EA Happy to Watch Microsoft and Sony Duke it Out

[Logan Westbrook]

EA Happy to Watch Microsoft and Sony Duke it Out

EA doesn't really care whether Sony beats Microsoft, or vice versa, as either way, it gets more customers.

With Nintendo so far ahead as to be almost uncatchable, it's the battle between Sony and Microsoft that gets all the attention. But while fanboys work themselves up into a frenzy about their preferred console, EA is busy playing both sides.

EA's European boss Jens Uwe Intat said that third-party publishers traditionally do better on Sony or Microsoft's platforms, so while the two companies are both trying to sell as many units as they can, EA profits from a much greater overall install base. He thought that Sony could make a comeback, as the PS3 was very strong in Europe, but said that to EA, it was the fight that that was important, rather than the winner.

The way that Intat describes it makes the console war sound even more like, well, an actual war, with EA supplying both sides so that they can keep on fighting. It seems quite likely that other publishers will feel the same way as EA about the console war, as anyone that makes and releases console games will benefit from a larger install base.

Source: MCV [http://www.mcvuk.com/features/752/INTERVIEWss-EA]



Permalink

 

[JeanLuc761]

Well, it's well known that having competition generally breeds good business and higher quality. Nice to see some blunt honesty

 

[SpaceMedarotterX]

well it is a war, just not how the fanboys portray it. It's a battle of the markets and just because there's no guns involved doesn't mean it can't get as nasty.

Every time you secure a developer you have an advantage that the opposition doesn't have, you market various games as 'Killers' in an attempts to sway the fans of those games and to downplay your own losses.

since I got Civ on the brain.

Sony and Microsoft are the civilizations and the Independents are the city states, you want to buy there loyalty

 

[Ignatz_Zwakh]

OH SNAP! EA's a profiteering!
....
...
...

...how unsurprising. :/

 

[Jumplion]

Let the electronic blood spill everywhere, let the roars of a thousand fanboys fill the sky, and let the consumer benefit from all that is warfare!

HAIL THE CONSOLE WARS! HAIL THE COMPETITION!

Competition is a good thing in this industry, with one company always trying to outdo the other with the other company outdoing the other, and so on, and so on. It's always fun to see what companies will think up next for their customers, and in the end we, the consumer, always come out on top.

So let the console wars rage, says I!

 

[vallorn]

OH SNAP! EA's a profiteering!
....
...
...

...how unsurprising. :/

not realy. just good business practice.


and EA's the best of the big 3 publishers now anyway.

 

[JeanLuc761]

OH SNAP! EA's a profiteering!
....
...
...

...how unsurprising. :/

not realy. just good business practice.


and EA's the best of the big 3 publishers now anyway.

Beat me to it; well done.

 

[vallorn]

OH SNAP! EA's a profiteering!
....
...
...

...how unsurprising. :/

not realy. just good business practice.


and EA's the best of the big 3 publishers now anyway.

Beat me to it; well done.

thanks!

your right that "competition generally breeds good business and higher quality". thats one of the main principals of a capitalist system.

 

[z3rostr1fe]

Before, it was EA who was the root of all evil (publishers). It seems now that it has stepped down its throne (or maybe dethroned by Ubisoft or Activision/Blizzard).

 

[Mr. Omega]

All that guy did was state the obvious... he just didn't mince words.

 

[vallorn]

Before, it was EA who was the root of all evil (publishers). It seems now that it has stepped down its throne (or maybe dethroned by Ubisoft or Activision/Blizzard).

see the posts above you. once EA started releasing titles like Mirrors Edge. Bad Company and Dead Space it made up for its DRM flaws.

while this was happening Activision choose to let Bobby Kotick run his mouth and kill IW with MW2, and Ubisoft started making the worst DRM ever even though they were told it wouldn't work.

 

[oktalist]

I am reminded of the Coffee Wars in Deus Ex 2...

Isn't capitalism awesome?

 

[WanderingFool]

OH SNAP! EA's a profiteering!
....
...
...

...how unsurprising. :/

not realy. just good business practice.


and EA's the best of the big 3 publishers now anyway.

I cant fault them on wanting to make money. They saw an opportunity, and took it. And you have to admit, with Sony and Microsoft, its pretty freaking easy... atleast they're not doing dick moves like Activision...

 

[Jared]

Well true to themselves as always...as long as they get profits!

 

[GeneticallyModifiedDucks]

Before, it was EA who was the root of all evil (publishers). It seems now that it has stepped down its throne (or maybe dethroned by Ubisoft or Activision/Blizzard).

Yeah EA is definitely starting to release some good games and they certainly have taken more than a few risks recently. Mirror's Edge more than any other. They're not all good, but hey, baby steps.

Ubisoft isn't exactly what I'd call evil, but not what I'd call good either And that disappoints me somewhat.

Activision is... well I don't really need to say it now, do I?

 

[Ashendarei]

I'm curious what EA will do after one of the consoles "wins" and holds its majority ...

Will EA start doing exclusive titles for that platform, or will they still pander to both sides?

Good business sense would suggest that they'd still make games for both, but I'd imagine it would be in the interests of the victor to try to acquire EA's full production abilities.

 

[The Bandit]

Before, it was EA who was the root of all evil (publishers). It seems now that it has stepped down its throne (or maybe dethroned by Ubisoft or Activision/Blizzard).

see the posts above you. once EA started releasing titles like Mirrors Edge. Bad Company and Dead Space it made up for its DRM flaws.

while this was happening Activision choose to let Bobby Kotick run his mouth and kill IW with MW2, and Ubisoft started making the worst DRM ever even though they were told it wouldn't work.

Wasn't it IW who went and talked to EA about getting jobs that fucked IW over? Wasn't it just Activision holding up their contract and saying "Hey, guys? What the fuck are you doing?"

Oh, but people don't like Kotick, so it's all Activision's fault, right?

 

[vallorn]

Before, it was EA who was the root of all evil (publishers). It seems now that it has stepped down its throne (or maybe dethroned by Ubisoft or Activision/Blizzard).

see the posts above you. once EA started releasing titles like Mirrors Edge. Bad Company and Dead Space it made up for its DRM flaws.

while this was happening Activision choose to let Bobby Kotick run his mouth and kill IW with MW2, and Ubisoft started making the worst DRM ever even though they were told it wouldn't work.

Wasn't it IW who went and talked to EA about getting jobs that fucked IW over? Wasn't it just Activision holding up their contract and saying "Hey, guys? What the fuck are you doing?"

Oh, but people don't like Kotick, so it's all Activision's fault, right?

i though Acti made that EA story up to avoid paying them bonus's?

point taken though...