EA Tips PS2, 360 for Xmas Success
Attention publishers: There's still a lot of money to be made in the current generation.
Stores are going to be crowded this Christmas, what with Sony and Nintendo launching new consoles, Microsoft having sorted out its stock issues with the Xbox 360, and both new handhelds doing well. EA says the real winners this Christmas will be Microsoft's new system and Sony's old one.
Current-gen hits like FIFA can still make big money"All of the attention is going to be on the battle between PS3, Wii and Xbox 360, but the money is going to be made this Christmas on Xbox 360 and PS2," EA's David Gardner told MCV this week.
"We are going to have titles that I think that are going to look incredible on PS3 but it's really not going to be meaningful with the supply situation and the late in the year shipment."
That doesn't mean EA isn't entering these new lands with gusto. The company is planning "a couple" of games for release around the launch of the Wii, and there will be 8-10 games out for PlayStation 3 by the end of March.
Gardner told MCV that EA's teams are beavering away now to be better prepared for 2007. The company is spending "over $700 million" in the process.
The arrival of the next generation proper has many game makers putting all their eggs there. This is a mistake, says Gardner:
"If [publishers] are spending all of their money on next-gen and they haven't got any PS2 games, they're missing the sweet spot of where the profits are."
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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