EA Starts New Division for Social Games - Still Planning World Domination

EA has started a new game division, named Blueprint. Plans are for Blueprint to launch both existing EA brands and new concepts from small developers into major social networks like Facebook. The division is already hooking up with mega-talent agency Creative Artists Agency for talent and funding. In stealth-mode since September, their first title takes the popular Wii Smarty Pants game to Facebook:

EA is currently testing the waters with such a game–Facebook Smarty Pants, a repurposed version of last year’s Wii-exclusive trivia title Smarty Pants.

Working with social application development house Context Optional, the two companies created the title, an online-only application that challenges gamers in many of the same ways the Wii game did (only without the Wii controller interface).

Seriously? Did EA run out of ideas? Since when does a small developer need help to launch a Facebook app? Unless a couple of college kids really want to meet an actress or model from CAA’s talent pool I don’t know why they’d need EA’s help.

Tip to current Facebook developers: launch version 1 on your own. If it takes off then version 2 can go to the next level with the extra resources of Blueprint, plus you’ll get a bigger share of ownership if the game already has an audience.

[via Gametap]