EA Sheds Light on Decision to Close Visceral, on Single-Player Games
The shutting down of Visceral Games was one of the most talked-about topics in the gaming industry this year. Amid all the speculations surrounding the move, EA shed further light on their decision earlier this week.
Gamespot reported that during the company's latest Earnings Call, EA CEO Andrew Wilson touched on the matter and explained why they opted to retool an unannounced "Star Wars" game. Wilson stressed that the decision to shut down Visceral was something that they had to think about very carefully.
"Anytime you close a studio, it's a very, very tough decision and something that we take very seriously," said Wilson. "We spend a lot of time working through before we make such a decision. But it does happen from time to time as part of the creative process," he added.
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As for the "Star Wars" game, Wilson clarified that it will not be canceled. Production, however, will be shifted to EA Vancouver, which meant the direction to be taken could likely differ. Wilson said that they were closely listening to the players' feedback during the game's development.
Wilson said that they are seeing the marketplace for such games evolving. "It became clear to us that to deliver an experience that players wanted to come back and enjoy for a long time, that we needed to pivot the design," he explained.
Furthermore, he clarified that the decision to close down Visceral and shift the production course of the "Star Wars" game was not a case of it being single-player in nature. "It wasn't about, 'This was just a single-player game [and it] needed to be a live service.' It was more about, 'How do we get to a point where the overall gameplay experience was right for players," Wilson went on to say. He also said that they still believe in the "Star Wars" IP.
Talks about single-player games have been a hot topic in the gaming community as of late. Xbox Publishing head Shannon Loftis recently said in a Gamespot interview that single-player games are not yet dead. She said, however, that single-player titles are likely to continue to face problems concerning their economic viability.
