Electronic Arts, one of the biggest video game publishers in the world, recently reconfirmed its bullish stance on the Wii and hinted that it is particularly pleased with the success of its “EA Sports Active” franchise.
The head of EA Sports, game business guru Peter Moore, said in a recent Morgan Stanley Conference, “We’re [still] great believers in the Wii. You’ll see our major multiplatform launches still have a presence on the Wii.”
Moore specifically pointed to EA Sports Active as one of the studio’s biggest hits. It is one of the “top 20-selling…Wii titles of all time,” he said, also noting that it was noteworthy for the fact that it attracts new consumers, not typical gamers.
Moore calls the fitness game industry a $200 billion industry, and even goes so far to say that EA Sports’ new business model could be going “from a video game positioning to a fitness positioning.”
Moore wasn’t just praising the Wii, however. He called all motion-controlled gaming technology, like Microsoft’s pending Project Natal and Sony’s motion-sensitive PS3 wand, “platform extensions” that are “bringing new consumers in.”
Electronic Arts ends its fiscal year this month, and says that EA Sports Active has earned $125 million for the year. Based on Moore’s comments, it is pretty clear that the company is devoting more time to the fitness game genre and will likely be announcing new products to complement its successful “Active” brand soon.
