Electronic Arts (EA) has expressed its focus on developing "games as a platform" as the future of the company, building upon the success of its live service models for popular titles like FIFA, The Sims, and Apex Legends.

During an earnings call, CEO Andrew Wilson acknowledged the impact of macroeconomic uncertainty on consumer spending. However, he stated that EA's strong brand recognition positions them well during such times and that they will seize opportunities to invest in new intellectual property.

Wilson emphasized the evolution of the definition of a game, highlighting the shift towards broader social ecosystems and games as platforms. EA intends to build games like EA Sports FC, The Sims, Battlefield, Apex, and Skate as platforms or content ecosystems that cater to long-term business strategies across play, watch, create, and connect pillars.

While EA's significant investments will be directed towards games serving massive online communities, Wilson also emphasized their commitment to developing standalone titles like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and investing in blockbuster interactive stories.

Wilson mentioned that longer lead times will be given to development teams for new titles, not only to ensure quality but also to create experiences designed to attract and engage large audiences for extended periods, possibly a decade or more.

Regarding industry consolidation, Wilson anticipated further consolidation at some level, but he emphasized that EA's position, scale, network, intellectual property, and talent allow them to navigate and lead the future of entertainment regardless of the outcome of specific deals, such as Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Wilson expressed interest in EA becoming a meaningful consolidator in the industry, given their assets and strategy. However, he reiterated that EA's focus remains on their current strategy, and the outcome of specific deals will not significantly impact their position as the leading publisher on the Microsoft platform.

Source: James Batchelor is Editor-in-Chief at GamesIndustry.biz