FIFA 18 will be EA’s ‘big’ test for the future of the Switch

‘Maybe a couple of others’

We’ve seen it all before. A big publisher sticks one toe into a Nintendo platform (in this case, the Switch), and says “well everything hinges on this one game,” a project that’s usually a port. In EA’s case, it’s FIFA 18.

EA has been even more hesitant than several other publishers (at the very least Capcom gave us a new 2D Street Fighter), and based on a conversation with Edge Magazine, they’re still hesitant. Speaking to Edge, EA Worldwide Studios’ executive vice president Patrick Söderlund noted: “We have to look at it from a resource standpoint and, at some point, the numbers become a factor. So for us it’s about supporting the platform, building technology for the platform, testing it out with big things like FIFA – and maybe a couple of others, we’ll see – and if they go well, I see no reason why we shouldn’t have as much of our portfolio on that platform as possible. I hope we get there, that would be my personal ambition.”

I wonder what the “couple of others” might entail. Side projects like puzzle games thrown onto the eShop with no fanfare? But then again all things considered, given FIFA‘s massive worldwide appeal it isn’t a horrible test.

FIFA 18 [Nintendo Insider]