EA Sports Unveils Two Sub-Brands Aimed At Novice Players

Two new EA Sports sub-brands aimed at casual game players are in production. EA Sports All-Play will encompass specially-developed Nintendo Wii versions of its Madden NFL, NCAA Football, Tiger Woods Golf, FIFA Soccer and NBA Live titles. EA Sports Freestyle, meanwhile, will house newly developed titles that do not rely on licensed intellectual property. Two other titles for the Freestyle sub-brand are currently in development, and while EA has not disclosed the details of each, at least one will target the health and fitness area that already is the subject of significant gaming and retail industry interest with the May 19 American release of Wii Fit. The pace and ease of play of the All-Play titles, meanwhile, is considerably simpler and faster than the PS3 or Xbox 360 versions of the same games. EA Sports President Peter Moore: "In no way are we abandoning the true depth, ultra-realistic experience that's been our hallmark for 20 years. But these are specifically engineered experiences that will allow for a lot more ease of use and a deeply social experience."
By Eric Fisher, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal