IG: Regarding the Wii, EA and EA Sports both wrestled for some time with how to reach that Wii audience. On the sports side, you created things like “All-Play” but do you feel that EA Sports finally has the grasp on Wii it needs?
PM: I certainly think this is the best lineup coupled with the best technology in Wii MotionPlus and the best marketing that we've done with the best product portfolio. Tiger, Tennis, EA Sports Active, Madden in August, FIFA which has been great for us on Wii, new art styles as you can see particularly in Madden... so I'm feeling very good about where we are on the platform. It's a question you'll probably have to ask me again in December. We're not afraid of trying new things, seeing what works, tweaking the formula... having All-Play we decided was better being a feature in all the games rather than branding, for example. We're working hard on this; it's 45% of the market so we simply cannot ignore it. You've got to do everything you can to get the recipe right, and I think we're getting close.
IG: Right, I think for Madden it's very important. Last year everyone noticed how the Wii version just wasn't selling in comparison to the 360 and PS3. Are you anticipating big sales finally for Madden this year on Wii?
PM: You always hope and anticipate; we believe we've got that formula right, the marketing right, and we've got two great athletes on the cover. The game is a blast... but again, ask me when the first NPD numbers come out and I'll tell you.
EA's pretty happy with the new Wii version for Madden 10
IG: How big will iPhone be for EA Sports?
PM: We have Tiger Woods on the iPhone. We have to figure out what to do with the platform and make it right. There are lots of applications on the iPhone.
IG: But do you see this as a big market for EA Sports?
PM: I think there's great potential there but you have to be very clear on what your value proposition is. ... There's two things we're doing. One is taking the pure gameplay like Tiger and the other is apps as a complement to what we've got online and on the console. You saw our Madden app for having an online franchise, so you could be on your way home on the train or whatever and you can make sure all your trades are in and everything you need to do to keep your franchise healthy.
IG: How do you feel about your sports competitors, particularly 2K Sports and their NBA2K franchise, which continues to top NBA Live in terms of Metacritic scores and quality?
PM: We obviously have continued work to do on NBA Live. We did get a 2-3 point increase on Metacritic year-on-year last year. The 2K guys do a great basketball game; we recognize that and give them credit where credit's due. At the same time, our team knows what they need to do to continue to close the gap between the two of us. That's what they're working on very, very diligently right now.
