EA lashes out at "underwhelming" race rivals
Publisher shrugs off competition from Activision's Blur and Microsoft's Forza 3
Electronic Arts' vice president of games for Europe, Patrick Soderlund, has dismissed competition in the racing genre from rival publishers Activision and Microsoft.
Speaking to Videogamer, the exec said the latest in the Need for Speed series was superior to Microsoft's recently announced Forza 3 and Activision's Blur, the latest from Project Gotham team Bizarre Creations.
However, he did show respect for Disney's Split/Second, the next title from Pure creators Black Rock Studios.
"Let me tell you this. I think Split/Second looks great. I’m going to have a good time playing that," said Soderlund. "Blur to me is completely underwhelming. I don’t understand what’s up with that game to be honest. That’s an official statement."
"Forza, I’m very confident we have a better game than them to be honest. Talking to the press, looking at the nominations, that’s clear. So, I’m glad that they’re confident but I’m as confident as they are."
All four titles were on display at least week's E3 expo in Los Angeles. Need for Speed Shift is due in 2009, along with two other racing titles from Electronic Arts – Need for Speed Nitro and Need for Speed World Online.