One EA exec believes that the Switch will force them to escape their comfort zone.
Given that Nintendo struggled to attract a significant amount of third-party developers to the Wii and Wii U, the one question that most fans have when they see that a major third-party studio has decided to develop for the Switch is, "Why now?"
In an interview with IGN, EA executive Vice President Patrick Soderlund came up with a very simple answer to that question.
"We’ve been with Nintendo for a very long time,” said Soderlund. “I’m a Nintendo fanboy since I grew up. Nintendo is the reason I got into gaming.”
Soderlund expanded on the reason behind his fanboyism by praising the way that Nintendo, "come(s) to the table with a slightly different approach. 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.”
To that end, Soderlund believes that the Switch will force EA and other developers to think outside the box and come up with new experiences that take advantage of the system's unique features. That's a great explanation, but it does make you wonder why EA decided to kick off their Switch development with a port of the FIFA franchise. Soderlund had an answer for that too.
“It’s our biggest brand," he explained."It’s the brand that spans across the most markets. It’s the brand that spans the biggest age demographic."
Ultimately, Soderlund believes that FIFA represents an acknowledgment of EA's commitment to the Switch and will ultimately be seen as just the beginning of what they have in store. While he did not elaborate on what Switch projects the company has in mind, he did indicate an interest in the console's portable features and the possibility that they will inspire, "a renewed interest in portable gaming."
