EA Introduces Casual Gaming Division

Electronic Arts is making an appeal to the wide demographic of people who don't devote their lives to gaming.

If you’re the kind of gamer who wonders how level 60 is even possible in World of Warcraft, enters online games of Counter-Strike to be killed in four seconds, and fires up Flash games on the 10-year-old family desktop to pass time, Electronic Arts is targeting you. The company announced their new Casual Entertainment division on Tuesday, which will be dedicated to producing games for people who… well, just don’t care that much.

Kathy Vrabeck, former president of Activision Publishing, was tapped to become president of EA Casual Entertainment. “All over the world, consumers are playing games that don’t require hours of intense concentration,” she said. “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.”

The bottom line for EA: Consumers will still spend $50 on a game whether they play it every day until 3 a.m. or every weekend after wrapping up some lawn work. “EA is aligning talent and resources to focus on the growing market for highly accessible games,” said EA CEO John Riccitiello, in a statement.

New titles and franchises for the division will be announced in the future.