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EA Sports Active series sales top $125M, PS3/360 spin-offs hinted at

Label president Peter Moore tells investors that fitness genre is a billion-dollar industry; talks up "authentic sports action" for upcoming motion control systems.

It didn't take long for EA to find success in the nascent fitness game genre. It launched the neoprene-band-equipped workout game EA Sports Active for the Wii in May 2009, which sold nearly 2 million units by the end of June. EA launched a Wii follow-up for the game in November, imaginatively titled EA Sports Active More Workouts, and label president Peter Moore told GameSpot in January that the game is "doing well."

EA Sports is pumped about its Active line.

EA Sports is pumped about its Active line.

Today, Moore spoke at Morgan Stanley's Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference, affixing a dollar figure to just how well the EA Sports brand is doing. According to the former Microsoft executive, the franchise has brought in $125 million during the publisher's current fiscal year, which ends March 31. The original EA Sports Active retails for $59.99--$10 more than a standard Wii game--while More Workouts carries a $39.99 price tag.

Moore went on to tell the investor conference that EA Sports Active and other fitness titles present a chance for the gaming industry to bust into the $200 billion fitness market. Already, he said, fitness games are a "billion-dollar industry." With Microsoft's Project Natal and Sony's camera-based motion-sensing controller due this holiday, Moore was quick to note that EA's success in the genre comes from just the Wii alone.

The EA executive didn't explicitly state that versions of EA Sports Active would be available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. However, he did say that EA plans to apply the lessons it learned in making successful games for the Wii to Microsoft's and Sony's new motion-based control schemes.

Those lessons, he said, included "creating an experience that's specific to the technology." In Sony's case, that involves building an experience where gamers still have a controller in their hand, while Natal games would work to eschew the gamepad completely in favor of having players use their whole bodies. "Authentic sports motion is the real key," he noted.

In August, EA said as part of a postearnings conference call that it plans to announce specific titles for Sony's and Microsoft's motion-sensing devices during the first half of this year.

27 Comments

  • trollkind

    Posted Mar 12, 2010 2:51 am GMT

    Geez, enough with the hardcore tag, PS3 gamers are humans too. You might as well lament about the PS3 being a media powerhouse too, because it's not hardcore. I'm interested in a console based workout helper, it just adds another function to that black box. hooray, you don't have to buy it.

  • Sokoto16

    Posted Mar 3, 2010 3:38 am GMT

    The slow progression of fitness genre games has finally etched its way towards the PS3. As interesting as it sounds, I'm not very confident about this new gaming progression. I'm sure there are some people who would support the idea, however PS3 and 360 owners have always been hardcore gamers. This sort of thing seems too 'light' for such consoles. All-in-all I would say that despite the hardcore image built up of the PS3 and 360, this development may be more effective in reaching those who do not want/own Wiis.

  • wiidsduelpack

    Posted Mar 2, 2010 9:35 pm GMT

    Most people with 360 are hardcore fans who want to play everything in Live. PS3 owners might buy this as they are more casual. Nintendo was smart to add a balance board. Everything in this days are about being skinny and pretty.

  • EvilEvilDave

    Posted Mar 2, 2010 12:19 pm GMT

    I'll say this for EA Active. I do work out in the gym and lift and whatever. But without it I neglect cardio; cardio on its own is boring for me, and I never got results with treadmills, bikes, or even just freeform jogging in my neighborhood. But EA Active has been a game (and incidentally, the only of the Wii games, though I have bought them all) that got me sticking to a routine. It has helped me lose 5 pounds, and more importantly gain a LOT of cardiovascular endurance. Like it or not, this really is a good workout, and the controller is very accurate. I look forward to seeing if they can make one good enough to make me get the Natal/PS3 version.

  • enveyur

    Posted Mar 2, 2010 11:41 am GMT

    @Glade_Gnarr

    Will have to agree with you on that one.

  • PixelAddict

    Posted Mar 2, 2010 5:59 am GMT

    When she said "personal trainer in a box", I admit, all I could think of for the rest of the video was the SNL digital short "D!*& in a Box" by Andy Samberg & Justin Timberlake.

  • True_Chaos_UK

    Posted Mar 2, 2010 5:11 am GMT

    I doubt I would buy this on the 360 but my mrs might, whether it would see the light of day after a week is another story.

  • SAF64WII

    Posted Mar 2, 2010 5:04 am GMT

    sexy biatch ... bad game ... you better go buy Wii Sports Resort

  • pure_impact

    Posted Mar 2, 2010 3:05 am GMT

    I would think if you want to play a sport or work out, then you leave your house, right? It seems that train of thought has now left and people like doing it at home instead of a sweaty smelling gym. Ah well..to each their own, right?

  • SicklySunStorm

    Posted Mar 2, 2010 1:35 am GMT

    I agree schesak - if we want to do authentic sports actions, we'll go do the sport. The fact that we want to play a sport on a games console means we want it accessible and easy to pick up... sure, some people will find it fun to do the actions, but nothing beyond gimmicky levels of interaction where the person will very soon tire of doing the motions and just turn off the game.

    The more realistic they make these actions, the less fun the games are to me...

  • heytito

    Posted Mar 2, 2010 1:11 am GMT

    nintendo i understand but xbox &ps3 nahhhhhhh they are gonna be f#%$ed

  • schesak

    Posted Mar 2, 2010 12:52 am GMT

    When I want "authentic sports action"...I actually go out and play that sport. I've never understood the popularity of these titles on the Wii, and I'm not going to understand them with the introduction of motion control on the 360 and the PS3. Sometimes I'm too tired to actually go to the golf course and play golf...but I might fire up a console golf game, which is lower energy....but if the console is going to make me do the same motions, I will be back to the "too tired" part...
    Are there really that many people who want "authentic sports action" who are too dense to actually go do the real sport?

  • wahyudil

    Posted Mar 2, 2010 12:17 am GMT

    bring a "very non-hardcore" title like this to a "very hardcore" console like PS3 or XBOX360 will become a big mistake for EA ...

    how non hard-core a NATAL is ... XBOX360 still will be famous for a hard-core gamer console ... casual fitness fanatics won't ever buy one

  • LoserMike

    Posted Mar 1, 2010 11:58 pm GMT

    @chefstubbies

    Dude, I think you're confused. EA Sports Active is not a rhythm game. It's a workout game like Wii Fit. It's to help people who are too lazy/afraid to work out in public.

  • DEATH775

    Posted Mar 1, 2010 11:37 pm GMT

    Good job EA

  • LeoGoBezerk

    Posted Mar 1, 2010 11:17 pm GMT

    I didn't believe in this games. This is just a very good promotion and nothing else. $60 for stupid rubber accessory. Yes, way to go EA

  • Rahnyc4

    Posted Mar 1, 2010 11:17 pm GMT

    there kind of wasting there time porting this over to other consoles, since it wont sell. i guess if they want to make some extra change, then why not.

  • chefstubbies

    Posted Mar 1, 2010 11:09 pm GMT

    Seriously? When will the rythm genre just die? Wasn't Wii Music enough?

  • Serraph105

    Posted Mar 1, 2010 10:40 pm GMT

    @Jaysonguy
    Oh custom music would be sweet for a genre like that

  • Serraph105

    Posted Mar 1, 2010 10:39 pm GMT

    I really hope they bring it to the ps3 and 360 so that I can laugh at the fanboys on this site when it makes millions on those systems also.

  • JimmyJimJim

    Posted Mar 1, 2010 10:10 pm GMT

    lol billion dollar industry my a@@, it's palpably just a fad to me. Like those rock band games, All the fat gamers probably went out and bought this stuff in hopes it'll motivate themselves to get into shape but soon enough they'll get bored and go back to sitting around eating hog'n'daz's.

  • Just-Adam

    Posted Mar 1, 2010 10:06 pm GMT

    That might've worked for the Wii .. but I doubt us , Sony gamers , will go for crap like this ..

  • Glade_Gnarr

    Posted Mar 1, 2010 9:48 pm GMT

    I'm still amazed at the fact that people buy this.

  • Waldkrieger

    Posted Mar 1, 2010 9:07 pm GMT

    My gods, enough with the boring redundant sports games already.

  • Trogeton

    Posted Mar 1, 2010 8:20 pm GMT

    way to go EA

  • OwnallConsoles

    Posted Mar 1, 2010 8:19 pm GMT

    EA+Wii= Garbage.

  • Jaysonguy

    Posted Mar 1, 2010 6:32 pm GMT

    EA Sports Fitness is amazing. Put it on the 360 with custom music and you have something even amazing-er.

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