In an interview, EA’s Vice President of Strategic Growth, Matt Bilbey, discusses the future of the company and the future of the gaming industry. What can we expect?
The Future of EA: In an interview with gamesindustry.biz, Bilbey provided some insights into the future of EA and the general gaming landscape. Major topics he addresses include streaming, consoles, and the controversial loot boxes.
EA Sets Goals – with a Moral Compass
The discussion about loot boxes in games that started in 2017 has gained a lot of attention and still appears in many games today. The cause for the uproar back then was the loot boxes in Star Wars Battlefront 2, which were to be banned across Europe from Belgium.
Learning from Battlefront: Bilbey states that the company has learned from the mistakes of Star Wars Battlefront (via gamesindustry.biz). There is an internal team responsible for redirecting the foundations of game development.
At the moment, the teams are in a kind of learning process. They are learning how EA wants to design games and what the company envisions for its commitment to making games fair and fun.
The developer teams are to be assisted by a guideline – EA’s “moral compass”. It should be an early topic in development how the game will later receive its live service, which includes loot boxes and similar features.
The teams are collaborating with gamers. The design standards aim to ensure pillars for games such as fairness, appreciation, and fun.
Streaming as the Future: Bilbey sees streaming as one of the most important pillars for the future. EA has been working for some time to develop its own streaming system and figure out how it works.
However, EA still faces some challenges. It is important to offer consumers what they want. Developing the technology for streaming is only part of the task. It is also important to understand how and why players play and to explore new ways of playing.
The involvement of streamers themselves is also important. The foundation for this, fast internet, should hopefully become the norm in the coming years, making it accessible for everyone.
Consoles Disappear and Yet Persist: According to Bilbey, consoles like the Xbox One or PS4 are likely to virtually disappear in the future. Instead of having a console at home, the new systems will simply be integrated into existing systems.
Bilbey believes it is likely that console generations will be integrated into smart TVs or smartphones within about 10 years.
VR – a Side Matter: The “gaming of the future,” as VR technology was often presented in its early days, is seen by Bilbey as only conditionally relevant. The technology will undoubtedly play a more important role in the gaming space.
However, it requires a shift in thinking for many game developers, moving away from traditional gaming. Bilbey even sees opportunities for learning games in VR and AR, as the concept can be well applied to everyday situations as a game.
VR allows a lot of room for inspiration and will likely go beyond the gaming we know today. That’s where they still are: ambitious thinking instead of luring with promises.
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