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EA On Tough Holiday Season, Xbox Live Rift
Thanks to Reuters for their article discussing the Electronic Arts CFO's comments at a recent financial conference. He discussed gaming prospects for the holiday season, since "...last December, a number of publishers were forced to warn on their prospects... after games they expected would be major hits failed to meet their targets, and retailers tightened the shelf-space devoted to also-ran games", and he suggested game company bankruptcies could be on the way: "There's going to be some road kill. There are going to be people who aren't going to make it." He also made some pointed comments about Xbox Live, which EA still haven't signed up for, saying: "We're not about to support a model where the content provider does not get paid for the content provided."
If is no real benefit to support xbox live, why doesn't EA come up with their own xbox online gaming network? (not a troll, just asking)
(That's what I get for posting so late/early...)
EA is also still trying to get MS to relent on what they want (mainly the ability to cancel online play for a game, like when its sequel has come out). That is what this is really about. Devs are perfectly able to charge monthly for their Live games (see Phantasy Star Online), which is why EA's stated claim about not being able to make profits is BS. They just want the freedom to screw over their customers more easily, which goes completely against MS' goal of making a profitable, popular online gaming network.
There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. -- Francis Bacon
Hmmm, Microsoft insisting that support continue for previous versions of software? EA trying to force you into upgrading by eliminating support for software that is ONLY 1 YEAR OLD. Doesn't it seem like, with XBOX Live!, Microsoft is straying from their normal business plans?
http://www.tomandemily.com
Give me a break. The CFO's statements reveal two things. First of all, he plans on charging people to play on the PS2. They're not charging now, so if he is correct and content devs don't get paid on Xbox Live, how are they getting paid on the PS2? What would he be so worried about if he isn't making money now? Obviously, EA has yet to reveal some kind of pay-to-play plan later on down the road. And based on EA's on-line "track record," I think I'll stick with Xbox Live.
Secondly, his comment reveals EA's specific bias against the Xbox. MS *does* pay developers for content. Who's getting the bucks on Phantasy Star Online? It's Sega, a completely non-MS company.
The problem with this is that when EA starts charging, so will Activision. So will Midway. So will [insert game publisher here]. Being benignly generous and saying that each of these services will only charge a measley $5 a month to play their games online, what if a gamer wants to play Madden 2004, Tony Hawk Underground, and Resident Evil Online? That's a possible $15 a month for a slice of the games!
No, what bothers EA about XBL is not that they don't get paid. It's that they don't get *enough*.
I'll admit, they have a good eye for talent, that EA. But as far as corporate personalities go, he's the successful class ring type guy in high school that no one liked 5 years later. They pretty much ditched Sega when the Dreamcast came along even though it was very much Sega that enabled EA to establish their #1 franchise. They're building up a helluva lot of bad karma, and one day it's all going to come crashing in.
They keep talking about wanting to charge people money to play EA titles. Shouldn't they be concentrating on making the online lobbies stable and useable to begin with? I mean seriously, they talk and whine on and on yet there online support still sucks. People can barely even get an online game running and EA is already talking about money :)
The people who are going to buy Madden buy it with Live support or not. Many reviewers have already said that Sega's ESPN (2k4) is better than it plus it has Live and people aren't biting.
EA is upset that they would have to spend development costs to make MS money from a Live enabled Madden. They would rather develop a solution that makes them money on the PS2 and possibly make the definitive console leader Sony happy.
EA is also the video game 500lb gorrila which does not give in easily. Remember that EA and Sega have had an interesting past with them giving no support for the Dreamcast because a DC Madden couldn't compete with Sega's NFL2k. This eventually added to the DC's death.
When MS ponies up a portion of Live profits to EA, we'll see Live enabled Madden.