Will Wright leaves EA – A loss or a blessing?

Will Wright is a great game designer; in the top percentage of his field. There can be no question about that, just look at his critical and fiscal success with titles such as the Simcity (etc) series, Spore and The Sims. So the news he is leaving EA to start a new company might seem like a bolt from the blue, but in fact it makes perfect logical sense for the sim guru.

The new company being formed by Wright, Stupid Fun Club, will be tackling a wider range of media and entertainment options than a company such as EA can undertake at this time. Don’t forget that EA will hold an equal partnership in the company along with Wright so what we are seeing is EA diversifying their interests whilst leaving the baggage of the EA brand behind.

On the move to a new beginning Wright had this to say yesterday:

“The entertainment industry is moving rapidly into an era of revolutionary change. Stupid Fun Club will explore new possibilities that are emerging from this sublime chaos and create new forms of entertainment on a variety of platforms. In my twelve years at EA, I’ve had the pleasure to work alongside some of the brightest and most talented game developers in the industry and I look forward to working with them again in the near future.”

John Riccitiello, EA’s Chief Executive Officer also made a statement on the move by Wright:

“We believe in Will’s vision for Stupid Fun Club and we’re looking forward to partnering with Will and his team long into the future. Will is a great designer and he has been part of a great legacy of globally recognised game franchises like The Sims, SimCity and Spore. The teams that have been leading those franchises in recent years have a lot of exciting content coming.”

No from what I can gather from the scant information available it looks like Wright was losing his enthusiasm for the genre he (along with other like Peter Molyneaux) helped to create. And who can honestly blame him after all these years of trying to better and improve on the “Sim” or “God game” idea. Having listened to a fair few interviews and speeches given by Wright it is obvious he is a very intelligent and passionate creator. His influence on the media and entertainment industry at large will only be a positive thing and freeing him from the shackles of being the “Sims guy” will help greatly.

For EA’s part they would rather give him the opportunity to follow his dream than risk losing him to another studio or entertainment company. They get first dibs on any content that SFC creates and that in itself is a great place to be in. As for the claims by analysts Cowen and Company that Wright’s departure will have “a long-term negative [effect]” on EA I’m not so sure. The statement from Doug Creutz at the firm reads::

“His departure is likely to be a long-term negative as Wright’s games have been some of EA’s most profitable franchises, and Wright has been the leader in game design at EA’s Maxis studio. Wright has also been the most visible and respected ‘talent’ at EA for many years.”

Now I agree that Wright has been the creative force behind Maxis but he is not the only talented individual at the studio. He, by his own admission, is leaving behind a group of talented people. Yes Wright leant a certain cache to the EA brand and yes the Sims franchise is a license to print cash – but these things will continue regardless of Wrights involvement.

The development of The Sims 3 and further Spore or Sim titles will continue for sure as the franchises are now large enough to sustain themselves no matter whose name you plaster on the credits. Will Wright has done a phenomenal job in crafting those titles and they will stand the test of time, no matter who tinkers with them. I for one am looking forward to what ideas come forth from Stupid Fun Club and look forward to Mr Wright making the Companion Cube a reality