Electronic Arts, the publisher of successful video game franchises like Madden NFL and The Sims, will release fewer titles in the years ahead, says CEO John Riccitiello.
Speaking at the Reuters Global Media Summit in New York today, Riccitiello said that the company currently publishes more than 50 titles and plans to reduce that number down to 40 in the next fiscal year. He also said he would not be shocked if EA eventually published as little as 30 titles in the future.
Instead of churning out traditional console titles, EA is focusing on more casual and social games; the company recently let go of 1500 employees, closed down its Pandemic development studio (Star Wars: Battlefront, Mercenaries, The Saboteur) and acquired social media game developer Playfish for $275 million.
This business plan has got gamers worried that they won’t see creative and critically-acclaimed new intellectual properties, such as last year’s Mirror’s Edge or Dead Space. Though both titles were met with good reviews, they had disappointing sales. Let’s hope their reported sequels are still on track for next year.
For now, you can at least enjoy the just-announced Mirror’s Edge iPhone game and ponder if EA’s strategy really means quality over quanitity.
(via Yahoo!)
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