EA Mobile: iPad is a "destination device"

EA Mobile's Travis Boatman had a chat with Mobile Entertainment recently, and he says that the iPad is going like gangbusters for the mobile games company. "We're really pleased with the results so far," he told ME. "It has a lot of the characteristics of the type of device that plays well with our gameplay." Boatman said the digital distribution model available in the App Store has helped, but what's really impressed EA about the iPad is how immersive it is compared to the iPhone.

As compared to the iPhone's bite-sized experiences while out and about, this is a device where you can actually sit down and play for a while. "It's more deliberate, and people expect more of a deliberate, immersive experience," Boatman told the site. "That affects the kind of games we build." He also says that as a "blank canvas," the device allows for a lot of experimentation in the UI. At EA, the teams look at customer desire, distribution method, and actual platform before they invest in development, but "for iPad, the answer is yes, yes, and yes."

Interesting. One of the things we've heard from developers about the App Store is that it gives even small studios "the chance to compete with EA," but it looks like EA is just as committed to providing unique titles to Apple's platform.
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