EA busted up into 4 separate entities........

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

It will be interesting to see if this helps their bottom line overall. Their expenses as a whole have gone through the roof over the past two years, hindering their overall profit.

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6041&Itemid=2

[MikeVic]

Bah, need to be registered.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Sorry, here's the main crux of the story.......

Electronic Arts said today it will undergo a major reorganization that will separate the megapublisher into four different labels.

The four labels will be EA Sports, EA Games, EA Casual Entertainment and The Sims. Separate presidents will head up each label. Nancy Smith will lead The Sims label; Frank Gibeau will head up EA Games, which will manage titles including—but not limited to—Need for Speed, Medal of Honor, Spore, Battlefield, Burnout, Command & Conquer and The Simpsons; Kathy Vrabeck will head up the recently announced EA Casual Entertainment unit, which houses Harry Potter, Boogie, EA Mobile and Pogo.com; and EA executive VP Joel Linzner will lead EA Sports until a president is appointed for that label.

[MikeVic]

I was under the impression they already had an EA Sports and EA Games separation. I guess not?

In any case, seeing as how big they are, this makes sense to me.

[Wolfpack]

The Sims? Isn't that essentially allowing Maxis to re-emerge again?

[Coffee Warlord]

The Sims? Isn't that essentially allowing Maxis to re-emerge again?

Maxis pretty much is as close to a seperate entity as EA will ever allow as it is. Wil Wright's got that A-list power.

[flounder]

Like Voltron, will they be able to recombine into an unstoppable force of mediocrity?

[Butter]

The Sims gets its own division, eh? That's almost like the kiss of death.

[Critch]

Wonder if The Sims section will contain the new SimCity release? That would be good, knowing that something that was Maxis will have oversight. Good after the stories about them not being involved, and the rumors of a serious "dumbing-down" of the game anyway.

Talking of which, the first set of screenshots from the new Sim City have been released.

[Izulde]

In the new Computer Games for Windows I got a few days ago, the article seemed to indicate the newest SimCity project seems to be more streamlined than dumbing down.

...Then again, said mag also threw Maximum Football a bone in the same issue, so a large grain of salt is needed.

[MikeVic]

...Then again, said mag also threw Maximum Football a bone in the same issue, so a large grain of salt is needed.

Whoa whoa whoa... what do you mean it threw it a bone? Did it say something like "if the bugs get fixed, this could be a playable game?" Or what?

[SackAttack]

Wonder if The Sims section will contain the new SimCity release? That would be good, knowing that something that was Maxis will have oversight. Good after the stories about them not being involved, and the rumors of a serious "dumbing-down" of the game anyway.

Talking of which, the first set of screenshots from the new Sim City have been released.

"dumbing down," no. I'm actually much more excited for SimCity Societies after seeing it in action last Thursday than I was for either SC3K or SC4.

[Emiliano]

"dumbing down," no. I'm actually much more excited for SimCity Societies after seeing it in action last Thursday than I was for either SC3K or SC4.

Societies? Is that the new one in the SimCity line? I did miss this announcement. Googling...

[Emiliano]

Wiki article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SimCity_Societies). Could be interesting...

[Critch]

"dumbing down," no. I'm actually much more excited for SimCity Societies after seeing it in action last Thursday than I was for either SC3K or SC4.

K, that's good news. I'd read a few posts about it being simplified for more mass market appeal, and the removal of Maxis, so the reaction on a couple of SimCity boards seemed to be negative. I guess peeps just don't like change.

[gstelmack]

Whoa whoa whoa... what do you mean it threw it a bone? Did it say something like "if the bugs get fixed, this could be a playable game?" Or what?

I had to go grab a copy and look it up. They have an article entitled "State of the Union: PC Sports Games". In it:

To counter Madden's PC complacency, Winter Valley Software released Maximum Football, a fully customizable management sim. "You can play an NFL-type league, or recreate the CFL, XFL, USFL, WFL, or Arena ball," Joe Gandolfo of PCFootball.net says. "You can customize the rules to your liking, create uniforms, create players, customize stadiums, and mod [to] your heart's content, since the database is unlocked."

BBCF gets a mention, but no FOF. The baseball sim market is "led" by Baseball Mogul.

[BrianD]

"You can customize the rules to your liking, create uniforms, create players, customize stadiums, and mod [to] your heart's content, since the database is unlocked."

Funny that they don't say anything about actually playing football. :)

[Critch]

Wiki article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SimCity_Societies). Could be interesting...

Sounds similar to last year's "City Life". Hopefully it's better than that.

[MikeVic]

Funny that they don't say anything about actually playing football. :)

It still makes the game sound good. If I were a kid reading that, I would probably try the game out.

[SackAttack]

Societies? Is that the new one in the SimCity line? I did miss this announcement. Googling...

Yep. You could call it SimCity 5, but it really does represent a change from how they did things in the past. You have more control over the character of your city this time around, so instead of becoming a game about zoning and public utility simulation, you can actually influence the sort of society your city embodies.

[Emiliano]

Yep. You could call it SimCity 5, but it really does represent a change from how they did things in the past. You have more control over the character of your city this time around, so instead of becoming a game about zoning and public utility simulation, you can actually influence the sort of society your city embodies.

Very nice.