"EA is not making a single dollar," says A Way Out dev
A Way Out is the next game from the indie team behind the brilliant Brothers: A Tale of Two sons. Like the studio’s first game, it focuses on two characters who need to cooperate to win. Unlike the first game, it’s being published by EA.
That doesn’t mean EA has any creative control over the game, however. In fact, A Way Out’s outspoken, middle finger-flipping lead designer, Josef Fares, claims that EA isn’t even making any money out of the partnership.
“Here’s the thing, and you have to understand this: with this deal that I have for this game, EA is not making a single dollar out of this,” Fares explained in an interview with The Sixth Axis. “Every single dollar is going to the developer. They’re not even making any money and all I’ve got is support from EA.
“They’ve not questioned the vision - they can’t because I won’t allow it - so they’ve been super supportive all the way. Even with this buy one [Friend Pass] thing, no problem.”
If you aren’t already aware of it, the Friend Pass allows players to play A Way Out in online co-op with their friends with just a single copy of the game.
EA has recently come under a lot of criticism lately for the publisher’s handling of microtransactions in its biggest releases, particularly Star Wars Battlefront 2. Perhaps Fares will convince some video game fans that EA isn’t the evil overlord some people think it is.
In the original announcement for EA Originals, the indie label A Way Out is published under, EA laid out the reasoning behind this:
"First, it is about taking first-time experiences that are unique, gorgeous, innovative and memorable, and bringing them to the world," the announcement stated.
"Second, it is about supporting small developers and helping them make the most of their games. We'll seek a few projects each year for EA Originals, and partner with them throughout the process of development to marketing to publishing.
"Lastly, it is about funding, and offering small studios a level of security with an EA Originals game. Making games is hard. It's a hard business. These developers have taken on the risk of developing a new IP, and great games deserve to be played. So with EA Originals, we want the profits from these games to go into the hands of the studios making them. We want them to be recognised for their work, so they can keep innovating and creating, and so the players get to play more and more amazing games."
A Way Out releases March 23 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.