EA Sports: Two original projects in the pipe

By Tom Magrino, GameSpotPosted Mar 10, 2008 3:23 pm PT

Publisher's global head of marketing says a pair of new IP sports titles are being wound up alongside recently announced arcade-style boxer FaceBreaker.

One of the criticisms constantly levied against publishing powerhouse EA is the company's perceived emphasis of turning a profit through sequalization and annualiziation over innovation and risk. In laying out the publisher's $6 billion revenue goal for 2011, EA CEO John Riccitiello lended further support to this perception, noting that the company will reach its goal by keeping its eggs in established baskets, including Need for Speed, The Sims, Burnout, and Madden NFL.

However, despite EA's track record of incremental innovation, the publisher hasn't forsaken creating its own new intellectual property outright. Closing out January, EA unveiled its haymaker-in-waiting FaceBreaker, an arcade-style boxing game that more closely resembles Punch-Out!! than the publisher's relocated Fight Night series.

It now appears the publisher has a few more original sports titles in its queue. Speaking with New Zealand gaming blog Geekpulp over the weekend, EA vice president of global marketing Todd Sitrin said the publisher has a pair of original projects in the pipe to complement FaceBreaker.

"We actually have three new original IPs in development; the only one that's been announced is FaceBreaker. We haven't done an original IP at EA [Sports] for several years, not since back to Freekstyle Motorcycle," said Sitrin. Since making its first run in 2002, Freekstyle has sold more than 520,000 units on the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance in the US alone, according to the NPD Group.

68 Comments

  • StSk8ter29

    Posted May 7, 2008 9:50 am PT

    I WANT SSX!

  • gondee5

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 5:56 pm PT

    Given that it's rumored that SSX 5 got cancelled for "New IPs", I think this might be the culprit right here.

  • cowmaster2k3

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 1:36 pm PT

    Fight Night = great fun and great fighting depth
    FaceBreaker = Ready 2 Rumble

    heres hoping they're good... EA needs to do SOMETHING about their reputation!

  • CloudStrife9288

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 12:45 pm PT

    ahh gotcha haha nice

  • ronniepage588

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 11:41 am PT

    facebreaker might be cool, or totally lame. i like the realism approach of fight night and was hoping they would continue with that (plus, it was very in depth yet very easy at the same time)

  • Dr_Corndog

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 11:38 am PT

    Whatever they are, it doesn't change the unfortunate fact that they're still sports games.

  • bigevil_rashek

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 10:58 am PT

    Yeah right! EA didn't produce an original ip in almost 10yrs and they are not starting now.

  • cajunstrike

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 10:42 am PT

    Was jokingly referring to Electronic Arts' proposed acquisition of Take-Two Interactive, publisher of the 2K Sports franchise.

  • CloudStrife9288

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 10:38 am PT

    why would they make a nba 2k9?? they dont own the 2k games

  • nickdastick

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 10:31 am PT

    Cajun.... EA Sports doesn't make NFL 2K or NBA 2K games..... So I really doubt that's what they are. And they said they are ORIGINAL IP's, meaning they are new games that haven't come out before. So... yeah...

  • cajunstrike

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 10:14 am PT

    Two projects? NFL 2K9 and NBA 2K9 no doubt... (smile)

  • sphinx-shadow

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 10:05 am PT

    Just make Fight Night Round 4 and and we will all be happy.

  • oli54321

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 10:03 am PT

    xgalacticax "Everything was going well until I read EA and sports in the same sentence."

    I agree, sports games suck

  • neal_douglas

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 9:50 am PT

    I wonder if one of them is Formula One...

  • Limonadi

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 9:39 am PT

    Formula one is one of em.

  • BigDaveyDogz

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 9:19 am PT

    screw original sports IPs and bring back General Chaos!!

  • speedjunkie4

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 9:08 am PT

    Bring back NFL Street!

  • donnygorgas

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 8:56 am PT

    I want a new SSX. Or maybe a new snowboarding game that's similar to skate in terms of realism.

  • mrkame16

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 8:51 am PT

    I like Football but im sick of the same ol' Madden every year.. i was disappointed with madden 07, and 08 i barely played, no more for me.

  • xgalacticax

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 8:43 am PT

    Everything was going well until I read EA and sports in the same sentence.

FaceBreaker K.O. Party Quick Links

Summary | Reviews | News | Previews & Features | Images | Videos | Answers | Forum | Check Prices

Check Prices: $19.99 – 38.99

GameQuest $19.99 SHOP ›
Deep Discount.com $38.99 SHOP ›
VideoGameAll.com $38.99 SHOP ›
advertisement
FaceBreaker K.O. Party Boxshot Enlarge the boxshot
FaceBreaker K.O. Party

Game Stats

  • Rank:
    5,405 of 77,799
    (down by 496)
    WII Rank:
    568 of 2,035
    Highest Rank:
    43 in 2008
    Tracking:
    108 Track It»
    Wishlists:
    56 Wish It»
  • Player Reviews:
    2
    Player Ratings:
    62
    Users Now Playing:
    4
  • Top 5 User Tags:
    1. facebreaker
    2. boxing
    3. face
    4. party
    5. arcade
  • Teen Rating Description

    Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language. Learn more

Full Game Details »Close
Also on

Games you may like…

Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.

See More Similar Games
advertisement
Click Here