Ian Cummings, the man that served for nearly 11 years as the creative director for the popular football game franchise Madden NFL, has left the company. The exodus from his EA Sports gig of 11 years seems to be amicable if you believe his official statement on the matter.
Cummings recounts his climb from the ranks of the QA department all the way to creative director, and thanks fans for their support and enthusiasm over the years. Cummings last game at the studio is Madden NFL 12. Cummings' full statement can be found below:
"After nearly 11 years with Electronic Arts, I have decided to seek opportunities elsewhere. My time at EA has been an incredible ride. From my days in QA to my recent years as the Creative Director for Madden, I always found myself surrounded by the most talented people in the industry. I’ve had the privilege of helping to create world-class gaming experiences like Madden; a franchise that has touched peoples’ lives. For that I am truly grateful and I thank all those that I’ve worked with throughout the years.
I leave the Madden NFL 12 development team with confidence that it is in great hands. The feature set is something our core fans are really going to appreciate. From the improvements to core gameplay, to the additions to modes like franchise and superstar, and the innovative tech being used to overhaul presentation…Madden NFL 12 will be the best we’ve created yet. I’m amazed at how great it looks and how well it plays at this stage of development, with several months left to tune and polish.
Last, but certainly not least, I wanted to say “thank you” to our loyal and passionate fans. Without you, the Madden franchise would not be what it is today. I’ve always appreciated your feedback and unprecedented passion. Know that the team is now built to deliver the football experience that you all truly deserve. The team is set up only to succeed with the new expansion of the core football gameplay team, continued focus on web and online content, creating deeper career modes, and building games several years in advance. There is no doubt in my mind we will be seeing some revolutionary things from the Madden franchise in the future and I am happy to have played a role in helping steer the ship.
It's been a true pleasure. Time for the next challenge of my career."
Source: EA Sports blog by way of Kotaku
Comments
Re: Madden NFL Creative Director Leave Company
Oh my... anything that lowers the Year over Year creativness of this game is a serious hit. I mean, there is like 2% to 5 % new stuff YoY. This is not insignificant nor is this a snark. There really is that little that is new YoY for the Madden franchise.
(I will give this last years version a break though. Maybe about 10% of new changes? That sound about right everyone?)