EA Eyes Wii Fit With Active Sports Franchise

Peter Moore recently related his thoughts on EA's latest Wii Fit contender, EA Sports Active.  Even though the game hasn't reached the hands of consumers and was only just announced, it seems that the EA Sports President has many plans in mind for the series.  After Wii Fit became the number two best seller globally from July to September, it makes sense that the gaming sports giant would want a bit slice of that money pie.

It only helps EA's cause by drawing a line between Wii Fit and EA Sports Active.  Moore commented that Wii Fit has an "Eastern philosophy of fitness," differing from EA's approach in keeping heart rates higher in a short period of time, relative to a Western-style workout.  And there's a good variety in the game, begging the question; what could be added in future releases, and what are they choosing to leave out?

Take note of the announcement trailer, and see the differences in experience this game brings:

Moore revealed his hopes and vision for the game:

"Think of EA Sports Active as a pretty comprehensive product line. It's not just software but peripherals as well. Down the road, there will be more of a total workout game. But you can imagine there's an abs version down the road. There's a soccer version down the road. So, EA Sports Soccer, EA Sports Abs. I'm not saying we're not going to use our licensed properties, but right now we're focusing on expansion of the EA Sports Active brand, bringing positive experiences into the living rooms for these consumers, and talking to a consumer we've never spoken to before."

Based on the above trailer, the game appears to have a different approach to the fitness genre than Wii Fit.  And while it is good to hear that EA plans to be dynamic in its approach to the brand, basically revealing this early on that they also plan on milking every penny out of it seems a bit unsettling.  Whether it can contend with the Wii Fit and Wii Sports properties is the real question, however.