translation: it takes too much work to make something new and it's a risk. We will stick to Madden sucking and making millions.

I'm sure they have everything to gain and nothing to lose from refusing to do VR stuff.

Besides, when that trend finally does arrive, I'm sure it's not going to hurt to wait to jump on board then.

lolvita

I don't think EA is well known for taking risks..

I agree with this. All of these VR devices in the pipeline will prove to be like Kinect/PS Move/3D/Virtual Boy. Sony and MS would be smart to limit their investments to just token levels (i.e. they better not rely on this being a substantial part of their future).

People hated 3D for the glasses. Does anyone REALLY expect the masses to purchase a large/bulky visor like thing to strap to their heads? Not a chance IMO. It's doomed in concept - at least EA is aware of this, hopefully Sony wakes up to the reality.

Is that why the Gear VR sold out within its first day of release? I could have sworn it was because people can demo it in stores and loved it..

Sold out of what, like 1000 units? 5000 units?

EA needs an install base of like 20 million Active users LOL. I'm sure various VR devices will sell at least in the hundreds of thousands, possibly even many millions. I'm not saying sales will be ZERO. With enough marketing, almost any concept can sell to some extent - and I'm sure certain players will throw money at this hoping it will catch. There will be curious people/early adopters that will try it out. That doesn't mean EA, or any other large publisher, can justify creating content for it - or that it is a good area to invest in. Microsoft sold 24 Million (or more) Kinect - yet at the end of the day there was very few applications for gaming. It basically came, and went without making so much as a whimper for gaming. 24 Million and it failed. Lots of 3D TV's sold too, but 3DTV also is considered a failure at this point (to the point where several manufacturers removed 3D as a function from their new sets).

Well, in a couple of years, we will revisit the topic no doubt. So many people are ready to stick a fork in a steak that is still cooking. I just find it all very funny. The potential for VR is huge, and people bringing the VirtualBoy in on the conversation are being naive. The tech is far more mature, now. Heck, imaging technology itself is far more mature as well.

In an age where smart phones are starting to have 4k screens. Can we truly rule out virtual reality being unable to deliver a compelling user experience? For everyone who ever watched Tron or Star Trek: TNG and thought that gaming and entertainment could be something you could literally be right inside of, it either happens now or it never ever will. Personally, I'd like to think that the fundamental paradigm of parking your ass in front of a TV with a controller in hand is not the be-all and end-all of gaming. We'll be in the 1970's forever.

I believe immersion will come in the from of glasses free 3D TV and more immersive audio (Atmos, DTS:X). I think 3D will make (another) comeback in the home when 3D is glasses free (and I'm not talking about a 3DS screen, I mean a 80" glasses free 4K or better TV). I've seen it, and it's awesome.

I do know that if people complained about wearing 3D glasses, they won't be buying 100x bulkier VR headsets. Strapping a headset on is not being "inside" of an environment like a holodeck. Unless you are going to numb your body, you cant escape the fact that you aren't actually inside of an environment, but are simply viewing it through bulky headgear. Can you imagine a family of 4 sitting in a living room each wearing their own VR headset to watch a move? Or even two kids using them to play games? I can't, it seems absurd to me that anyone sees this as a possibility.

Star Trek holodeck world is likely impossible (laws of physics and all) - or at least it's not even on our technological radar. MS hololense, I'm quite sure, will end up not proving fruitful to gaming - except perhaps super simple games (a holographic chess game, or holographic tetris style game, or as a companion app). But that cannot possibly support a marketable product.

VR I think could be great for stuff like precision surgery and other science/medical applications - I just dont' see it having a great future for gaming or entertainment. In the home, it will be a short term gimmick IMO - we are probably 20+ more years down the road before it could be anything else.