EA: 'Innovators' like Fortnite can benefit the entire games industry

EA believes the games industry should welcome huge success stories like Fortnite and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.

Speaking during a recent investor Q&A, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen claimed the rapid rise of "innovators" like Fortnite is good news for the whole industry, before adding that EA as a company isn't worried about the perceived dominance of those new heavy hitters. 

"We welcome innovators like Fortnite or PUBG that really help push everyone's thinking," he commented. "We don't feel like any one player or any one game, from FIFA to Madden to Battlefield, is going to capture 100 percent of the marketplace. It just doesn't happen that way. And so we haven't seen a giant impact.

"In the case of Fortnite, it's helped grow the whole marketplace. And in particular, it's bringing younger people into the marketplace and younger people into first-person shooters. And I think that's good for the long-run health of that category for all of us in the industry, not just one player."

Although EA claims it hasn't been affected by the rise of Fortnite and Battlegrounds, fellow U.S. publisher Activision recently admitted some of its key titles had been feeling the heat. 

The Call of Duty publisher also seemed to prove Jorgensen's point about new arrivals "pushing everyone's thinking," with Activision CEO Bobby Kotick suggesting the company is very good at being inspired by others.

"When we see people innovate in an interesting and impactful way, we are very quick to figure out how to capture inspiration from innovation," explained Kotick, perhaps implying Activision could soon hop aboard the battle royale bandwagon. 

"We as a company, in our DNA and in our culture, when we see things that appeal to our audiences, we are very good at being inspired by those."