EA setting up casual games division

Speeding full steam ahead in the casual games race, EA has set up their own casual games division in the wake of the immense recent success of the genre on the DS and Wii. Named 'EA Casual Entertainment', it is being headed by Activision's ex-President Kathy Vrabeck. The new division will be developing games for consoles, handhelds, PCs and mobile phones. Says Vrabeck:

"All over the world, consumers are playing games that don’t require hours of intense concentration. The common denominator is casual fun. Whether it will be playing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on the Wii with the family or downloading Madden NFL 08 on a phone, quick-to-the-fun games are bringing new players and new demographics to interactive entertainment."

Casual games are all well and good, Kathy ... just as long as you don't forget about us "hardcore" gamers. My only beef with casual games is that lately, they are almost always in some form of mini-game collection. Mini-games are fun, but only for so long.

Who says casual games shouldn't have stories to push them forward or a little more depth than they currently do? A customizable level of depth and complexity would be very welcome. World of WarCraft is the perfect example of a well-balanced casual game.

[Via Cubed3]