EA talks a good game about online, says all the right things

[wco81]

http://sports.ign.com/articles/458/458530p1.html
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<BR>Interview with Chip Lange, who is in charge of EA Nation.
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<BR>He says the goal is to recreate the fraternity couch, which is what made Madden so popular. He notes that what´s best about EA Sports online is that 1) it´s most popular among sports games; 2) it´s free; and 3) it´s EA Sports games.
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<BR>Their immediate goals are to make it more reliable, meaning reducing cheating (even if impossible to eliminate completely) and making the connections/performance more reliable.
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<BR>But he says they want the largest community so they want XBL players online with Madden, which is still the biggest-selling Xbox football game. Just a matter of working out some "business model things and consumer relationship things" with MS.
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<BR>He also says they absolutely want to provide some of the offline features like Owner mode online. Doesn´t actually say online franchises or leagues but says "absolutely" to a question about online leagues and people playing dynasty mode online.
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<BR>And if that´s not enough, he talks about multiplayer/multiconsole online, such as having all 10 players in NBA Live be human players ("Not far off"). He says consoles don´t allow 43 human drivers in NASCAR but in games like FIFA and NBA Live, both of which have off-the-ball control, gamers are learning about playing the games without the ball.
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<BR>About possibly paying for online, Lange says EA might but only if they add features that have a value of their own. That implies that the current online features won´t be something they charge for. His words, take them FWIW: "we´re never going to take advantage of the customer." But he does talk about various online models, such as advertising, subscription and micro payments.
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<BR>Finally, Lange tantalizes the interviewer with the possibility of an online boxing game and says we should be able to assume that MVP will be online and that that team should learn and add to the online experience because they´re able to build on what the other games have done already. Says we can assume going forward that all EA Sports games will be online and that they´ll be looking to add features.
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[pk500]

I love the propagation of the myth of "free" PS2 online gaming.
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<BR>Let´s see: You need to buy the network adapter. $30. Cha-ching! You need to buy a USB headset. $30. Cha-ching! So, at least for the first year, PS2 Online costs the same as Xbox Live.
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<BR>That said, I would like to see EA Sports games online, especially if EA could figure a way to have more than head-to-head play for multiplayer games such as racing and snowboarding.
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<BR>Take care,
<BR>PK