Tag Archives: electronic arts

Opinion: Why The Next 12 Months Could Make Or Break EA

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As EA promises a more aggressive stance on talent acquisition, owned IP and digital models, Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris analyzes where the company could succeed, and where it might fail.

Electronic Arts investors had a lot to cheer about Wednesday afternoon in the company’s earnings call. Not only were revenues and earnings per share higher than expected, but CEO John Riccitiello also declared a shift to a more aggressive stance on several fronts.

Shareholders, who have stuck with the company through its long rebuilding process, may have sighed with relief, but it’s still a little early to declare ‘all is well’ at EA. The coming fiscal year could be critical in determining the future course of the publisher.

Read more at Gamasutra

EA COO jumps ship

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Video game industry veteran John Schappert, who has served as chief operating officer at Electronic Arts for the past two years, has quietly left the company.

Schappert’s last day was yesterday – and media reports indicate he plans to join social gamers maker (and EA rival) Zynga in an undisclosed role.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog

NFL lockout could mean big losses for Madden

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There are still a lot of looming questions about the 2011-2012 NFL season – most notably, will there be one? Now that uncertainty is starting to seep into the video game world.

Electronic Arts has already made it very clear: No matter what happens between the players and owners, there will be a new Madden game in stores this August. But if the season is substantially shortened or cancelled altogether, it could have a devastating impact on the game’s success.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Publishers slash app prices for iPad 2 launch

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As Apple ramps up the hype machine on the iPad 2, app publishers are hoping to ride the coattails to higher sales.

Developers both small and large are slashing prices on popular apps in hopes of capturing the attentions of people who can no longer resist Apple’s tablet device. And Electronic Arts is leading the charge.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

 

App review: NBA JAM by EA Sports

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NBA JAM by EA Sports is, quite simply, a heck of a lot of fun to play. Easy to pick up and anything but complicated in its rules, the game focuses solely on the most outlandish parts of the sport — monster slam dunks and huge blocks of opponents’ shots. It’s a bit more aggressive than other basketball games, but the violence is arcade-like and not too concerning. The game further offers impressive visuals and keeps the adrenaline pumping with announcer Tim Kitzrow’s “boomshakalaka”-infused running commentary. The biggest disappointment is the lack of any multiplayer mode, as this is one of those titles that’s more fun with friends.

Read more at Common Sense Media

Interview: Frank Gibeau on EA’s Expanding Focus In The PC Space

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EA’s Frank Gibeau talks to Gamasutra about the company’s position in the casual Facebook gaming market, the renewed focus on PC releases and the increasing dabblings in the freemium business model.

Some publishers are focusing primarily on the online market these days. Others see mobile as the wave of the future. Plenty are chasing the social network audience. And some are sticking doggedly with the traditional game space.

At Electronic Arts, they’re covering their bets.

Read more at Gamasutra

Electronic Arts Goes ‘On the Offensive’

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Electronic Arts hasn’t exactly been a darling of Wall Street in recent years.

Battered by a string of earnings disappointments and underperfoming titles, the video game publisher has seen its archrival Activision-Blizzard take away king-of-the hill status among industry peers, and watched its stock price fall. But Frank Gibeau, the president of the EA Games label, says the company has made the necessary changes to get back on top.

Read more at CNBC.com

App review: NBA Elite 11 by EA SPORTS

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If you’re a fan of NBA games looking for a precise simulation of the sport, NBA Elite 11 by EA SPORTS isn’t it. It is, however, a fine game for fans who simply want to have a fun experience that’s a step beyond an arcade-like basketball game. With easy-to-grasp controls and a smooth flowing animation system, it gets a lot right — even down to the television-like presentation. It’s a fun single-player game, but it’s a title that cries out for a multiplayer mode, something that NBA Elite 11 by EA SPORTS lacks. Of course, seeing that EA cancelled all other platform versions of this game, the fact that it’s available at all is a notable achievement.

Read more at Common Sense Media

EA adapting Dead Space 2 for disabled players

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While the year’s barely underway, Dead Space 2 is already standing out as one of the must-have titles for 2011. But some players, like Gareth Garratt, have found themselves left out of the action.

Garratt, who has cerebral palsy, tried the game on his PC but was unable to customize the controls enough to play. The frustration led him to post about his experience on a U.K. gaming board.

Read more at Yahoo! Games