How the studio found its feet, and ended up on Iron Man.
Until recently, Motive feels like it has flown under the radar.
What are our teams passionate about?
What would EA like us to be tactically, strategically?
[Let’s] see if we can find that place.
And it took a little bit of time, it took us shipping [Star Wars Squadrons].
Because success breeds success and it brings confidence."
Seeing it launch the following year was a milestone for Motive, Klaus remembers.
“It was huge for confidence,” he says.
Ultimately, however, the project could not find its feet.
“We had a real good crack at it,” Klaus says.
EA Motive
“Cancellations in video game development shouldn’t be a taboo thing,” he continues.
“There’s nothing taboo [about it].
It’s part of the creative process and the uncertainty that comes with exploring different things.
It was our call.
We didn’t want to bite more than we could chew.
So, what then for Motive?
Not everyone at Motive was initially sold on the idea of reviving Dead Space.
“But today, they want to keep making Dead Space forever.
This was partly why the studio announced its Marvel project so early, while it is still in pre-production.
(“Though you might’t do that - I’ve accepted you might never get ahead of leaks!”
“We take it very seriously.
It’s also a little bit daunting, right?
“The gameplay opportunities are really exciting,” he says.
It needs to be big.
It needs to have innovation.
It needs compelling storytelling.
“That’s a big, big focus before we move into production.”
And as for the scrubbed Gaia?
“We keep learning,” says Klaus, “every single day.”
