There’s a lack of ”obvious relevance” of those techs to FIFA right now, and even calls it ”disruptive”. It’s too gimmicky and mini-game like.
”You never say never,” Moore said. ”But if you ask me right now do they feel like there is obvious relevance of those technologies to the experience that is FIFA, I don’t see it right now.” There’s no way he can see it making a meaningful contribution.
”I don’t think it’s a great experience. People say, ‘Well why don’t you just do a penalty kick?’ How disruptive is that? It feels like a bit of a mini-game. It feels bolted on, and not quite what we think the experience should be.”
3D gets a serious furrowed brow from Moore too, saying that once FIFA 11 launches this October they won’t be getting the studio to patch in 3D support. ”If 3D adds value to the gaming experience, then the teams will do it,” he said.
”It’s not inconsequential from the cost or performance issue. So there’s got to be some real value. There’s a cost of getting it done. There is a performance hit with frame rate. So the teams have this extra work.”
”More importantly for me is as both a sports fan and a sports gamer, it’s got to add some value other than gimmickry.”
”Quite frankly, I’ve seen Madden in 3D using our regular game, and there are some cool moments when the camera comes down into the huddle and when the players are standing around, where you’ve got depth of field.”
”But once you pull back to the normal camera – and FIFA’s no different – 3D doesn’t help you because the camera is so far away. You lose that depth of field. So, it’s got to add value,” continued the level headed Peter Moore.
”We’re looking at it. Sports is not that easy. You’ve got to see the field to play it properly. It’s not just washing over you like a movie.”
”It’s just cool. Is cool good enough in our world where this is not an inconsiderable expense, and in a world where you expect us to deliver FIFA every single year? Do I have to hire more people to do 3D, and then can I sell more copies of the game?”
”3D came a little too late to impact this year. But there’s also got to be an installed base of televisions to make it worthwhile. I don’t know anybody with a 3D TV. That says it all. And how much 3D broadcasting is there right now?”
To take that you overly optimistic 3D TV analysts and pundits - EA Sports and its boss aren’t buying into your ‘everyone loves the 3rd dimension’ snake oil. FIFA 11 releases on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC September 30th in Europe and October 1st in the UK.