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For Vance Cook and his newly acquired video game development company, Headgate Studios, it's all about the Wii.
The Bountiful-based Headgate, which Cook founded in 1992, became part of video gaming giant Electronic Arts (EA) earlier this week. Immediately, Headgate's 60-member work force was assigned to designing games for Nintendo's new Wii platform.
"That will be our focus, exclusive to Wii development," Cook said Friday. "We're excited about this. Wii comes with a new controller that is wireless and senses orientation and path motions like nothing else out there.
"Nintendo has come up with an entirely new gaming experience," he added. "For tennis, baseball or golf games, for instance, it really senses the actual swing. It's really catching on; now we will have to catch up."
The EA acquisition marks the second time Cook has sold his company. In 1996, Sierra Online bought Headgate; Cook bought it back in 2000.
"We've been independent since, and now that we've built the company up we are very happy to be joining EA," he said. "There's just no other game publisher out there as strong right now."
Like Redwood City, Calif.-based EA, Cook would not release financial terms of the deal except to insist that "this acquisition is very good for employees and owners alike."
Headgate has partnered with EA over the past six years, earning acclaim for such video titles as "Tiger Woods PGA Tour," "Madden NFL" and "The Godfather."
Other than a new name - EA Salt Lake - EA plans no changes to the Bountiful work force.
Cook remains in charge as executive producer, reporting to Nick Earl, vice president and general manager of EA Redwood Shores/Maxis.
Paul Lee, president of EA Studios, said part of Headgate's allure was its location. He praised Utah as "a terrific place to make games, . . . with a vibrant creative community and a great quality of life."
Cook credits the state's long experience with animation and programming, along with its economic and cultural advantages, for creating and attracting some of the most creative gamemakers in the nation.
"There's a heritage here for computer graphics and technology," he said. "The fundamentals of 3-D graphics began here a long time ago with the University of Utah, [computer graphics innovator] Evans & Sutherland, WordPerfect and Novell."
Savvy computer science programs at the state's five major universities continue to feed new talent into the industry, too, Cook said.
With development for the Wii, Cook expects to see Headgate/EA Salt Lake grow - including hiring of more employees. How many new animators, programmers and engineers will join the EA operation will depend on Wii's success as a cheaper alternative to more complicated gaming platforms like XBox360 and PlayStation3.
In its first week on the market, Nintendo reports, Wii sales topped 600,000 in the United States. Since the system's Nov. 19 launch, Wii has racked up $190 million in sales, the company said.
"I can say that EA and I are very bullish about the Wii platform and its concept has surprised the industry," Cook added. "There's a lot to be done, and we'll be doing it."