EA seeking "to get our mojo back"

EA Games label head Frank Gibeau has stated that the company is still committed to overthrowing Call Of Duty as the dominant multiplatform first person shooter, although with a new focus on the Battlefield franchise rather than Medal Of Honor.

Speaking to website Industry Gamers, Gibeau commented on the forthcoming Battlefield 3: "We're super proud of the game. The Frostbite 2 technology is reinventing the category, and the Battlefield brand has its own persona and positioning, the multiplayer and squads... "

"It's what we've been trying to do in the EA Games label over the last couple years – get our mojo back in terms of quality and great IPs. For me, this is a great example of investments we've been making in technology, team culture and getting the talent in place to make world beating games."

The rhetoric is similar to that used by EA boss John Riccitiello last year for the reboot of Medal Of Honor. In one interview with website Kotaku he stated clearly EA's intention to regain dominance of the genre:

"I'm not saying it's going to happen tomorrow, but in the way that Activision sort of alternates sequels of Modern Warfare and Call of Duty and owns the leadership position in FPS, between Medal of Honor and Battlefield, I want it back."

Said Gibeau, "a long time ago, Medal of Honor was the dominant brand and created the shooter category, frankly, for consoles. I think it's our turn to start to get that back. It's going to take time and versions, and they [Activision] are on their, what, 9th version of Call of Duty? I'm a believer in under-promise, over-deliver, and we're going to compete, we're going to be there."

"We're here to compete. Everyone loves a heavyweight battle. It's good for the industry, it's good for the customer – there's a lot of energy and hype and fun and comparisons. ... It's always good to see how you can energise a market by looking at how one guy can up the other. That's kind of what we're doing here," he added.