EA is developing Project Atlas, a ‘unified hub for building and running games’

Electronic Arts is inviting game developers to contribute to a new "cloud-native gaming future" called Project Atlas.

The Medium post, entitled "Announcing Project Atlas — a vision for a cloud-native gaming future" was written by EA’s chief technology officer, Ken Moss, and while Moss didn’t explicitly outline what Project Atlas is, the post talks about the disparate nature of gaming’s "remarkable technological advancements in AI, cloud, distributed computing, social features, and engines" and EA’s dream of having a "unified hub for building and running games".

"But because all of these technologies have continued to evolve separately, it’s been difficult to conceptualize what we could achieve by bringing them together," Moss said. "That’s about to change. Technological disruptors — when brought together in a complementary way — will result in a truly profound unlock for game creators."

"At EA, we envision a future in which games go even further beyond the immersive experiences players enjoy today. I’m talking about games that offer living, breathing worlds that constantly evolve. You’ll play them one day, and when you come back the next, things have changed based on inputs from other players, AI, and even the real world. These new experiences will lead to deep, meaningful social interactions. The games you play, the characters you create, and the experiences you have together will create shared ground for friendships that span the globe."

Acknowledging that some of this tech already exists, Moss opined they were "too hard to use" and have to be "manually connected and configured as each new capability emerges".

"I believe this is a future where games become the most compelling form of entertainment. You will be able to play games with your friends anytime, anywhere, and on any device."

As yet, there’s no confirmation on a launch date, but Moss welcomes us "to check back here for regular updates about this project" and invites developers to join EA and "make that future a reality".