In an unexpected move, Electronic Arts announced that Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg will be collaborating with the game makers at EA's Los Angeles studio (EALA) to create three new original franchise properties. Beginning this year, with offices located on site at EALA, Spielberg will work directly with EA's development teams to offer his signature style of storytelling to the concept, design, story and artistic visualization of the new games. EA will own the intellectual properties and the game franchises will be developed, published and distributed worldwide by EA. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Although Spielberg is a well recognised and a very commercial name, EA may not be aware of the director's dark past in the industry, as demonstrated by the ET video game effort.
The comforting thought is that the press release clearly states that the titles Mr. Spielberg will be involved in creating, will be original ones and not part of EA's ever continuing franchise stable.
Steven Spielberg commented, I have been playing EA games for years and have watched them master the interactive format. Having watched the game industry grow from a niche into a major creative force in entertainment, I have a great deal of respect for EA's understanding of the interactive format. I'm looking forward to working closely with the team in Los Angeles.
It is, of course, too early to expect any details on the titles but we should all feel better knowing that two gargantuan press machines have joined forces so that even if we don't like the end result we're guaranteed to think we do anyway.
