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Jamdat Purchased By EA

Posted by Zonk on from the more-pixelated-movie-tie-ins-for-all dept.

helfire57 wrote to mention a NYT story covering the purchase of cell-phone game developer Jamdat by EA. From the article: "The purchase, the largest ever by Electronic Arts, signifies an aggressive move into the relatively new mobile-game business. Some analysts say the category will boom as handsets become more sophisticated and allow for more elaborate graphics and intricate games, and as consumers become more comfortable with the mobile device as an entertainment platform." We just recently reported on the small developer's advantage in this area of the industry, so no surprise here at EA's move.

18 comments

  1. Jomdot? by voice_of_all_reason · · Score: 1

    Fun game. Just don't play with Naussicans.

    1. Re:Jomdot? by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "Fun game. Just don't play with Naussicans."

      You'll be safe if Riker'll let you borrow his girdle.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    2. Re:Jomdot? by Dehumanizer · · Score: 1

      Play jom-dot, hu-man!

      --
      The Tlog - a technology blog
  2. Frist Psot by Mr_Dyqik · · Score: 1

    Yah!

  3. Wow... Even better soundtracks. by TJ_Phazerhacki · · Score: 1
    Does this mean the Madden soundtracks could possibly get worse?


    Madden infuriated when told he would be replaced by a Crazed frog.


    Forget annual updates - soon you'll be able to update your rosters for a nominal fee DURING THE GAMES!


    Special Terell Owens Cellphone editions of Madden 06......

    --
    Physics is nothing like religion. If it was, we'd have an easier time trying to raise money!
    1. Re:Wow... Even better soundtracks. by hal2814 · · Score: 1

      Get your jackasses straight. Terell Owens signed the football with the Sharpie. Joe Horn made the cell phone call from the end zone.

    2. Re:Wow... Even better soundtracks. by darkseid42 · · Score: 1

      I think you've confused Jamster and Jamdat. Jamdat actually filed a lawsuit against Jamster. I wonder if EA is going to get rid of the Jamdat brand, and drop the suit as a consequence.

  4. Hmm by Pxtl · · Score: 1

    How much you want to bet that the last Slashdot article on this company was an attempt to build up some buzz and drive up share values before the buyout?

  5. Joy by Lord_Dweomer · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Great...the biggest, most unethical, most annoying company in one industry just bought the biggest, most unethical, most annoying company in another. I predict only good things coming of this.

    --
    Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
    1. Re:Joy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Typical... I had some mod points this morning. I'd have flung a +1 Insightful in your direction.

      I've worked as a third party developer on a few Jamdat projects, and they have a nasty habit of twisting and turning on the design. Ok, they'd fund the extra time the changes required but it was a nightmare trying to schedule in projects with other publishers. One manager there had a habit of screwing up the bug tracking database. Another used to evangelize how good it was for us to put in lots of (unpaid) overtime. Another small dev studio I talked to said they tried to to limit themselves to at most one Jamdat project because of the amount of resources they chew up.

      Jamdat really felt like the EA of the mobile games arena.

    2. Re:Joy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're not getting this confused with Jamster, are you? Although the game developer who responded seemed to know who he was talking about...

    3. Re:Joy by Lord_Dweomer · · Score: 1
      Well actually I was getting it confused, although a quick Google shows that Jamdat is having a hard time fighting this confusion, and in fact went so far as to sue Verisign/Jamster over the name confusion.

      But I guess it seems from the person who posted before you that Jamdat isn't not exactly an angel itself.

      --
      Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
  6. 680 Million for what? by DA_MAN_DA_MYTH · · Score: 1

    Didn't think Tetris was worth that much...

    --
    "It takes many nails to build a crib, but one screw to fill it."
    1. Re:680 Million for what? by darkseid42 · · Score: 1

      This deal is as much for Jamdat's talent pool as it is for any specific titles. Yes, Tetris is a big seller, and Doom RPG just won an award for best mobile game of the year, but Jamdat was already producing EA-licensed games. EA had their own fledgling mobile unit, but the they probably decided it was better to buy than build. A deal had been rumored back in August, but Jamdat's share price then is the same as the premium-included price EA is going to pay now. Analysts are predicting multi-billion dollar growth in mobile games in the next few years. EA made out like a bandit on this one.

  7. Developers by bastardknight · · Score: 1

    Becasue EA wasn't crushing the soals of enough developers already. I'm just waiting for them to buy the moon, turn it into a new "studio" and start breeding developers in house. Everyday EA reminds me more and more of the Borg.

  8. Huzzah! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Everybody get ready for...

    Bejeweled 2005
    Bejeweled 2006
    Bejeweled 2007
    etc...
    etc...

  9. Jamdat Small???? by Foo2rama · · Score: 1

    We just recently reported on the small developer's advantage in this area of the industry, so no surprise here at EA's move.


    Jamdat's offices are huge, they got at least 2 floors of a large building just off the 405 freeway in LA, just south of THQ. The are a large enough occupier that they have the sole name on a 12 story office building(not visable in the link.) Also if this is the largest purchase by EA, how is Jamdat small? Perhaps this needed to be better written.

    --


    ---In a time of Chimpanzees I was a Monkey.
  10. Oh Boy! by BigCheese · · Score: 2, Funny

    Now we can see the same 8 games updated every year for our phones too!

    --
    The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer. - Edward R. Murrow