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EA concerned by casual game price wars, but doesn't think it will undermine industry
EA Casual VP Harvey Elliott admits that the current price wars going on in the casual market is a concern, but feels that there will always be games customers will pay for more than others. CasualGaming.biz reports on Elliott's keynote at the Casual Games Forum, where the executive said he doesn't think that the gaming price wars incited by low-cost system's like Apple's App Store will go on forever.Elliott believes there are "certain games for certain markets, and sometimes free games will feel and fit right, but the same is true for low-priced games." He thinks there will always be a place for "paid-for games of all price ranges" -- we hope that's what he thinks, because his job depends upon it.
EA distributing game made by 17-year-old Slutz
Dan Slutz of Canton, Ohio, has been named the "Invent-A-Game Challenge" winner, netting the 17-year-old a $10,000 savings bond and a deal to have his winning submission developed into a free, online game by Electronic Arts. Slutz' winning submission for the national competition -- coordinated by Best Buy and Electronic Arts in association with The United Inventors Association and By Kids for Kids -- was a music-based platformer titled Rhythm. In the game, the player assumes the character of "Rhythm," tasked with saving music for the townsfolk of "Melody" by fighting various monsters across ten worlds, using different musical styles. For Slutz, winning the competition is a dream come true -- and he can't wait for the world to play his creation. "I am very serious about a career as a video game designer, and could not be more appreciative of this great opportunity." Congratulations goes out to Slutz for living the dream. Oh, and it's pronounced "Slootz," which immediately ruins our headline. Thanks, Dan!
EA predicts $6 billion in revenue ... in three years
Looks like someone has an all-natural surge of confidence. Despite the potential of being knocked back to No. 2 status in the game publisher arena, EA is still predicting a robust $6 billion in revenue for fiscal 2011. To put that in context, that would be 15 percent of the $40 billion in revenue for the entire game industry in 2007.EA's fiscal 2011 estimate is 53 percent higher than the estimated $3.9 billion the company will make in fiscal 2008 (which ends March 31) and 19 percent higher than the $4.9 billion stock analysts estimate they will make in fiscal 2011. The estimate includes $1.7 billion from EA Sports, $1 billion from online casual and mobile games, and $0.9 billion from "digital revenue," (i.e. downloadable games and content).EA shares were up 5.5 percent on the news, which we guess means that investors are confident in EA's rather bullish projections. Either that or they just don't know when they're being fed a lot of hot air. Take your pick.
Casual game reviewer responds to EA, demands respect
Seems not everyone was very happy with EA's recent comments about the relative unimportance of casual game reviews. Over at casual games supersite Gamezebo, editor Erin Bell has posted a well-written response to EA Marketing VP Russell Aarons' argument that casual gamers trust their friends' game recommendations more than professional reviews. "Statements like these are intensely patronizing, not only to media outlets like Gamezebo who focus on the casual market, but also to the millions of discerning, media savvy casual gamers who drive the multi-billion dollar casual games industry," Bell writes. "If casual gamers didn't read reviews, I wouldn't have a job."To be fair, EA's comments probably weren't directed at casual-focused sites like Gamezebo, but instead at the majority of specialist game sites that just don't seem to understand the appeal of casual games. Still, it's true that casual gamers sometime don't get enough respect from the gaming community. Just because a gamer doesn't have the time or inclination to dive into a Mass Effect or a Halo 3 doesn't mean they don't take their hobby seriously. Or, as Bell puts it, being a casual gamer doesn't necessarily mean being "the kind of person who buys a game based on how pretty the box is or because it's based on their favorite television show." Of course, this doesn't apply to the Deal or No Deal game. After all, who could resist Howie Mandel's come-hither grin?
