Will Wright Leaves EA

Vile · Apr 10, 2009

I'm interested in seeing how this will turn out, since Wright is often considered to be one of the masterminds behind EA (well, at least the Sim series)

'SimCity’ Creator Will Wright Leaves Electronic Arts

Source:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=as62ISrol9PY&refer=home

'SimCity’ Creator Will Wright Leaves Electronic Arts (Update2)

By Adam Satariano
April 8 (Bloomberg) -- Will Wright, the creator of “SimCity” and “The Sims” computer games, is leaving Electronic Arts Inc. to start a new company developing content for games, movies, television and the Internet.
Electronic Arts is investing an undisclosed amount and will have an equal stake with the game designer, the Redwood City, California-based company said today in a statement. Electronic Arts, the industry’s second-largest publisher, also will have the right to develop game concepts from the venture, called Stupid Fun Club.
“We might have Electronic Arts coming out with games, but we might be working with a television company or a movie studio or a toy company on other formats,” Wright said in an interview.
“SimCity,” in which players build a virtual city, was released in 1989 by Maxis, the game company Wright co-founded and sold to Electronic Arts in 1997. Wright, 49, also developed “The Sims,” a life-simulation game that is the world’s top- selling franchise on personal computers with more than 100 million sold since 2000, according to Electronic Arts.
Electronic Arts gained 45 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $19.62 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Marketing trading. The shares have climbed 22 percent this year.
The investment in Stupid Fun Club isn’t material to Electronic Arts’ balance sheet, said Lucy Bradshaw, vice president and general manager of the Maxis studio. A third, unnamed investor will have a smaller stake, she said.
Stupid Fun
Wright has been the most visible and respected talent at Electronic Arts, said Doug Creutz, a San Francisco-based analyst with Cowen & Co. The arrangement will give him more creative control, he said.
“His departure is likely to be a long-term negative as Wright’s games have been some of EA’s most profitable franchises,” Cruetz said in a note to clients today.
Stupid Fun Club will be based in the East Bay area near San Francisco and expects to have nine employees to start, said spokeswoman Kim Edwards. Wright originally opened it in 2001 as a development studio to work on new technology such as robots. Talks to leave Electronic Arts and make it his full-time job became serious about a year ago, Wright said.
Entertainment will increasingly be interactive and cross media platforms, Wright said. Stupid Fun Club will develop storyline topics as well as new technology, he said.
“We will develop things that at their core are interesting and then think about how you can manifest that,” Wright said.
‘Revolutionary’
Wright is a “revolutionary” in game design because players in “Sims” games don’t strive for a set conclusion, said Billy Pidgeon, a analyst with researcher IDC in New York.
Pidgeon compares Wright to Nintendo Co.’s Shigeru Miyamoto, who designed the Wii console. “He’s one of the greats in the game-development industry,” he said.
Wright’s departure may help Electronic Arts reduce development costs, Pidgeon said. Chief Executive Officer John Riccitiello is trying to return the world’s second-largest game publisher to profitability after eight consecutive quarterly losses. The company is developing more games exclusively for Nintendo’s top-selling Wii console to find hit titles to join its popular sports titles, including “Madden NFL.”
Vivendi SA’s Activision Blizzard Inc., the maker of “Guitar Hero” and “World of Warcraft,” is the world’s largest video-game publisher.
To contact the reporter on this story: Adam Satariano in San Francisco at asatariano1@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: April 8, 2009 19:58 EDT

eCK0 · Apr 11, 2009

Wow, that's sad! Spore was brilliant!

wolfsrain · Apr 12, 2009

I reckon it was time that old Will to move on. Spore wasn't anywhere near of what Will wanted to be (kinda of got out as a combination of Populous, Black & White and Civilization), so that might be one reason for Will to leave EA. EA giving the Sim City to a third party studio ( Tilted Mill ) didn't help either, I suppose. Also, mr. Wright wasn't exactly involved with the upcoming Sims3.
But, I'm ofering only speculations. Anyway I look, there are a lot of good reasons for Will Wright to leave EA.

DST2208 · Apr 13, 2009

(kinda of got out as a combination of Populous, Black & White and Civilization)

It should be that, but that didn't go well in EA sale strategy, how could they release 1000+ expansions, if it would be so perfect... Each of those elements was empty, and simplified... First time you saw it you hoped for a lot of freedom, deep system and one long stage, you get small stage, that is not even near its source, just do simple task, with few(2-3) simple options... When I saw tribal stage, I thought it will be just like Black and White, and game throw back at me: yeah right, keep dreaming... It wasn't even close to depth of B&W.

I am happy he moved on, now we might get a good game without 10+ expansions....

Dograzor · Apr 13, 2009

EA screws up more and more.... sad...

Hob0 · Apr 13, 2009

It will be interesting to see the long-term effects of this.
Particularly if there is work with movies and television.

Dr. F.G. Hobo · Apr 13, 2009

Uh-oh.....bad news for EA, as Will was the head behind EA's best selling games.....sure want to see what Will is going to do now

lokesh · Apr 27, 2009

Anyway, all of EA's current games are utter-crap in one way or the other!!

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Will Wright Leaves EA

Vile

eCK0

wolfsrain

DST2208

Dograzor

Hob0

Dr. F.G. Hobo

lokesh

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