Just like Legos, these new and creative game properties are.
Over the last few years, EA has been reinventing itself as a company. At one point it was notoriously known for the garbage of Madden and the like, but it is now trying to push forward some new IPs of its own, with things like Dead Space and Mirrors Edge.
Apparently, EA wants to continue to use this as the foundation to build the future of its business, citing other exciting creative properties like Halo, GTA, etc. As a company, they’re realizing that people are flocking to great original games (go figure), and better yet, they’re less expensive than a Madden or NCAA due to licensing.