If you’re a Wii owner, you may feel like you’re often an after thought to most third party developers. Not so for Electronic Arts, who has announced they currently have eight titles from their EA Sports franchises slated for the Wii. Eight EA Sports titles? Is it a blessing or a curse? (more…)
Ever so slowly, the two gigantic balls of clay meld into one. Soon, will anyone be able to tell where one ends and the next begins? If you’re the type to freak out and cite 1984 when just about anything in business happens, it’s probably time to get out your tin foil hat. Microsoft and Electronic Arts are in business together.
Microsoft owned subsidiary Massive Inc. and Electronic Arts have inked a deal for in-game advertising in EA games until through 2010. Massive Inc. is an advertising company specializing in placing ads within online games. Basically, the type of ads you see randomly changing in games from time to time. The deal is an extension of a current deal, but it will greatly expand the number of titles EA places Massive’s ads in. (more…)
Electronic Arts’ Skate was one of the big surprises of 2007. Many had challenged Tony Hawk’s dominance of the extreme sports genre, but Skate was the first to really deliver a knockdown punch with its innovative controls. Now, in the face of being outsold two to one, Activision has plans to innovate with the Tony Hawk franchise.
Speaking with USA Today, Activision Senior Vice President Will Kassoy referenced the “Tony Hawk Innovation Plan,” but refused to elaborate. What could this plan be? The easy speculation is a move toward a new control scheme akin to Skate’s. However, with Activision’s success with the Guitar Hero franchise and now Call of Duty 4 online, one should not rule out the move to a more multiplayer friendly setup. And yes, Tony Hawk Wii featuring the Balance Board seems inevitable. (more…)
How the mighty have fallen. Then gotten back up, dust themselves off, and fallen again. But yet, gotten up again. That’s basically the story of Sega over the last seven years or so as the once mightily publisher has flipped and flopped about, eventually merging with Sammy. Yet, despite all of this, they have no interest in joining forces with anyone else.
Sega’s Dreamcast was, in many minds, the last great old school console. The games were a mix of arcade ports and Japanese styled classics. When it died many hoped that Sega would bring its superb blend of games to other consoles as a third party. They did go third party, but the great games didn’t come with them. Instead, Sega as a third party basically drove itself out of business before Sammy stepped in and saved it. (more…)
To be technical, the USA is not quite in a recession yet. However, many indicators show it a time of economic down turn, even if it does not technically fit the definition of a recession. What’s the most important question during these tough economic times? How will this affect video game sales?
The short answer, at least from those within the industry, is very little. They believe the game industry to be equivalent to the film industry, which traditionally suffers very little during bad economic times. Chalk this up to people wanting to be entertained during even the roughest economic situations in order to forget their problems. People flocked to theatres during the Great Depression for this very reason. (more…)
Mirror’s Edge is Electronic Arts new attempt at breaking the boundaries of first-person games. Other titles have attempted this with some success. The Metroid Prime series and Breakdown have both revised the rules of what one could do in a first-person title. This interview with the developer offers some insight into how they’re planning to go about their own unique vision. For one, the game is drawing in a torso, legs and arms. Rejoice in the death of the floating gun syndrome so many first-person-shooters suffer from.
While it was recently announced that EA had approached Take Two Interactive with $2 billion dollars to buy their company, it seems Take Two is getting around.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, Take Two reported that since EA’s offer the company has received additional offers described as “informal indications of interest in a business combination.” However, no specific companies have been named.
With top titles like Bioshock and Grand Theft Auto under its umbrella, it seems Take Two feels, like Epic VP Mark Rein, that their company is worth far more than what EA would like to offer. In a press release on their website Executive Chairman of the Board Strauss Zelnick stated that EA’s offer was rejected due to providing “insufficient value to our shareholders and comes at absolutely the wrong time given the crucial initiatives underway at the Company.” (more…)
The battlefield series of games have not had the easiest transition from PC to console. While there has been mild acceptance for the console versions, it’s nowhere near the furor that surrounds the PC multiplayer. Electronic Arts hopes to change all of that with Battlefield: Bad Company for the PS3 and Xbox 360. The image is a real screenshot showing off the fantastic explosions and particle effects. Is it the Battlefield to finally bring the PC success over to consoles? Don’t hold your breath, but it should look pretty trying. Click on the image for a full sized version.
When it was rumored the other day that Epic might be acquired by Microsoft, Epic’s Vice-President Mark Rein joked that they should start the bidding at $2 billion. Apparently Electronic Arts thought that price sounded about right for another big time company, Take-Two Interactive. Take-Two is the parent company of 2K Games and Rockstar. So, essentially, Electronic Arts might soon be the parent company of Bioshock and Grand Theft Auto.
While Electronic Arts continues to be the monster that ate everything in video game land, this move actually makes some sense for Take-Two. While occasional hits keep the company afloat, there have been many bombs and Rockstar has shown its only truly viable franchise to be Grand Theft Auto, with the possibility of Bully. Meanwhile, EA Sports has basically pushed 2K Sports to the point of starvation by acquiring exclusive rights to many popular sports leagues. 2K Sports does retain the exclusive third-party rights to Major League Baseball. (more…)
EA studios recently announced that they will be working with Starbreeze Studios to develop a re-imagining of one of the company’s classic franchises. Although no title has been released yet, the project goes by the codename “Project Redlime” and theories about what the game could turn out to be are everywhere.
There has been speculation that the cyberpunk thriller Syndicate will be revealed as the unknown title which would fit well with the style of Starbreeze’s past titles. With titles such as The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and The Darkness, Starbreeze have proven they can tell a great story, make a game look great, and give gamers a deeply involving experience.
Although nothing yet has been announced, the hope is that more information will be revealed at the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco this week.
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