Analyst: Activision a better investment than EA

Deutsche Bank analyst Jeetil Patel believes that although the merger of Activision and Vivendi Games has received proper attention from investors, he feels they still haven't fully appreciated the power Activision wields all by its lonesome. He states that in a direct comparison with EA,Activision continues to hold a lead over its rival (thanks to Guitar Hero and Call of Duty) despite no major recent releases.

Patel points out that Activsion has been steadily growing over time, while EA "seems to have lost its superiority to the likes of Activision" in terms of profit margins and profit scale. He gives a "Buy" rating to Activision and a "Sell" to EA. It's worth noting that Patel is certainly one of EA's harshest critics.