“Nintendo forces us to think differently.”
In Nintendo Switch Presentation, some of Nintendo's 3rd Party Partners came up to the stage. One of them was EA. They announced that they are bringing FIFA to Nintendo Switch. Later, EA's Executive Vice President Patrick Soderlund had an interview with IGN. He commented on why EA is supporting Switch. He said:“We’ve been with Nintendo for a very long time,” Soderlund told IGN, pointing out both EA’s history with Nintendo platforms and his own. “I’m a Nintendo fanboy since I grew up. Nintendo is the reason I got into gaming.”
“What I like about Nintendo is that they come to the table with a slightly different approach,” Soderlund explained.
“They’ve done that in the past to great success, and sometimes not so much, but I think unless you’re willing to think about something unconventional, it’s going to be hard to break ground.”
“Nintendo forces us to think differently,” he continued, adding that Switch “challenges conventions," and, "as game makers, makes us think about the platform in a different way.”
As for why EA chose to start with FIFA specifically, Soderlund explained that he feels it’s the brand with the widest appeal.
“It’s our biggest brand,” he said. “It’s the brand that spans across the most markets. It’s the brand that spans the biggest age demographic. It’s a mass market proposition. It’s a game a lot of people want to play.”
Still, Soderlund says FIFA may be just the beginning, adding, “this is our way of showing we’re going to be there. We’re supporting the platform. We are not announcing anything [else] yet, but you can expect us to be there once the platform launches and takes off.”
“We have the benefit of being a platform agnostic company,” he continued. “We will be at whatever platform the consumers are. New hardware is always a positive for our industry. It allows us to push forward.”
Later on IGN asked him if he thinks Switch could bring back the interest in dedicated handheld gaming console, he commented:
“I think it can, I hope it will,” he told us. “There’s no denying [smartphones are] the biggest platform today. That’s not going to change in the foreseeable future. But I think the types of game experiences you can get on the Switch will be different than what you can get on a smartphone. The power of it and the types of games will, I hope, bring a renewed interest in portable gaming. That’s what I hope.”
He also said that he is really excited to play The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild.
Nintendo Switch will launch on March 3rd Worldwide. Nintendo Switch console, accessories and games are now available on Techous Center.
