PS4: EA Has Unannounced 'Tactical Programmes With Sony'
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"We are firm longterm supporters of Sony."
Electronic Arts has hinted at unannounced plans involving Sony that will further disprove the claims it favours Microsoft.
In the latest issue of Edge, EA Labels president Frank Gibeau refuted claims that exclusives like Titanfall and the fact the publisher is offering free copies of FIFA 14 with every pre-ordered Xbox One in Europe means it favoured Microsoft, suggesting an upcoming announcement will put paid to that idea once and for all.
"We’re not tilting Microsoft’s way; we are firm longterm supporters of Sony," he explained. "I’m sure you’ll see tactical programmes between us and Sony in the future that we haven’t announced, but will make things much more balanced."
EA's COO Peter Moore explained back in August that the company wasn't allying itself with Microsoft, and it seems that Gibeau feels the same way. Elsewhere in the interview, Gibeau talks about how he thinks the console announcements went, agreeing that Sony appears to have learnt lessons from the launch of the PS3.
"I think the Sony team has executed exceptionally well – and they did not execute particularly well on PS3, whereas last time around Microsoft executed perfectly," he said. "This time, Microsoft has run into some challenges, some leadership changes, but they’re a very resilient organisation, and if you look at their counter punches on any setbacks, they’ve done a pretty good job of getting back on track."
Finally, anyone who's worried about the games industry completely abandoning physical discs in the future can breathe a sigh of relief; while Gibeau thinks it could happen, it's by no means a certainty.
"A lot of the friction has been removed from the player experience in relation to downloads, but there is still friction. If that gets smoothed out during this cycle, [the end of physical discs] is conceivable, but I don’t forecast it. A digital-only future is possible, not probable," he said.