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EA, Namco set sights on iPhone development
Two big gaming companies have made stark moves towards some major iPhone development in the future. Electronic Arts has made what seems to be the strongest move: they've put together a division in the company specifically for making iPhone games, and not just any games. Specifically, the kind that cost 99 cents. 8lb Gorilla is the name of the group they've put together in-house, and apparently it's a bunch of young developers given the task of putting together quick and cheap games about once a month that can sell for 99 cents, keep customers happy, and still bring in a profit for EA. The first title out of the group is a game called Zombies and Me, which appears to be an action game where you blow up zombies with explosives. Who wouldn't pay 99 cents for that one, right?Namco is also making moves toward the platform, though not that specific (or risky, though EA's gambit could pay off big if the young devs turn out a hit). They've created an "Apple Games" division within their company, designed to make games specifically for the iPhone and iPod touch, and presumably for any other platforms that Apple decides to release games on. We hear the Mac is pretty popular -- does "Apple Games" include those other computers they make? Yet another Pac Man remake is the first title from them, but hopefully more original releases are coming.Very interesting to see major companies start setting aside resources specifically to target the App Store's unique market. Mac gamers have been fighting for years to get devs to pay attention to their platform, and now it looks like Apple's handheld devices, along with the relatively easy money of the App Store, have finally done it.
EA quietly opens '8lb Gorilla' to make smaller iPhone games
There's a lot of excitement around the iPhone game market these days, what with people making lots of money and investing so little to do so. EA has apparently opened up a studio (without saying a peep about it) named "8lb Gorilla," simultaneously announcing the upcoming Zombies & Me for Apple's mobile platform. Unlike the recent emphasis on bringing major franchise ports to the handheld, 8PG will supposedly be focusing on the sub-$3 market, and thusly, more bite-sized game experiences. According to Touch Arcade, Zombies & Me features quick, motion-controlled gameplay that testers could understand "within 5-10 seconds." Set during the apocalypse, the government is dropping missles and you're tasked with guiding zombies in as large a group as possible into a nearby explosion -- the folks at 8PG say it's set to release "very soon." EA is apparently targeting to release something from the "twenty-something year old developers" once a month, pending App Store approval. Looks like even the big guys are jumping on the low-priced iPhone app bandwagon cash train.
