EA confirmed that it’s working on few new IPs for next generation consoles.

If this year’s E3 felt a little light on content, you can blame next year’s expected hardware announces, according to EA Labels president Frank Gibeau.

Speaking to CVG, the executive said the year before new hardware is announced is always a little dull.

“It’s fairly natural, like with the PS2 to PS3 transition, and PSOne to PS2, that year before the big change. And the Wii U is really just the first opening act of the next-gen cycle shift,” Gibeau said, pretty much confirming everyone’s belief that 2013 is the year new hardware will finally appear.

“You’re only really getting half a show this year. You’re getting Wii U but you’re not getting the other half of the story so it’s a bit awkward.”

Gibeau said this gives publishers a chance to shine, which is appropriate given how much interest EA and Ubisoft drew this year compared to first parties.

“Within that context I think a lot of the third parties definitely stand out and command more of the spotlight because it’s a clear and more broad-based message,” he said.

Aligning with our own suspicions reagarding next-generaiton hardware, Gibeau said the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 will both cast a long shadow, even with ne machines looming.

“They’re going to do really nice business and there are tens of millions of customers playing these things,” he said.

Apparently unable to stop spilling the beans, Gibeau pretty much confirmed EA already has next-gen irons in the fire by saying the publisher wasn’t ready to show these nebulous future concepts off yet.

“It’s better to show something of substance. Gamers are smart and they’ll figure out if what you’re showing is a pre-rendered movie, they’ll be able to diagnose and pick it apart,” he said

“That’s one of the things we did last year with the Battlefield 3 trailer – we very consciously put out a 14 minute sequence of gameplay.”