EA Sports cooking up Formula One racer?
Source: Notorious British tabloid The Sun. What we heard: At a recent event in San Francisco, newly installed EA Sports president Peter Moore fielded questions from the crowd. One reporter asked if, as part of its efforts to become a more international brand, the Electronic Arts division would make...
Source: Notorious British tabloid The Sun.
What we heard: At a recent event in San Francisco, newly installed EA Sports president Peter Moore fielded questions from the crowd. One reporter asked if, as part of its efforts to become a more international brand, the Electronic Arts division would make a licensed game for Formula One racing, which is wildly popular in Europe and the UK. "Good question," said the English-born Moore, before letting loose a volley of upbeat--and totally uninformative--marketing-speak.
;){kind=link}
Now, it appears Moore may have been doing more than eloquently dissembling. According to The Sun, F1 racing sensation Lewis Hamilton has signed an approximately $10 million deal with EA Sports to "star on Xbox and PlayStations around the world next year." The Sun did not call out any specifics of the deal nor mention when it occurred.
If true, the Hamilton deal would mark EA's return to Formula One after several years off the circuit. In 2003, Sony signed a four-year licensing agreement with the Formula One Administration similar to EA's own agreement with NASCAR, the stock-car racing circuit that is wildly popular in the United States. Though EA has not made an F1 racer since the Sony deal, it continues to release annual NASCAR games to so-so sales. As of August 31, NASCAR 08 had sold just over 205,000 copies in the US on all platforms, according to the NPD Group.
So is the Sun story legit? So far, Sony has not revealed plans to renew or extend its F1 racing license into next year, which would make the timing of EA's reentrance apt. Sony has also not indicated any new F1 games in development at its Liverpool Studio, which has handled recent installments in the series, including this year's PS3 debut Formula One Championship Edition. While it seems unlikely Sony is ready to abandon F1 racing completely after going to the bother of creating a next-gen iteration for the PS3, it is possible its exclusivity agreement has expired.
Further, Hamilton fits the profile of a typical EA cover star, considering his narrow second-place finish in the 2007 Formula One Championship during his debut season. EA Sports has also made a habit of announcing games via the naming of its cover star, namely NBA Live, NASCAR, and Madden NFL, which would make an official announcement, if there is to be one, imminent.
The official story: EA had not responded to requests for comment as of press time.
Bogus or not bogus?: Looking not bogus, but the checkered flag hasn't waved just yet.
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com
Join the conversation