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EA: don't ignore smartphones
Stuart O'Brien Nov 30 2007, 10:02am
EA CEO John Riccitiello calls for mobile games industry rethink in wake of quiet summer.
Speaking at a Reuters Media Summit, the EA chief said a summer slump in North American mobile games sales was a "self-inflicted wound" attributable to, among other things, publishers (including EA) neglecting smartphones as a platform.
He said: "I'll never understand how this is possible, virtually every game publisher that's out there who publishes for mobile, ignored smartphones."
Riccitiello cited the iPhone, Blackberrys and Palm Treos as being ideally suited to gaming, but said they remain an as yet untapped revenue stream.
EA is supporting Nokia's upcoming N-Gage smartphone gaming platform.
Also on the agenda was the future of game distribution, with Riccitiello suggesting that side-loading of games from a PC (an integral part of the N-Gage model) would be more appealing to many consumers than OTA downloads.
He said: "You're absolutely going to see these models flourish. It's easier and better."
