Major games will drive connected TV, says Electronic Arts

Major games rather than casual games will give a boost to gaming on connected TVs, according to Mark Vange, vice-president and chief technology officer, EAi, Electronic Arts, speaking at the Connected TV World Summit yesterday.

Speaking on a panel session at the event, Vange said that big games had sufficient draw to bring gamers to connected TV. “Kids will drive the capabilities in these devices and will be interested in the full gaming experience – they will be the lead adopters,” he said.

Vange said EAi was doing a lot of experimentation around the use of iPads as the user handset for people who have been unable to get to grips with traditional games consoles. He said EAi was increasingly thinking around the use of the smartphone or iPad as a way to drive take-up and usage of its applications.

A number of other use cases are in the pipeline to enable more sophisticated use of companion screens, according to Vange. He pointed to the possiblility of people playing Formula 1-type racing games on their iPads, with each seeing the track from their own perspective, while the main TV screen in the room showed a wider view of the track that could be viewed by everyone.

Vange said other apps including healthcare could however also drive take-up of connected TV services. “That’s the kind of app that’s enough of a headline that people are going to try to figure out how to get it on their TVs,” he said.

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