“FIFA is now one of EA Sports most profitable annual franchises, the company in the early days predicted that the game would be a complete flop.”

In the early stages of planning and development for the game, EA’s UK based team went looking to recruit some locally based developers to help them build out some prototypes. A pair of developers from Cheshire, Jules Burt and Jon Law had been working on a football game prototype experimenting with various camera angles. Most other football games at the time such as Sensible Soccer or Kick Off! featured a top down view. The developers of the then titled EA Soccer wanted to create a game that would stand out from the rest. Despite the promising start the executives at EA stateside, were less convinced and didn’t put much faith into the success of the project. The development was shifted to EA Canada who took the early prototypes and built upon them implementing an isometric view for the game. A key selling point for the game was to rest on the realism that they could build into the gameplay and graphics. However just like previous EA Sports titles it also relied on the licensing deals that could be negotiated for teams and player names. This proved to be a problem as unlike the NFL, FIFA didn’t hold the licences for individual players and teams or the various domestic leagues. EA had secured a licencing deal with FIFA but it was all but the name included. Resulting in no real player names featuring in the game, instead the developers used their names to fill out the team roosters.

“The licensing deal with FIFA didn’t give the developers any of the rights for the teams and players but it did give it the brand recognition which it has maintained over the last two decades.”

Just as the development started the US EA executives had tried to shutter development over fears of potential loses in revenue, this trend continued throughout the development process. Both the Canadian and UK based developers had to continually convince their bosses that the game would sell well, as there was a large European market that had yet to be capitalized on. They argued that with the FIFA name behind them that there would be instant brand recognition, which would help boost sales. The game managed to get to market despite the best efforts of the EA executives and would end up proving them wrong for having their initial misgivings about sales figures. The game sold nearly half a million copies within its first month of launch and blew all expectations away. Becoming the bestselling game of 1993 despite the fact it was only launched in December of that year. The studio was soon back to work on the next title and over the last twenty years has managed to build up one of the most successful video game franchises. The FIFA series selling more than 100 million copies combined, earning it the title of best-selling sports video game.

The post Compendium: Sport’s Video Games Goal! appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

The Xbox One has been steadily lagging behind its rival the PS4 since the launch of the two consoles in November of last year.  Sony have got the jump on Microsoft this time around are looking to be the console of choice among gamers for the current generation. However with so many variables to many of the facts and figures surrounding next-gen console sales it really isn’t fair to say that the Xbox One lost the console war. Latest PS4 sales figures as of February state that 5.3 million units have been sold, whereas as of January the latest figures available for Xbox One sales put Microsoft’s console at just over 3 million. Granted with the boost in sales from the release of Titanfall this number will have jumped significantly, more than likely nearer 4-5 million at this point. This is one of the many problems when trying to extrapolate any argument for which console is more successful.

“The PR war of words has been going strong ever since the consoles were announced early last year and it hasn’t abated since.”

Microsoft in particular has been very cagey about releasing console sales numbers, probably due to the fact they just haven’t managed to sell as many units as its rival. Yet this leads to the other problem with using sales figures as a measurement of success due to the fact that the PS4 has a wider global reach than its competitor. The PS4 is available in 57 regional markets, whereas the Xbox One is only available in 13 with an expansion to a further 26 markets promised by the end of 2014. If you are to approach it from purely a financial viewpoint again it is difficult to compare the two, with the Xbox One featuring a higher price point then the PS4. Breakdowns of the two consoles internals suggest that the PS4 is slightly more costly for Sony to produce meaning that Microsoft makes more of each unit sold. However such cost analysis is purely speculative with consoles traditional been sold at a loss, the manufactures usually recouping their investment with third party licensing deals.

“The consoles hardware is irrelevant as it is the software on the devices that count, who has the better line up of games is the true determining factor.”

This is where a deal with Respawn Entertainment to make their game exclusive for the Xbox One comes into play. It is the sales of a game like Titanfall and the subsequent increase in Xbox Live subscriptions that determine success as far as the Microsoft executives are concerned. The first task with a new console release is to accumulate a large enough user base that they can use to negotiate better licencing deals with publishers and developers. The same goes for Sony who might see a significant boost in PS4 sales with the release of their exclusive title Infamous: Second Son. It’s interesting that Infamous: Second Son like so many of Sony’s exclusives is only available on the PS4. Whereas for any PC gamer Titanfall is readily available, how many lost sales of Xbox One consoles are accrued from this fact? Taking into account that Titanfall sits on top of the PC games sales charts there is a sizeable number of gamers, who might have been forced to buy a new console to play the game.  EA on the other hand need a game like Titanfall on the PC, in order to attain more legitimacy to their digital distribution platform Origin. That has been trailing behind its competitor Steam since it launched over three years ago.

“Which exclusive title will prove to be the bigger draw, open world superhumans or FPS mechs?

The console war has only been raging for less than six months at this point and early reports would suggest that the PS4 is coming out on top. Granted from a quick observation of the sales figures it is clear that Sony has sold more console, but it is not so easy to declare a winner based on such facts. The myriad of other factors that play into the analysis of sales figures can allow anyone to massage the numbers to achieve a desired result. This is what has led to the PR battle between the two companies with both sides manipulating the figures to make one seem better than the other. At the end of the day it is clear that both consoles have done very well and will likely see continued growth in the near future with games like Watchdogs, Destiny and Elder Scrolls Online all on their way this year. The only clear fact that can be drawn from all these figures is that with a yearlong lead on its competitors and just under 6 million units sold. Nintendo and their WiiU are set to be the biggest losers in the current console war.

By Colm O’Sullivan

The post Gaming Sidenote: Titanfall and the future of Xbox One appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

Titanfall

“Medal of Honor marked a turning point in video game narrative, were games could now attempt to emulate Hollywood in terms of grandiose storytelling.”

Following the release of Medal of Honor: Allied Assault some of the developers including West and Zampella decide to leave 2015 Inc. and form their own studio. The limitations imposed on them by their employers and the control on the creative process by the publisher EA, forced 22 members of the development team to break away and establish Infinity Ward in 2002. Interestingly 2015 Inc. has only produced one game since the mass departures and has not seen the same level of success as it had with Medal of Honor. Infinity Wards funding was boosted in the beginning when the publisher Activision bought up 30 percent of the company. The studio went straight to work on its first title a WWII themed FPS, following on from the experience gained with their previous game. Call of Duty was released in October of 2003 and was an instant classic, with mission structures and narrative techniques that their previous publisher EA had disagreed with. The most iconic mission of the game, forcing the player to fight through the besieged city of Stalingrad with only a clip of ammunition and no weapon. An idea that was unthinkable in the FPS genre, a reason why the game was a success and spawned an acclaimed franchise. When WWII shooters became too commonplace West and Zampella decided to shake things up and produce Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Again Infinity Ward proved to be the studio at the forefront of the FPS genre setting the trends and game design conventions that others would attempt to emulate.

 “The original title in the series received its very own rerelease on the next gen system in 2009, known as Call of Duty Classic.”

Just as the second Modern Warfare title was breaking all sales records decent was brewing between Infinity Ward and their publishers/owners Activision. West and Zampella were aggrieved about the lack of royalties afforded to them by Activision, based on the success of the latest Call of Duty release. The ensuing conflict resulted in Activision firing both West and Zampella on the grounds of “breaches of contract and insubordination”. The reason for the dismissals was in reaction to a supposed meeting that took place between the pair and EA, to which Activision was not privy too. The subsequent legal battle of lawsuits being filed by both parties would mar the establishment of West and Zampella’s new venture Respawn Entertainment in April of 2010. Just as in the case of 2015 Inc. a large number of Infinity Ward’s development team left the company, 48 resigning from Infinity Ward with 38 of them joining West and Zampella at Respawn Entertainment. Activision has tried to maintain the high level of quality and strong sales figures for its Call of Duty franchise even bringing in another development studio to help get the games to market. Although sales figures have been annually smashed with each subsequent release aside from Call of Duty: Ghosts, the critical acclaim and public opinion has waned of late. Now after four years in the making Titanfall is finally on the market, but can the Respawn team do what they have already managed multiple times before and reshape the FPS genre.

 “It’s a game of cat and mouse between the fast and agile pilots; and devastation brutal giant titans.”

The development of Titanfall has not been without its level of turmoil with long time development partner Jason West leaving the company for personal reasons. Although the nature of his resignation has been a matter of rumour and speculation, with West’s erratic behaviour and discord with Zampella possible reasons for his split with the company he co-founded. Zampella is now flying solo and we will get to see if he can do it on his own. Judging from the response of the beta released in late February and from the early Metacritic scores it looks like Respawn is on to a winner. Just as Zampella and his team have always done in the past they have not settled just to follow along with the crowd. The FPS genre of late has becoming increasingly stagnant, with little in the way of innovation coming out of the genre for the last number of years. A few gameplay tweaks and graphical improvements seem to be enough for most developers, with new IP falling by the wayside in the face of established franchises. Titanfall is attempting to draw influence from a myriad of different sources to push forward the evolution of the FPS genre. The most distinctive feature of the new Zampella title is the lack of a singleplayer narrative, with the game only featuring multiplayer gameplay. Not that this is something new in the FPS genre with the original titles in the Battlefield series featuring only multiplayer modes. However for Zampella this is breaking new ground since the singleplayer narrative has been as much a crucial part of his previous games successes as the multiplayer component. Iconic gaming moments such as the storming of the Normandy beaches and the first-hand experience of a soldier post nuclear blast, have helped Zampella earn his high ranking status in the industry.

 “Will we see a reunited West and Zampella in the future, somewhat debatable with the apparent success garnered by Titanfall under the solo leadership of Zampella?”

Probably the far more interesting point about Titanfall’s online elements is that the game relies on some of the AI components to be handled by Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform. Essentially this means that the game is online only, with the AI hosting and physics calculations handled by Microsoft’s servers. It is also bad news for gamers living in regions without the Azure service like South Africa, who have understandable become quite upset. They have even gone as far as to petition EA and Respawn to have a South African release of the game. Not helping the issue is the fact that Xbox Live experienced a momentary technical hitch on launch day. Aside from the few regional grumbles and Xbox Live outages, nothing much has been made of Titanfall‘s always online requirement. This is good news for Titanfall publisher EA who suffered a calamitous PR disaster due the resulting backlash that followed the botch launch of their always online title SimCity. It’s interesting that prior to launch nothing has been made of Titanfall’s method of offloading some of its processing tasks to the cloud. Granted from the outset Titanfall is sold as a multiplayer game so certain level of internet connectivity is expected from the outset. All the same the video gaming community was ready with torches and pitchforks at the announcement that the Xbox One would need to be connect online at least once a day. Never mind the fact that for much of the western world regular online connectivity is pretty standard. Here we are less than six months post launch and a game that requires a similar feature, no angry mob in sight. It is amazing how video game fans can go from extreme statements of vitriolic fury to quiet and subdued acceptance. Obviously Titanfall is just that good of game that such heated opinions can put aside. Gamers are clearly very enamoured by giant mech’s, to let go of such issues.

By Colm O’Sullivan

The post Titanfall Review appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

“Football games have come a long way from the original titles of the late 70’s”

The founder of EA Trip Hawkins was the man behind the games inception with his personal love of the sport guiding him through the process. Again with so many of their previous sports titles a figure was needed to give the game a seal of quality. Initially Hawkins had approached the University of California coach Joe Kapp as it was taught they could get him cheap. However after he asked for too much, former Oakland Raiders coach and TV commentator John Madden was asked to feature as the games personality. John Madden was not just chosen to feature on the box art but had a hand in the implementation of the in game tactics and gameplay. The game spent four years in development with the technology at the time proving to be the biggest hurdle. The low graphical and processing power of systems at the time made it difficult to display all 22 players on the field at the same time. Combined with the intricacies of collision detection between the on field players, it made for a game which far outpaced the computing power of the time.

“Madden faced completion from other football titles such as Tecmo Super Bowl, Joe Montana Football and Front Page Sport Football. Madden outlasting them all.”

The one unique difference between this game and those that followed in its wake, was the lack of officially licenced players. Although they had John Madden to endorse and help promote the game, they were unable to strike a deal with the NFL or NFLPA for the licence of authentic teams and players. Beside this one flaw the game sold well and prompted the company to start development on a follow up. However EA were not the only video game company looking to break into the football game scene with Nintendo commission Japanese developer Tecmo to create a game for their NES console. Tecmo Bowl was released in 1989 and saw some amount of success but it was it follow up for the new SNES console that still remains to be a cult hit. Tecmo Super Bowl marks a precedents for been the first game to feature fully licenced teams and players. The original only featuring the players and other games like it only featuring the teams. Tecmo set the standard that many sports game are judged by in the modern industry. Companies like EA paying vast amounts of money to obtain exclusive rights to teams and players, in an attempt to freeze out the competition. The keep its place at the top of the sports game genre, EA looked to diversify into other sports. The FIFA series been one of the more popular sports titles that EA branched out to in the 90’s.

The post Compendium: Sports Video Games Touchdown! appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

“Tennis is definitely one of the earliest sports to be featured in a video game with Tennis for Two acting as the origin point for the modern genre.”

The first of these genre defining games was EA’s 1983 title One on One: Dr. J vs. Larry Bird, which was the first sports game to feature the likeness of real sports personalities. The basketball game set a standard that remains to this day, with many sports game relying on the endorsement by star athletes to sell their game. The game also featured unique gameplay mechanics with the players needing to take periodic rests and time outs to rebuild their stamina, another feature common to modern games. The game proved to be a huge success and was subsequently ported to a number of different platforms from its original Apple II release. The game demonstrated the demand by the gaming public for video games based on popular sports. In the ensuing years a host of new sports titles hit the market, from the more mainstream sports such as Baseball and Football to the more obscure Bullfighting and Roller Derby. Developers of sports games had the advantage that the sports that they were digitizing into video games already had a fan base and a market audience to sell too. Although for some it was their personal interest in the sport that lead them to develop their own video game version.

“The game marked the start of EA’s dominance of the sporting game genre and was one of the companies’ early successes.”

Don Daglow was video game developer and a baseball fanatic. One of his early video game efforts was a text based baseball game, programmed on a PDP-10 mainframe computer while studying at university. It was one of the first attempts at a baseball video game, with the baseball hall of fame even recognising his game as the first of its kind. He was hired by Mattel to create a similar baseball type game for the companies Intellivision console, Intellivision World Series Baseball was released in 1983. Although the game implemented many ground-breaking features such as multiple camera angles and a 3D perspective. Its creators Daglow and Eddie Dombrower weren’t happy about the limitations of the game imposed by their employers. The pair left Mattel and went to work for EA, with the company looking to continue its success in the sports game genre.

“Although baseball games have struggled to find ground in the modern industry, the sports game genre owes a lot the games like Earl Weaver Baseball.”

They again returned to baseball and wanted to create the most realistic representation of the sport that was deemed possible at the time. Again taking its cue from their earlier sports title the company wanted to have a face to go with the game. Hall of Famer Earl Weaver who at the time was the manager of the Baltimore Orioles was the man chosen as the game mascot. The games stand out feature was the high level of control the player had over the outcome of the games, with a mammoth database of player stats heighten its realism. A feature that has remained a key component of modern sports games that often spend as much of the development process on scouting player stats as they do designing gameplay. The extensive amount of customization and realistic gameplay made Earl Weaver Baseball a critical success, it was polled at one time by Computer Gaming World as the 25^th best game of all time. It would once again be EA that would help popularize the sporting game genre with John Madden Football raising them to a position of dominance in that sector of the industry.

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