EA is quite excited about the recent Xbox Scorpio and PlayStation NEO announcements and thinks it is in a strong place as a publisher. EA also believes that both the Xbox Scorpio and PlayStation NEO are positioned to thrive in the new paradigm. The Xbox Scorpio and PlayStation NEO represent quite a dramatic departure from the standard discrete hardware generations model, and EA thinks the industry will be better off for it.
EA excited about PlayStation Neo and Xbox Scorpio
Andrew Wilson, the publisher’s chief executive answered UBS analyst Eric Sheridan’s question about his thoughts on Microsoft’s and Sony’s mid-cycle console upgrades, saying that they are excited about what Sony and Microsoft have announced at a macro-level.
When Sheridan asked how EA is preparing for that, Wilson said, “The reality for us is, again, in a networked world, liquidity of play is really, really important. And what we’ve seen over the last decade or more with respect to PC gamers, is that community has continued to grow.”
The gaming community is growing in a world where the hardware refresh cycle has been disconnected from the software refresh cycle, Wilson noted.
“And what that’s meant is that, irrespective of what kind of device you have within kind of a 7 to 10 year time frame, you are able to play with a much, much bigger global community,” Wilson said.
The CEO said what people see today with the things that have been talked about with the mid-cycle refresh is just going to enhance the size and engagement levels inside the communities, and EA is well-positioned to thrive in this new paradigm, he feels.
Wilson notes they are in a “very strong” place as a publisher, as they have been building across platforms and across consoles and for scalable architectures like the PC. Wilson believes they have strength where there is a requirement to build scaled experiences that keep players connected.
Overall positive for the industry
During EA’s first quarter earnings call, Blake Jorgensen, EA’s chief financial officer, said they continue to be excited about the growth of the overall console business. Jorgensen thinks the plans announced at E3 around both the PlayStation and Xbox were viewed in the industry as very positive.
“I think moving beyond the notion of – or jumping into the compatibility issue head-on and trying to stop the notion of having consoles that are not compatible will help the software side of the equation dramatically over time, and I think that’s a big plus,” Jorgensen said.
Sony has confirmed the existence of the PlayStation NEO, but it has to be officially revealed first, whereas the Xbox Scorpio is slated to launch some time in next year’s holiday shopping season. It is certainly good to see a big company within the industry have a longer, larger vision and embrace the change.
So what are your thoughts on the PlayStation Neo and Xbox Scorpio? Do you agree with Wilson’s and Jorgensen’s comments? Let us know.
