EA has recently found out that all Star Wars fans want to be the no.1 Star Wars fan. Does this surprise us? No, not really. Whether people are disagreeing (rather loudly and sometimes, violently) over The Last Jedi, or kicking up a storm that may have just changed loot boxes forever, Star Wars fans are a passionate bunch that are keen to express their opinions to anyone who will listen. That said, their passion is something EA are very much aware of.
During the Develop presentation in Brighton, England, Jade Raymond (the boss of EA Motive studios) spoke about what Star Wars fans want, and what they look for when they play EA’s Star Wars games. According to PS Lifestyle, Raymond said that fans want to enhance their knowledge of the famous sci-fi drama, and why do they want to do this? Because they believe that knowing more about the franchise will make them seem like a fan, and subsequently show off to their friends.
Raymond is also working on a Star Wars video game strategy at EA, and so was asked about what it really takes to make a good Star Wars game. She said, “you do have to hit Star Wars fans’ expectations. Star Wars fans look for authenticity. That’s super important.”
She continued. “And actually, interestingly enough, the number one motivator for either fans of playing Star Wars games or looking to participate in the Star Wars universe in any way is to become the number one fan. So, basically, to beat their friends at Star Wars trivia. It’s funny, but the number one motivator for most people is that I could, if I do this, I will learn a new little tidbit – it’s a very gamer way of thinking! – about the universe that I can then lord over my friends because I knew this and you didn’t, right?”
It seems like a funny motivation for the players, but as we said before, it’s not all that surprising when the franchise is so divided already by various different things such as Battlefront 2, The Last Jedi, etc. So, with that in mind, do you believe that this a healthy mindset for fans to have or do you see it as just harmless fun?
