Fe, a colorful story of discovery, communication and conflict, developed by Zoink, a small 20-person game development studio in Gothenburg, Sweden, is the first indie title to be part of EA Originals. Players take control of a little creature who must traverse the 3D-platformer world by learning the songs of creatures and plants living there. An official release date has yet to be announced.
Following the successful partnership between EA and Coldwood Interactive for Unravel, Electronic Arts is on the look-out for new (and potentially profitable) game ideas to make a reality. Announced during its E3 EA Play Press Conference today, Patrick Söderlund, executive vice president of EA Studios explained that the new initiative will discover, partner with and fund original games.
“EA Originals is about three things,” Patrick Söderlund, executive vice president of EA Studios announced in an official blog post. “First, it is about taking first-time experiences that are unique, gorgeous, innovative and memorable, and bringing them to the world. Second, it is about supporting small developers and helping them make the most of their games. We’ll seek a few projects each year for EA Originals, and partner with them throughout the process of development to marketing to publishing.”
“Lastly, it is about funding, and offering small studios a level of security with an EA Originals game. Making games is hard. It’s a hard business. These developers have taken on the risk of developing a new IP, and great games deserve to be played. So with EA Originals, we want the profits from these games to go into the hands of the studios making them. We want them to be recognized for their work, so they can keep innovating and creating, and so the players get to play more and more amazing games.”
In addition to supporting independent game developers, EA announced Play To Give, a series of video game challenges that allow players to earn donations to charitable donations. For example, players can assist each other in Battlefield 4—when completed, the challenge will chip in towards a charitable donation. Beneficiaries of the Play To Give initiative include those supporting STEM education and gender equality.
