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Spielberg Goes Digital With EA

by Mike Sklens - October 14, 2005, 1:42 pm EDT
Total comments: 20 Source: EA Press Release

Spielberg is doing three for EA

EA AND STEVEN SPIELBERG TEAM UP TO DEVELOP THREE ORIGINAL VIDEOGAMESLOS ANGELES, CALIF., - October 14, 2005 – In a ground-breaking long term agreement, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that Academy Award® winner Steven Spielberg will be collaborating with the game makers at EA’s Los Angeles studio (EALA) to create three new original franchise properties. Beginning this year, with offices located on site at EALA, Spielberg will work directly with EA’s development teams to offer his signature style of storytelling to the concept, design, story and artistic visualization of the new games. EA will own the intellectual properties and the game franchises will be developed, published and distributed worldwide by EA. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"I have been playing EA games for years and have watched them master the interactive format." said Steven Spielberg. "Having watched the game industry grow from a niche into a major creative force in entertainment, I have a great deal of respect for EA's understanding of the interactive format. I'm looking forward to working closely with the team in Los Angeles."

"There is no greater storyteller than Steven Spielberg,” said EA Chairman and CEO Larry Probst. “In addition to his gift for pleasing movie audiences, he has an innate understanding of games and how to immerse players into a fantastic world of action and characters.”

“It’s incredibly exciting to be collaborating with Steven Spielberg,” noted Neil Young, VP and Studio Head at EALA. “He shares our vision for the potential of the medium and has the passion and creativity to help us finally deliver on the promise that a game can not only engage and compel you with its interactivity, but can also move you emotionally.“

Talkback

hudsonhawkOctober 14, 2005

Spielberg's your favorite director???

Let me guess, is white bread your favorite food too?

ArtimusOctober 14, 2005

Quote

Originally posted by: hudsonhawk
Spielberg's your favorite director???

Let me guess, is white bread your favorite food too?


Spielberg has many good films. Why don't you go watch Fight Club or something.


I've been wondering for a while now why no one had thought of film makers working on games.

NinGurl69 *hugglesOctober 14, 2005

`` "I have been playing EA games for years and have watched them master the interactive format." said Steven Spielberg. ``

I'd like to know what he's been playing. Years of playing movie-licensed EA games? -- I don't know anyone who can stand that and still have their eyes in their skull. EA Sports games? -- not exactly rich in story.

Games with awesome cutscenes and the innovations of a Harry Potter game trilogy COMIN' RIGHT AT YA!

hudsonhawkOctober 14, 2005

Quote

Originally posted by: Artimus
Quote

Originally posted by: hudsonhawk
Spielberg's your favorite director???

Let me guess, is white bread your favorite food too?


Spielberg has many good films. Why don't you go watch Fight Club or something.


I've been wondering for a while now why no one had thought of film makers working on games.


White bread is good too. That doesn't mean it's remarkable or noteworthy in any way.

I agree he has many good films. He has few great ones. 75% of those start with the words "Indiana Jones and The."

Odd that he chose EA this time, given his background with Lucasarts. Guess he's been playing their games too.

Ian SaneOctober 14, 2005

"'It’s incredibly exciting to be collaborating with Steven Spielberg,' noted Neil Young, VP and Studio Head at EALA."

Neil Young?! Man this is just a dream team of talent! face-icon-small-wink.gif

face-icon-small-music.gif keeps me searching for a heart of gold, and I'm getting old...

JonLeungOctober 14, 2005

If Spielberg himself puts in some work, and these are his original works, then they could be good.

I haven't watched X-Play in forever, but I caught a few minutes a few months ago where they listed five crappy games based on Spielberg movies.

I only remember three; the infamous E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (Atari 2600), Jaws (NES, I think), and Minority Report (current-gen consoles).

So games based on Spielberg movies could be crap. Games actually made with Spielberg's input SHOULD be better.

Ian SaneOctober 14, 2005

I believe Spielberg contributed to The Dig which was a pretty awesome PC Adventure game made by LucasArts.

Bill AurionOctober 14, 2005

Quote

Originally posted by: hudsonhawk
I agree he has many good films. He has few great ones. 75% of those start with the words "Indiana Jones and The."

Indiana Jones (all three)
Jaws
E.T.
1941
Jurassic Park
Saving Private Ryan
The Terminal
War of the Worlds

I consider all these movies great, so yeah, opinions are awesome... =P

RennyOctober 14, 2005

Indiana. Empire of the Sun. Schindler's List. Everything else sucks. ...Is above average. So yeah, he'll be in good company at EA.

mantidorOctober 14, 2005

hes a casual player at best. I mean, EA, masters of the interactive format? LMAO

ShyGuyOctober 14, 2005

I remember reading that Speilberg is a big Zelda fan. It was reported that he got a private preview of Twilight Princess back at E3 '04

mantidorOctober 14, 2005

really? it sounds made up.

The fact is that EA has grown too big sadly, so things like this are expected, and if they sign in an important movie director he wont say anything bad about the company that just hired him, so Spielberg comments are also expected.

ArtimusOctober 14, 2005

Spielberg's great films are Raiders, E.T., Jaws, Color Purple and Schindler's List. The latter two Indiana Jones films are good but not great. Other good films include A.I., Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, Minority Report, Close Encounters.

nitsu niflheimOctober 14, 2005

Quote

Originally posted by: Bill Aurion
Quote

Originally posted by: hudsonhawk
I agree he has many good films. He has few great ones. 75% of those start with the words "Indiana Jones and The."

Indiana Jones (all three)
Jaws
E.T.
1941
Jurassic Park
Saving Private Ryan
The Terminal
War of the Worlds

I consider all these movies great, so yeah, opinions are awesome... =P


1941 was a huge flop, HUGE FLOP. And the Indiana Jones movies are a collaboration between Steven Spielberg AND George Lucas, so he doesn't get all the credit. But out of all of SS's movies, E.T. is without a doubt his best and my favorite.

Bill AurionOctober 14, 2005

Quote

Originally posted by: nitsu niflheim
1941 was a huge flop, HUGE FLOP. And the Indiana Jones movies are a collaboration between Steven Spielberg AND George Lucas, so he doesn't get all the credit. But out of all of SS's movies, E.T. is without a doubt his best and my favorite.

First, we aren't talking hits here...1941 is still awesome... =)

And about Indiana Jones, the only film George Lucas had a lot of power in was Temple of Doom, which then ended up being the worst of the three!

ArtimusOctober 14, 2005

Lucas did some story work but the direction is totally Spielberg.

thepogaOctober 14, 2005

Spielberg wrote the story for The Goonies!

I didn't know that, thepoga! Awesome.

RABicleOctober 14, 2005

Quote

"I have been playing EA games for years and have watched them master the interactive format." said Steven Spielberg. "Having watched the game industry grow from a niche into a major creative force in entertainment, I have a great deal of respect for EA's understanding of the interactive format. I'm looking forward to working closely with the team in Los Angeles."

TRANSLATION: "So I don't have enough money and none of my movies receive critical acclaim and then I was told that lots of people are making money off video games and that because the game press is run by a bunch of easily impressed 30 year olds any crap gets acclaim. The same person said that EA was the biggest game company so I decided to work with them, I heard they did The Sims."

NimbusOctober 16, 2005

Quote

Originally posted by: RABicle
Quote

"I have been playing EA games for years and have watched them master the interactive format." said Steven Spielberg. "Having watched the game industry grow from a niche into a major creative force in entertainment, I have a great deal of respect for EA's understanding of the interactive format. I'm looking forward to working closely with the team in Los Angeles."

TRANSLATION: "So I don't have enough money and none of my movies receive critical acclaim and then I was told that lots of people are making money off video games and that because the game press is run by a bunch of easily impressed 30 year olds any crap gets acclaim. The same person said that EA was the biggest game company so I decided to work with them, I heard they did The Sims."


^^lol what he said

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