I don’t usually do this, but since it is topical I’ll make an exception.
My blog post at ITWorld today is an opinion piece (and I wish that site emphasized posts tagged opinion more) about the EA layoffs:
Game developer Electronic Arts announces 1500 job cuts
A bit more ‘extreme’ thoughts that I didn’t feel comfortable sharing over there; I think this is a really bad sign for the so-called ‘core gamer.’ It sounds to me like EA is shifting it’s emphasis from the PC/Xbox/PS3 triad over to free-to-play web games with micro-scams… I mean micro-transactions.
I never would’ve imagined Facebook would become such a threat to “real” games.
Threat AND the basis of the next round of “me too” offerings.
Sometimes I think the game industry is a dog that chases it’s tail…round and round and round and round… 😀
But I like dogs…so…there you go.
Glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed the shift that EA is doing. Great article btw!
This is public companies flailing to figure out how to record profits quarter after quarter, more than a vote for casual games over core games.
I think smart companies will continue to make money in both the casual and core markets, but stupid companies won’t succeed at either.
Here’s a link to an industry analyst saying that core games are a better investment for publishers than casual games…who’s right? No one really knows 🙂
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/26221/Analyst_Core_Games_Best_Investment_For_Publishers_As_Wii_Bubble_Deflates.php