New EA Sports chief eyes new kinds of games

By Scott Hillis

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Will cricket or badminton be the next great sports franchise for video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc.?

Peter Moore isn't ruling anything out as he takes the reins at EA's money-spinning sports unit, saying the world's biggest games publisher has barely tapped the potential of athletic themed titles.

Moore, who started at EA this week after leaving Microsoft Corp as head of its Xbox video game console division, said he was focused on developing new kinds of sports games and those that appeal to audiences in Asia, where the company is increasing investment.

"The traditional business of EA Sports is a very, very lucrative and desirable business if you are an outsider," Moore told Reuters in an interview.

"That business needs to continue to grow but the opportunity outside of the core licensed simulation games market is what excites me," Moore said. "EA is a powerful brand but it's maybe not even scratched the surface."

EA Sports is best known for its "Madden NFL" football game, one of the top-selling titles in the United States each year, and for its "FIFA" soccer game, a top seller every year in European markets.

EA is looking to step up its game in Asia, where there is a big appetite for NBA basketball and where local sports could warrant development of new games, Moore said.

"There's one sport in India and that's cricket, and we'll obviously be looking at that. There are a bunch of other sports -- badminton, for example, if you want to get really local," Moore said.

One example of EA's willingness to go beyond mainstream games is "Skate," an all-new title that is positioned as a direct rival to Activision Inc's popular "Tony Hawk" skateboarding franchise.

Moore also unveiled a new sports trivia game that can be downloaded for free to a player's computer and will be supported by advertising. Quizmasters in EA's Orlando, Florida, sports studio will pose text, audio and video questions.

"It's using sports as a backbone for trivia questions, it's one example of different ways to take advantage of our heritage in sports," Moore said.

The recent Microsoft executive vowed that his former rivals Sony Corp and Nintendo Co Ltd can count on him not to play favorites.

"I think they understand that business is business, and as aggressive as I was driving business at Microsoft, I'll be equally aggressive here and know that we need all three consoles to be successful," Moore said.

"I'm as platform agnostic as of today as anyone in the industry."