Peter Moore unveils All Play range for Wii

"Our games can be too hard sometimes."

EA Sports boss Peter Moore has lifted the lid on the new All Play range of Wii software and another new brand titled Freestyle.

The artist formerly known as Microsoft's corporate vice president of interactive entertainment made the announcements at a press event in Vancouver. He spoke about how the games market has evolved, and how his new paymasters plan to exploit the emerging opportunities.

"As we look at the make-up of the new consumer coming in, it's very important to us at EA Sports that we have the ability to have something for them that really allows them to pick up and play and have fun immediately, while at the same time not forgetting our core consumer," Moore observed.

"Our games can be too hard sometimes. And while we have no intention whatsoever in dumbing down the experience we all love and that is driving a multi-billion dollar business for us here at EA Sports, we still have an issue here of approachability."

As a result of this thinking, EA is launching the new All Play range later this year. The first batch of games will be Wii-specific versions of FIFA, Tiger Woods, NBA, Madden and NCAA. In Madden, you'll be able to use Mii characters and direct your team's movements by 'drawing' paths with the Wii remote.

"We're still an intimidating entertainment experience and we have to break down the barriers," Moore stated. “The idea of accessibility - when you've got the controller in your hand, it doesn't look like a foreign object of buttons and d-pads and sticks and triggers, and allows people to get in and instantly have fun."

He also unveiled new EA Sports brand Freestyle. Again it'll have a casual focus, but will cover "IP that isn't normally what you'd see from us, that isn't fully licensed, that isn't a full, authentic simulation of the game experience itself".

Like Facebreaker, for example - the cartoon-style boxing title set to be released under the Freestyle brand later this year.

"We want to present a different persona for some of our games - looking at this new consumer, bringing in more pick-up-and-play, more inclusive, more social games," Moore continued.

"It's part of the bigger story about what EA Sports needs to do to continue to grow past our core. Under no circumstances are we walking away from the core experience of what we've known and loved over the past two decades and been able to build as a sports brand. At the same time we recognise that our industry's changing, that the consumer is changing and we need to be able to bring new experiences."

Comments (15) Latest comment 4 years ago

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  • aldo_14 #1 4 years ago

    In Madden, you'll be able to use Mii characters and direct your team's movements by 'drawing' paths with the Wii remote.

    Hmmm, is just me, or isn't that very close to what PES did/does on the Wii?
  • Ignatius_Cheese #2 4 years ago

    So you'll have the option to play normally or casually right? Right!!?
  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #3 4 years ago

    Dumbing down for wii Hurray!!

    but seriously if it makes these games more fun thats cool, cos on the millionth version they all got a bit stale.

    @aldo it does sound like there stealing from Konami, but hay when were EA known for originality.
    Edited by 1 at 07/05/08 @ 09:59
  • Eraser #4 4 years ago

    "Hmmm, is just me, or isn't that very close to what PES did/does on the Wii?"

    heh, that's exactly what PES allows you to do.
  • smirny #5 4 years ago

    oooooooh wii tiger woods \o/
  • Zomoniac #6 4 years ago

    but hay when were EA known for originality

    When they released skate and the 5v5 mode on FIFA?
  • zedzee #7 4 years ago

    If you look at this from a business perspective, it means Nintendo is no longer the only player in making games for its very own console - and keeping the profits to itself.

    If you look at it from a marketing perspective, it's a disaster to have EA Crap (It's In The Game) writing games for your console and trying to make them relevant, especially for something as specific as the Revolution.

    Will they 'get it'? Or will they just write rubbish, like Madden, for the casual masses?!
  • Xerx3s #8 4 years ago

    Yay, let's dumb games down even more than they already are!
  • FairgroundTown #9 4 years ago

    Personally, I think it might be a winner - I "passed" on PES Wii because I just don't have time to learn all that "depth" stuff these days, and I want games I can play with my (five year old) son.
  • aldo_14 #10 4 years ago


    When they released skate and the 5v5 mode on FIFA?


    Dunno about skate (not played it), but I'm sure Striker on the SNES had 5-a-side indoor games.
  • MBar #11 4 years ago

    Yay, let's dumb games down even more than they already are!

    Surely, it's "Yay, let's make better use of the hardware available than what we already are!".
  • Camorrista #12 4 years ago

    Drawing paths in a football game?

    Heh.
    (about 1:15)

    Pack it in, EA :)
  • bengray66 #13 4 years ago

    So we have EA sports for normal people, EA Big for extreme sports people, and now EA idiot for wii owners?
  • Dan234 #14 4 years ago

    I don't think they've got it. I've got less time these days but I don't want easy games, I want games that still have the same depth but let you dip in and out so you can play and get somewhere in half an hour then pick it up another time. More like Mario Galaxy than Madden for Dummies.
  • Lamb #15 4 years ago