EA: MOH didn't meet quality expectations
Judged harsher than it should be, says exec.
EA's admitted Danger Close and DICE's recently released Medal of Honor reboot "didn't meet our quality expectations".
However, the gargantuan game maker denied the Afghanistan shooter was a failure, and promised gamers next time it'll make "something they appreciate more".
"I'm not going to comment on the sales because EA has an earnings report going out and we will unveil sales in that meeting," Patrick Soderlund, the executive in charge of EA's driving and shooting games, told Eurogamer.
"What I can say is the game didn't meet our quality expectations. In order to be successful in that space, we're going to have to have a game that is really, really strong.
"Medal of Honor is to some extent judged harsher than it should be. The game is better than today's reviews are indicating."
Eurogamer awarded Medal of Honor 8/10 upon its release, and it's currently sitting on a 75/100 Metacritic review score average, but critics have argued the game's "lukewarm" review scores failed to match up to those traditionally gained by Activision's Call of Duty series – a franchise EA's shooter is pitched squarely against.
While Soderlund refused to offer an appropriate review score of his own, he did insist that Medal of Honor was a successful reboot.
"I'm not going to say a specific number. I'm proud of what the game is and proud of what the team did. I just think the market is obviously telling us they think the game is X. We need to convince the market we can make something they appreciate more, particularly to be able to compete.
"We're looking at that clearly. We're taking that seriously. I'm not at all saying Medal of Honor is a failure. It is a successful reboot of that franchise. We're going to be strong in the future."
Soderlund confirmed Danger Close is "absolutely working on something", but declined to comment on the suggestion than another developer is hard at work on the next entry in the franchise.
Whatever the plan, developers will be given more than eight months to create entries in the series.
Could Battlefield: Bad Company and Medal of Honor be alternated year on year?
"I wouldn't say they're more similar than a COD game is from one year to another. They're shooters and they have multiplayer. There are similarities and there are differences," is all Soderlund would offer.