The EA Partners program has been making headlines lately, with publishing deals announced in cooperation with Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami and Killer 7/No More Heroes creator Goichi Suda. EA does not want the Japanese deals to stop here, though.
EA Partners David DeMartini has been dropping hints about working with other Japanese developers, says Gamasutra.
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to guess who might be on the board or who might not be on the board with regards to great organizations that are out there that don’t currently have relationships with EA. EA looks at the top 20 developers in the world, and we try to sign anything those guys are working on,” DeMartini said in response to questions on a possible Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear series) partnership.
“If Suda or Mikami were to be publishing with Sony or Nintendo, it would be another one of the great Japanese designers who are working with a Japanese company,” added DeMartini.
“It’s not as much of a unique story. However, if EA was to work with some of the best designers in Japan in a limited way, with a limited number of these partners, we would be creating a unique situation where some of the best developers in Japan are actually partnering with one of the largest publishers that are not Japanese. That would represent something that is slightly uncomfortable for both parties, but also represents something that is very unique and very special.”
After what we’ve heard from EA Partners this year, I would not be surprised by any announcement. What do you think they have up their sleeve?
