Electronic Arts said that single-player games are a “really, really important part” of its overall product mix.
After seeming to have actively moved away from making single-player games during the 2010s, the company seems to have returned to them after the success of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Single-player games in development at EA include Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and a Dead Space remake.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor – Official Teaser
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor – Official Teaser
During its first quarter earnings call on Tuesday, EA was asked how single-player games currently fit into the company’s portfolio.
“Our players, on balance, have these core motivations—inspiration, escape, social connection, competition, self-improvement, creation—these things that bring us together as game players,” said the CEO. Read also : Classics and cash-ins: the unsung genius of video game compilations. of EA Andrew Wilson.
“And creating worlds, building characters, and telling stories are really important in fulfilling some of those motivations.
“When we think about our portfolio and think about building it, we really think about it along two main vectors. One, how can we tell incredible stories? And two, how can we build tremendous online communities? And so how do we bring these two things together?
“So, when you look at our portfolio, what you should be looking for is, how are we doing this? How are we building these worlds and telling these stories? How are we developing global online communities? And how are we bringing these two things together for the fulfillment of the motivations?”
Wilson continued: “And what we see when we have that is, one, we grow our network, and two, we grow the amount of time that players in our network spend in and around our games.
“And as we think about single-player games, we think that’s a really, really important part of the overall portfolio that we deliver on fulfilling those core motivations.
“And the way we plan for it over time is really just looking at our community, and looking at how they’re spending their time, and looking at where motivations can or can’t be met. And we will look to supplement that with the addition of new online games, new multiplayer games, and new single-player games.”
However, EA’s chief financial officer Chris Suh followed by noting that live services account for nearly three-quarters of EA’s total business.
“If we think about the impact of the model and its financial impact, I think the first thing we always keep in mind is that live services still include, on a 12-month basis, more than 70 % of our business, and that should have been a proven, highly reliable, highly recurring revenue stream, and one that will still be the predominant driver in our P&L [profit and loss] over the long term,” he said.
“Secondly, we’ve talked a lot about the areas of investment that we’re making, both in the live service and in some of the single [player] title launches that I’ve seen.
“And so over time we will continue to invest, our long-term growth will continue to invest in the continued and stable performance of our live services business and there will be some choices and takings along the way.”
Last week it was said that EA is making an open world Black Panther game for one player.
The title is reportedly in the early stages of development and is likely being produced at a recently established EA studio led by ex-head of Monolith Productions Kevin Stephens.
