Earlier this week, we reported (based on an ESPN report) that EA picked up the rights to the classic basketball franchise NBA Jam. It was also revealed that series creator Mark Turmell joined EA to oversee the new Jam project and other sports games. While EA hasn't confirmed the Jam news officially, the company did confirm Turmell's appointment via a newly posted Q&A on the EA Sports blog.
As EA Tiburon's new Senior Creative Director, Turmell said he'll be working at Tiburon's Central Gameplay Group. "I am perfectly positioned to impact and improve the moment to moment football gameplay for both Madden and NCAA," he said. "I love to have my hands on the sticks, trying to improve pacing, impact of moves, velocities, AI decisions, etc. We have many talented developers in the mix on football, but hopefully I can bring a little extra magic to the mix and our games will appeal to an even larger audience. It doesn't get much better than working on EA football titles!"
He continued, "I have long marveled at EA and their ability to ship quality games on a yearly schedule. That's incredibly hard. And I've also marveled at how EA management or marketing has understood their consumer and then targeted them with appropriate content. I'm a huge sports fan, love making video games, and trust that this senior management team will navigate the very difficult and challenging waters of game development as we move forward in this rapidly changing business. No other publisher has the vision and instincts to capitalize like EA does. And now that I'm here and have been exposed to the awesome development talent, it's clear that we are going to make hugely successful games as we move forward."
Turmell has been behind some great arcade IP at Midway, including NBA Jam, NFL Blitz and more. He hopes to bring some of the pick-up-and-play accessibility to EA Sports. "I have focused on arcade sports and fighting game titles for the last 17 years, and even though they aren't traditional sims, there are huge lessons learned that can be applied to sim titles. Including how to communicate rules/situations to the user, ways to make the game easier to pick up and play, how to make plays/moves more impactful and entertaining, and even the general pacing of a game to keep player attention," Turmell noted. "The industry and audience is changing fairly dramatically, and often times our customer is looking for a quicker, more streamlined experience. That type of thinking was required in the arcades, and is becoming more important for all platforms. I love the arcade style games, but certainly understand the difference and requirements for sim products."
