Andrew Wilson has nothing but open arms for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One.
And as well he should. Wilson, the chief executive of Electronic Arts, welcomed the new game consoles with a blog post entitled, “The Wild First Week of the Next Generation.”
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With the Xbox One launched as well, Wilson said EA was working hard to improve Battlefield 4’s online performance and acknowledged “challenges with stability issues.” He said the team is working to resolve the problems that players have had. He also said he was not encouraged by the reception that EA’s NBA Live game has received. EA is now the underdog in basketball after it fumbled a few launches, while Take-Two Interactive’s 2K Sports basketball title has taken the lead.
“Plain and simple, we haven’t gotten the kind of early feedback we had hoped for on this game,” Wilson said of NBA Live. “I do think we have built a strong foundation, so we’re accelerating a number of game updates to address your biggest issues, including improving the way the game teaches the new gameplay controls. We promised to get back to top form with NBA LIVE, and we’re committed to delivering on that. We are in this for the long haul.”
Here’s the text of his remarks.
We’re only one week into a new era in gaming, and what a wild few days this has been. I’d almost forgotten how intense console transitions are … almost. The hardware hits shelves and anticipation turns to excitement; the reviews come in for the consoles and the games; our live service teams start working to optimize fan experiences; and we’re actively listening to the community for their feedback.
We’ve launched our five next-gen titles in North America, but that’s like having just cleared the first mile marker in a marathon … there’s a long ways to go. Last week brought us the PlayStation 4, today we’re excited to welcome the arrival of the Xbox One, and then comes the PS4 in Europe next week.
The critics agree that we are in top form to start this race on next-gen consoles – we’ve got the highest-rated games for fans of racing, sports and shooters — which is great news. Lots of fans are playing, too — in the first five days, players logged five million online game sessions and 140 million minutes of gameplay across our next-gen titles on PS4. All of this is a testament to talented teams and their commitment to taking risks and pushing hard for new innovation. I’m proud of how we’re embracing the next generation.
But we’re not celebrating. In fact, we’re still working hard. We have had our challenges with stability issues on Battlefield 4, and the DICE team is 100 percent focused on understanding and resolving the problems that some players have been having. We won’t rest until we get things fixed, so here are two things we’re committed to doing while we work to get it right: 1) all players will get a Double XP bonus and a cool new piece of game content as a way of saying thanks for your patience, and 2) you’ll get open and transparent communication with updates from us around the clock via the Battlefield 4 Control Room.
A quick word here on NBA Live as well. Executive producer Sean O’Brien just posted a thoughtful piece to NBA gamers that I would love for you to check out. Plain and simple, we haven’t gotten the kind of early feedback we had hoped for on this game. I do think we have built a strong foundation, so we’re accelerating a number of game updates to address your biggest issues, including improving the way the game teaches the new gameplay controls. We promised to get back to top form with NBA Live, and we’re committed to delivering on that. We are in this for the long haul.
Gamers deserve great experiences when playing our games, and everyone here at EA will continue working tirelessly to make sure that happens.