The Evolution of Electronic Arts
by Alan Zisman
(c) 1999. First
published in Vancouver Computes,
November
1999
If it was a TV movie of the week, no one would believe
it. It?s 1982
and a couple of Burnaby 17 year old best friends get a bright idea:
?Let?s
write a computer game?. Don Mattrick and Jeff Sember start out working
in Jeff?s living room. It?s the age of PacMan, and their game,
Evolution
sells enough copies to pay their way through SFU. They call the company
Distinctive Software, and move it to early-employee Stan Chow?s rec
room?Stan
is still with them.
By 1986, the company had grown to 25 employees and Don
has bought out
Jeff?s share, and in 1991, he sells the company to California-based
Electronic
Arts for $13 million. Fast forward to 1999 and Don Mattrick is
President
of EA Studios, in charge of the eleven production centers where game
software
is actually produced for EA?s $1.8 billion empire.
That little Burnaby company is now the core of EA
Canada. With 550 employees,
it has recently moved into fancy new digs?still in Burnaby, where it
produces
many of EA?s sports and racing titles, including NBA Live, Triple Play
Baseball, NHL Hockey, FIFA Soccer?the best-selling sports game in the
world,
and the new WCW Wrestling.
Having only been with EA Canada for about two years,
it might be easy
to think of president Glen Wong as the new guy. But, he points out, two
years with EA is about like spending ten years anywhere else. Even in
those
couple of years, he?s watched the technology base of game playing
evolve,
with PCs in particular becoming dramatically faster, better, and
cheaper.
The game console market, Wong suggests, has seemed
pretty quiet over
those years?the PC versions of EA?s games have moved to 3D as graphics
accelerators have become commonplace, while the console versions have
lagged
somewhat behind. But watch out, he suggests. It?ll take about a year,
but
a whole new generation of consoles are arriving?first in Japan, but
eventually
in Europe and North America. Units like the just-released Sega
DreamCast
and next year?s promised PlayStation 2 and Nintendo 128 will push the
graphics
envelope at least comparable to what we?ve seen on a PC. EA currently
produces
games for the Playstation and N64 platforms, along with PC computer
games
(along with a few titles for Macintosh). Wong wouldn?t say anything
definite,
but suggested that the company is watching the changes in the console
platforms
very closely.
And console games aren?t just computer games you play
on your TV, he
points out. Consoles are more of a social activity. They?re so much
better
for multiplayer games, and there?s a real difference between playing at
a computer monitor, and getting a bunch of kids comfortable in the
living
room with a game system.
With PC games today and with the next generation of
console games, EA
is also expecting to see the Internet dramatically change gaming. Many
of the company?s current PC lineup allows for players to get compete
across
a network or through the Internet?and the company helps match up
players
world wide. But Wong is more excited by the company?s Austin
unit?they?ve
signed up over 150,000 monthly subscribers, paying to play Ultima
on-line,
live over the Net. He expects that we?ll be seeing more and more
initiatives
like this.
For Wong, who prior to Electronic Arts worked for BC
Hothouse and was
president of Rogers Cable?s BC division, working at EA is a ?tremendous
amount of fun?. He said that ?the great thing about EA is the people.
They?re
unbelievable, technically gifted. There are hundreds of people at the
top
of their field. Even when they ship a game, the production teams can be
mad?they?re never satisfied, because there are always things they want
to add?ways to make it better?.
He adds that working in the computer game industry
means having one
foot on each of two horses, pulling in different directions. On the one
hand, you?re part of the entertainment business, but on the other hand,
as a computer software company, you?re involved in technology. It?s
?wonderful,
weird, but challenging?, he suggests, with the challenge coming because
it?s so hard to satisfy everyone, from the hard core gamers while still
keeping a game easy and fun for the first time players.
Wong points out that within EA-Canada?s studio,
there?s a ?strong culture
of winning?. Not just getting out a product, but making that product
the
best game ever.
Based on the series of head-to-head comparisons we?ve
done between EA
sport and racing titles and their competitors, I?d say they?re doing a
pretty good job of succeeding.