EA EU VP Soderlund says new installment in DICE's slow-starting first-person action adventure will see release "for sure."
Electronic Arts made a number of gambles on new intellectual properties
last year, all to varying degrees of success. One such risk that has
yet to make a mark is Mirror's Edge, a parkour-inspired first-person
action adventure developed by Swedish studio EA DICE. Upon its launch
on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in November, the title generated positive review scores, but has barely sold over 250,000 units to date in the US. (It was also released on the PC early this year.)
Still, EA has not yet given up on the new franchise. In December, EA CEO John Riccitiello said
that his company was evaluating the franchise's potential, and it
appears Mirror's Edge survived the scrutiny. Speaking with UK site VideoGamer.com, EA Games Europe vice president Patrick Soderlund confirmed that a Mirror's Edge follow-up is in the works.
"You will see another Mirror's Edge for sure," Soderlund said. "It's
just a matter of when that time is and what we do with it. We have a
small team on it, and I'm excited about what we do." EA had not
responded to GameSpot's request for comment on Soderlund's statement as
of press time.
Prior to Mirror's Edge's tepid launch extending a shadow over the franchise's future, EA DICE senior producer Owen O'Brien said
that the game's current storyline has been mapped out as a trilogy. "I
think there's a lot of scope to take the story in different directions,
or maybe tell someone else's story," he said. "But certainly for these
first couple games, it's all about Faith. It's all about her experience
in the world." The producer also noted a primary focus for a Mirror's
Edge sequel would be a level editor.
The Mirror's Edge series also has friends in high places. Speaking with GameSpot as part of a 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo interview, EA Games president Frank Gibeau expressed faith in the series, noting that it "did quite well in Europe, but not as well in the US."