There might be a lot of 
executives touting the benefits of 3D gaming these days, but don’t expect Electronic Arts’ John Riccitiello to join the pep squad anytime soon.
The CEO of the industry’s second largest publisher gave his take on the technology in a recent conference call with shareholders – and he was anything but bullish.
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.
The latest version of Electronic Arts’ annual 
Tiger Woods franchise downplays the golf superstar in a big way. As it turns out, those changes might have earned the publisher a hole in one.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters has proven to be the fastest moving in the series’ history. EA says the game — the 14th installment in the long-running golf sim — sold 225,000 copies in its first week.
If you’ve bought a copy of Madden or NCAA 
Football in the past six years, you might have found an interesting email in your in-box over the last few days.
A pair of disgruntled gamers have filed a class action suit against Electronic Arts over the games, accusing the publisher of overcharging customers and stifling competition, via its exclusivity agreement with the NFL, NFL Players Association and other leagues.
For NFL players, being named the cover athlete 
for EA’s Madden franchise beats the pants off getting their face plastered on a Wheaties box.
Historically, the company has decided who gets the honor, but this year, it’s letting fans make the decision.
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.
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.
Critics have been lukewarm over
“Medal of Honor” and Electronic Arts is still taking heat for the early (and since-reversed) decision to make the Taliban playable in the multiplayer mode, but the game is still selling strong.
EA has announced the game sold 1.5 million units in its first five days on store shelves. CEO John Riccitiello added in an interview on Fox Business that the game has already surpassed $100 million at retail.
Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog
[How might the latest industry decline in September’s NPD U.S. 
game retail results affect video game stocks? Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris, a financial journalism veteran, examines the plight of the major public-traded game firms in the wake of the disappointing U.S. retail numbers.]
I’m not a stock market analyst. And I’m not a psychic. So seeing as I’m writing this before the market opens on Friday, I’m obviously venturing out on a limb when I presume that video game stocks are getting hit.
It’s not a bad guess, though. Thursday’s NPD numbers were down yet again – and investors who were hoping for a little good news in what has been a gloomy year are likely to lash out. It’s not hard to see why.
Besieged from all sides, Electronic Arts has capitulated 
and made a last minute change to its upcoming reboot of “Medal of Honor,” removing the ability for players to assume the role of the Taliban in the game’s multiplayer mode.
Greg Goodrick, executive producer of the game, announced the decision in a blog post Friday morning, citing feedback from military families as the reason for the move.
Chris Morris: Journalist 