Moore: Metacritic less important for FIFA 11

Metacritic formed a key role in the development of FIFA 10, with EA Sports boss Peter Moore challenging the FIFA team to go out and achieve a 90 rating for the title.

FIFA 10 currently boasts a Metacritic rating of 90 and the game sold very well indeed, but Moore doesn’t feel focussing on the review score aggregate is a good idea for this year’s title.

“In terms of what I want from FIFA 11, it is difficult to tell them to go and get a 92 or 93,” Moore told Develop. “It is almost impossible to take an iterative annual sports title and get it into the mid-90s.

“There are no plot lines, no boss characters, no map packs. There will be metrics that I work into their objectives, but I don’t think it will be around Metacritic.”

Moore said it’s important to always keep the gamers’ needs in sight, so not to get carried away by chasing review scores.

“You can break Metacritic down and say ‘We can get two extra points by doing this’ but it may not actually enhance the gamers’ experience, and that is where there is a line we have to be careful we don’t cross.”

He concluded: “It is a bit of a slippery slope if you focus everything on Metacritic.”

FIFA 11 is scheduled for release on October 1. Check back tomorrow morning for first impressions from the all-new PC version.