News
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You can expect a sequel.
Despite middling review scores and analyst scepticism, Medal of Honor has been an unmitigated success story for EA, CEO John Riccitiello has insisted.
Speaking at an investor call earlier today, he said, “The game has exceeded our plan and expectations sell-through and sell-in.
“It is an absolutely clear success on a business front. Consumer feedback has been strong, suggesting we’ve got a franchise now that we can successfully sequel in the future. I think it’s the first step for this franchise back into the marketplace.”
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Following delay, EA confirms that it has officially benched its annual basketball sim for the 2010-2011 season; future development handed to Tiburon.
Sports sims are tantamount to death and taxes for Electronic Arts, which releases annualized installments in both professional and collegiate athletics matchups, ranging from football to hockey to soccer. However, this year turned that comparison on its head, when EA announced the franchise reboot of its seasonal basketball sim, NBA Elite 11, would not accompany the tip-off of its real-world counterpart.
Now, EA has taken an even more drastic step, announcing as part of a post-earnings conference call today that it has canceled NBA Elite 11 outright. Additional details on the cancelation were not revealed, with EA saying only that future development in the franchise would be handled by Madden NFL studio EA Tiburon. Previously, NBA Elite 11 had been in development at EA Canada, which was the target of “seasonal roll-offs” last week.
Analysts have predicted a sizable hole in EA’s earnings due to NBA Elite 11’s delay and now cancelation. According to Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter, EA stands to lose up to $60 million due to the absence of its annual basketball sim. He went on to note that Take-Two Interactive stands to gain tremendously from EA’s absence from the court this year, predicting most of those who would have picked up NBA Elite 11 will now purchase NBA 2K11.
Built around a more “hands-on control” scheme than its NBA Live predecessors, NBA Elite 11 was to emphasize player movement and skill-based shooting. For an idea of where EA is looking to take its basketball sim franchise, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage of NBA Elite 11.
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“NBA Elite 11 canceled” was posted by Tom Magrino on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:47:09 -0700 -
Megapublisher sees quarterly revenue drop 20 percent; Madden, FIFA 11 tipped as best sellers; FIFA franchise sales top 100 million; Bad Company 2 sells nearly 6 million.
Electronic Arts today reported a $201 million loss ($0.61 per share) for the three months ending September 30. While not as good news as posting a profit, the loss was smaller than the $391 million ($1.21 per share) it lost during the same period last year. Revenue fell 20 percent from $788 million to $631 million using standard accounting practices, thanks to a smaller release slate. The company launched seven major titles from July to September 2010, versus nine during the same period the year prior.
When excluding one-time charges along the lines of restructuring costs, acquisition expenses, and stock-related compensation, EA actually managed to post a small profit of $32 million ($0.10 per share) on $884 million in revenue. That beat the average estimate of a Thomson Reuters survey of analysts, which expected $815 million in revenues and a loss of $0.10 per share.
Of the quarter’s hit titles, the publisher said six of its games were amongst the top 20 selling games in North America and Europe: FIFA 11, Madden NFL 11, NCAA Football 11, NHL 11, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and FIFA 10. Overall, FIFA-brand game sales increased 20 percent, with the franchise’s sales topping over 100 million units life-to-date. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 sales now total nearly 6 million units, said EA executives.
The publisher also revealed that the reboot of the Medal of Honor series, released October 12, sold 2 million copies in its first two weeks on the market. In terms of other new titles, executives told analysts during a conference call that EA MMA is “off to a slow start” but the console versions of the Sims 3 were “tracking well.” One upcoming title, NBA Elite 11, has now been canceled outright. As had been rumored, development of future NBA games will be handled at EA Tiburon in Florida.
EA also claimed to be the top publisher in the “high-definition console” market–that is, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3–reporting its share increased two points to 25 percent. It also says it is the top PC publisher with a 27 percent share. EA CEO John Riccitiello said that sales of high-definition packaged goods and digital goods is increasing, but revenue from the Wii and handheld games is falling.
Looking ahead, EA is leaving its full fiscal year guidance of $940 million to $1.07 billion in revenue in place. The figure takes into account a $180 million restructuring charge “due to licensing agreements and developer contracts” and ongoing expenses for development of the massively multiplayer game Star Wars: The Old Republic, which will not launch during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
“EA posts loss, Medal of Honor sells 2 million” was posted by Tor Thorsen on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:39:45 -0700 -
Megapublisher sees quarterly revenue drop 20 percent; Madden, FIFA 11 tipped as best sellers; FIFA franchise sales top 100 million; Bad Company 2 sells nearly 6 million.
Electronic Arts today reported a $201 million loss ($0.61 per share) for the three months ending September 30. While not as good news as posting a profit, the loss was smaller than the $391 million ($1.21 per share) it lost during the same period last year. Revenue fell 20 percent from $788 million to $631 million using standard accounting practices, thanks to a smaller release slate. The company launched seven major titles from July to September 2010, versus nine during the same period the year prior.
When excluding one-time charges along the lines of restructuring costs, acquisition expenses, and stock-related compensation, EA actually managed to post a small profit of $32 million ($0.10 per share) on $884 million in revenue. That beat the average estimate of a Thomson Reuters survey of analysts, which expected $815 million in revenues and a loss of $0.10 per share.
Of the quarter’s hit titles, the publisher said six of its games were amongst the top 20 selling games in North America and Europe: FIFA 11, Madden NFL 11, NCAA Football 11, NHL 11, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and FIFA 10. Overall, FIFA-brand game sales increased 20 percent, with the franchise’s sales topping over 100 million units life-to-date. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 sales now total nearly 6 million units, said EA executives.
The publisher also revealed that the reboot of the Medal of Honor series, released October 12, sold 2 million copies in its first two weeks on the market. In terms of other new titles, executives told analysts during a conference call that EA MMA is “off to a slow start” but the console versions of the Sims 3 were “tracking well.” One upcoming title, NBA Elite 11, has now been canceled outright. As had been rumored, development of future NBA games will be handled at EA Tiburon in Florida.
EA also claimed to be the top publisher in the “high-definition console” market–that is, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3–reporting its share increased two points to 25 percent. It also says it is the top PC publisher with a 27 percent share. EA CEO John Riccitiello said that sales of high-definition packaged goods and digital goods is increasing, but revenue from the Wii and handheld games is falling.
Looking ahead, EA is leaving its full fiscal year guidance of $940 million to $1.07 billion in revenue in place. The figure takes into account a $180 million restructuring charge “due to licensing agreements and developer contracts” and ongoing expenses for development of the massively multiplayer game Star Wars: The Old Republic, which will not launch during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
“EA posts loss, Medal of Honor sells 2 million” was posted by Tor Thorsen on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:39:45 -0700 -
EA Tiburon taking over next year.
NBA Elite 11’s status has changed from ‘delayed’ to ‘cancelled’, publisher EA has announced.
EA’s John Schappert made the announcement at an EA investor call today. He went on to add that the franchise would be back next year, with the development reins being picked up by Madden/Tiger Woods studio EA Tiburon.
No reason was offered for the cancellation but it’s clear that there have been problems at the publisher’s EA Canada outpost, where the game was being made. The publisher made 100 redundancies at the developer last month.
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[UPDATE] Though retailers have the game as coming out in 2011, Yamauchi tells blog discs are being “stamped as we speak.”
[UPDATE] For Sony’s part, the pre-Christmas release appears to still be on. “We are still aiming for this holiday for launch,” a Sony representative told GameSpot. “As far as the Amazon date goes, retailers have arbitrary dates that get listed to coincide with any given title’s launch window if we haven’t provided a specific date. So it’s completely driven from their side as a placeholder.”
What’s more, Yamauchi indicated today in an interview with Jalopnik that, far from a delay, Gran Turismo 5 has actually gone gold. “The discs are being stamped as we speak,” Yamauchi told the blog.
Original story can be found below.
Considering that Sony and Polyphony Digital first announced Gran Turismo 5 for the PlayStation 3 in 2005, it would be almost a masochistic kind of comical for the publisher to disappoint eager fans with another delay. However, following on from reports in Japan over the weekend, if recent updates to a number of US retailers’ online databases are to be believed, just such a scenario may have happened.
As first spotted by Joystiq, retailers including GameStop, Amazon, and Target are now listing either a January 1, 2011, or December 31, 2010, release date for Polyphony Digital’s oft-delayed racing sim. The update came after a tipster sent Joystiq an automated message from Amazon stating that the game’s release date had been “changed by the publisher,” with the post-Christmas date subsequently attached.
The update isn’t without a touch of irony, as today is the exact day on which Polyphony had planned on releasing the game, a date that it acquired during the 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo. However, in October, Sony bumped the game to “this holiday season” in the US and Japan, with its UK and Europe date schedule for “before Christmas.”
Following last month’s delay, Sony producer Taku Imasaki told the New York Times, “We’re really close, but this was an executive decision that was made yesterday. Realistically, we thought we had a good date. We’re not happy over here.” He reiterated that Sony “is shooting for it to be out by the holidays. You won’t see too much more delay.” In Japan, Polyphony Digital head Kazunori Yamauchi commented said, “I believe we won’t keep you waiting until then.”
When it does finally ship, Gran Turismo 5 will feature close to 1,000 vehicles on more than 70 tracks in 20-plus locations. With a massive budget of $60 million, it is also an official licensee of several major racing circuits, such as NASCAR and the World Rally Championship. A sample of the PlayStation 3 exclusive, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, was released in April 2008, garnering decent reviews.
For more information, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage of Gran Turismo 5.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
“Gran Turismo 5 gone gold – Report” was posted by Tom Magrino on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:39:34 -0700 -
Start saving your pennies.
The Squire Rock Band 3 guitar both a working instrument and game controller will be available on 1st March 2011 in the USA, manufacturer Fender has announced.
According to Fender’s official site, the Stratocaster will set you back $279.99 (around £175 / $199) and will be available for pre-order from 1st January 2011.
We’ve contacted Fender to pin down a European release date. The alternative 102-button Mustang guitar controller was available at launch, priced £124.99.
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What the Shadow Complex team did next.
Epic has officially unveiled Infinity Blade, the first iPhone game to run on the Unreal Engine.
Developed by Chair Entertainment the team behind the fabulous Xbox Live Arcade platformer Shadow Complex it’s a sword fighting adventure game that sees you progress through a castle slashing away at all manner of nasties using the iPhone’s touch screen.
You might recognise it as Project Sword, recently shown off at an Apple event. A tech demo based on the game, entitled Epic Citadel, has been available for a few months now.
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SVP Patrick Soderlund affirms publisher’s commitment to Criterion’s high-octane racing franchise, says Black Box will handle next year’s Need for Speed.
With its combination of extreme stunts, big wipeouts, and fast cars, Criterion Games’ Burnout franchise is one of EA’s most well-regarded franchises. However, the future of the series seemed to be called into question last June, when EA said that Criterion had been tasked with the next installment in a different racing franchise, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, which is due out for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and PC next week.
However, it would appear as if Criterion won’t be permanently taking over the Need for Speed franchise. Speaking to Eurogamer, EA senior VP of first-person shooter and racing games Patrick Soderlund indicated that it was “safe to assume” that the next installment in the Need for Speed franchise would be developed by EA Black Box.
“What developers do what, we haven’t made official,” Soderlund said of the franchise. “But the whole idea for [Need for Speed] as a brand is to have different developers work on different things, absolutely.”
Prior to being tasked with the publisher’s Skate franchise, EA Black Box was most closely tied to Need for Speed, having developed the original Hot Pursuit 2, Underground, Underground 2, Most Wanted, Carbon, ProStreet, and Undercover. Slightly Mad Studios has also contributed to the franchise, handling 2009’s Need for Speed: Shift.
With Criterion off next year’s installment in the Need for Speed franchise, Soderlund was cagey on whether the studio would simply begin development on the series’ 2012 entry or return with a new Burnout.
“What happens to Criterion in the future, we’ll see,” he said. “Obviously they’re a brilliant studio we’re going to put against something that makes sense for EA and them. We’re not ready to talk about exactly what that is at this point.”
“The way we look at it is Burnout is an IP EA owns,” he continued. “I hope to see more Burnout games in the future. But it’s about prioritising what we want to do. At this point, we haven’t made a decision to whether Burnout does this or that, but it’s not dead for sure, no.”
For more on Criterion’s latest effort, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
“EA not burnt out on Burnout” was posted by Tom Magrino on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 12:27:04 -0700 -
Trade group says justices heard, understood all its arguments against California game law, showed little interest in one of state’s key points.
Earlier today, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the fight over a California law that would prohibit the sale of some violent games to minors. After making its case to the court, the Entertainment Software Association trade group emerged confident, but stopped short of declaring victory.
“Today was a historic day not only for the computer and video game industry, but for the First Amendment,” ESA president Michael Gallagher said in a post-hearing conference call. “Twelve times in eight years, we’ve had this issue raised about whether video games are speech, and if so, to what degree of protection are they entitled. In the Court today, you heard every single argument the industry has made articulated not just by [ESA counsel of record] Paul [Smith], but by the Justices themselves.”
Smith said he was encouraged not just because the justices were lively and interested in the case, but because they “very quickly backed off” one of the state’s central arguments, that there should be a free speech exception for violence like the one for sexual content that allows states to control minors’ access to pornography.
“That didn’t seem to gain any traction at all, especially since Justice [Antonin] Scalia came out very strongly as a leader against that concept,” Smith said.
Gallagher mentioned that there was a “substantial” amount of discussion from the justices about the vagueness of the law, and he stressed there would be unintended consequences for all media if the California statute were upheld.
“For us, as the game industry, we would be discouraged from creating any content that runs the slightest risk of running afoul of the law,” Gallagher said. “And it would threaten the rights not only of minors, but for adults as well because of the content that would never be made and never find its way onto store shelves.”
Signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2005 but challenged in court before it could take effect, California Assembly Bill 1179 sought to ban the sale or rental of “violent video games” to children. A “violent” game was defined as a “game in which the range of options available to a player includes killing, maiming, dismembering, or sexually assaulting an image of a human being.” Under the law, retailers that sold such games would be subject to a $1,000 fine.
The bill would also have required “violent” video games to bear a two-inch-by-two-inch sticker with a “solid white ’18’ outlined in black” on their front covers. That’s more than twice the size of the labels that currently adorn game-box covers and display the familiar Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating.
In 2007, a circuit court judge struck down the law as unconstitutional but admitted he was “sympathetic to what the legislature sought to do.” Last year, an appellate court judge backed up the original ruling.
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“ESA confident on ‘historic’ day of Supreme Court hearing” was posted by Brendan Sinclair on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 12:10:58 -0700