Electronic Arts chief financial officer Blake Jorgensen has addressed several topics at the UBS Global Technology Conference, including Assassin’s Creed-style games, Star Wars, and the publisher’s microtransaction philosophy. He also broached the topic of virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift, which he called a ”wait and see” technology.
The company doesn’t gamble on new technologies, and will simply not force itself to develop for a platform that isn’t selling. EA has abandoned some devices that simply don’t sell games, such as the Wii U and the Vita. ”We don’t make games for that anymore because the market is too small, so it’s all about the size of the market,” Jorgensen stated.
The price of the Oculus Rift, which is estimated at $350, makes it a risky platform to develop for. ”I think the reality is, the next one to three years, it’s probably going to take some time to build up a sizable marketplace and you might see alternative uses for virtual reality first before it becomes gaming,” he opined.
Jorgensen added, ”Longer term, five plus years away, I think there’s certainly a market there and it will be another exciting way to enjoy gaming.”
