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EA Sports' Peter Moore

The ex-Xbox boss on EA, E3 and Moore.

Ellie Gibson avatar
Interview by Ellie Gibson Contributor
Updated on
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Will Peter Moore ever get over leaving Microsoft? Back in May, the former Xbox boss told us it "broke his heart" to say goodbye. But he's had a whole year to get over it now, and to settle into his new role as head of EA Sports.

So how has Moore enjoyed the last 12 months? What's been his biggest success? What work is there still to be done? And now he's moved from platform holder to third-party publisher, who does he think is winning the console race? Read on to find out.

EurogamerWhat do you consider to have been your biggest achievement during your first 12 months at EA Sports?
Peter Moore

Other than the Sports Bar I set up in the office? [Laughs.] I think making the games more approachable, getting the development teams to understand it's a different marketplace. There are different consumers coming in who would love to be a part of the EA sports nation - but sometimes the games can be just a little difficult.

Under no circumstances are we dumbing the games down. But at the same time, we need to be able to provide an easier entry point for EA Sports games. I'm the poster child for the whole thing because I find some of our games challenging. I want to be able to play them more quickly and have a fun experience from the get-go. If it doesn't work for me it isn't working for the average consumer. So I think the message of approachability and accessibility is important.

Then there's globalisation. I have a different view from the average American consumer on what sports is on a global basis. We have a much more global outlook when it comes to opportunities for EA Sports. Particularly here in Europe, where for the best part of what we do here is primarily FIFA and then other games. We do sell NBA here, we do sell NHL, but FIFA is a huge percentage of what we do.

EurogamerWhat haven't you yet achieved that you'd hoped to?
Peter Moore

I don't think we've globalised as quickly as we can. We need to move a little quicker with online features. We know the future is online, we know the future is different channels of distribution using online, and we haven't quite started to think through how we do that, working with our retail partners and making that a reality. So we need to accelerate that a little bit more.

FIFA is more than just a new Rooney model every year now, Moore points out.
EurogamerEA has clearly tried to shake off the image of being the big money factory that churns sequels out year after year, with the introduction of original IP like Mirror's Edge. But you could argue EA Sports is one area of the business that's still pursuing that model, producing a new Tiger Woods each year, a new FIFA... Is there ever a day where you'll say, 'Okay, we've made the best football game we can - at least on this generation of consoles. Let's stop now'?
Peter Moore

I hope that day arrives, where we just say, 'It's perfect.' The fact is no game is perfect. I'd like to think we continue to innovate. The announcement we made this morning about Adidas Live Season is a great example of how we're continuing to make games feel fresh every year. Online is a huge opportunity for us, and I don't think we've scratched the surface yet, particularly in football, of what you can do to connect football fans around the world.

I'd like to think one day we'll have the perfect game, but we're a long way from perfection, like most games are. No game is perfect.

EurogamerWhy should people play FIFA instead of Pro Evo?
Peter Moore

Our game was not perfect three years ago. We had a lot of challenges... Simple things like ball physics, the handling, the way the players ran off the ball, all of that has been addressed. The game has come enormously far and when you layer in what we're doing online now, our investment in licences... We've always taken great pride in the investments we make in football, to make sure the football videogame fan gets the most authentic and fully licenced experience.