Report: EA Missed Current Hardware Cycle

[Emabulator]

GamesIndustry has posted an article (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/electronic-arts-has-missed-the-current-hardware-cycle-analyst) covering a report by analysts at Cowen Research that is highly critical of management at Electronic Arts.

EA has "missed the current hardware cycle" and is unlikely to return to historical operating income margin levels "anytime soon", according to a new report by analysts at Cowen Research.

In an occasionally damning critique of EA's plans and guidance the report states that: "We believe that following serial earnings disappointments, Electronic Arts now deserves a lower valuation premium than the company has historically enjoyed."

"Since management first laid out its initial full year 2010 guidance and full year 2011 long-term guidance in February 2008, the company has failed to deliver on its earnings targets and has been forced to repeatedly revise down its guidance. Given this historical record, we do not think investors should place too much faith in management's current guidance."
[via Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/27/report-investors-shouldnt-put-faith-in-ea-managements-curre/)]

[MasterEvilAce]

Anyone care to explain the difference between EA Games and Electronic Arts?
Are they the same company? Are they different divisions? Just wondering why some of their games install to EA Games, and some Electronic Arts

[TeeCakes]

This plus Spore crashing and burning spells no new IPs published by EA for a loooong time. Which sucks for the bought-out developers who want to work on something other than the newest EA-mandated Sims or Burnout sequel.

[Meusli]

I used to hate EA with a passion and swore never to buy another one of their games ever again. Yet the things I have seen them do this past year have turned that opinion around, I bought Mirrors Edge and Dead Space this Christmas and enjoyed them both enormously. I hope that this opinion does not make them revert to the tired old formula of rinse and repeat as that would be a shame.

[TeeCakes]

Anyone care to explain the difference between EA Games and Electronic Arts?
Are they the same company? Are they different divisions? Just wondering why some of their games install to EA Games, and some Electronic Arts

My guess is the difference between developer and publisher.

Electronic Arts publishes Criterion's Burnout series. But EA Games/Sports develops the Madden/NCAA football series.

[Demo_Boy]

EA actually tried new IP and got kicked in the balls repeatedly.

EA may have misjudged Wii popularity a couple years ago, but who coulda guessed that? And still 3rd party doesn't sell that well.

I think they have some good Product Managers there now, but man if every good deed gets rewarded with a knuckle sandwich.

Meanwhile Activision is whoring the Guitar/Perhiperal game market to death and doing gangbusters numbers.

It's a dark day indeed

[silv]

Activision also has WoW. It prints money.

[donkeydrop]

This plus Spore crashing and burning spells no new IPs published by EA for a loooong time.

Mirror's Edge, Dead Space, Left4Dead since Spore last year; Boom Blox too although that may have been a few months earlier. Later this year they're publishing Dragon Age, Dante's Inferno, Brutal Legend (w/ Tim Schaefer), Saboteur.


Anyone care to explain the difference between EA Games and Electronic Arts? Are they the same company? Are they different divisions? Just wondering why some of their games install to EA Games, and some Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts is divided into four divisions:

- EA Games
- EA Sports
- EA Casual
- The Sims label

[Evil Avatar]

Mirror's Edge, Dead Space, Left4Dead since Spore last year; Boom Blox too although that may have been a few months earlier. Later this year they're publishing Dragon Age, Dante's Inferno, Brutal Legend (w/ Tim Schaefer), Saboteur.


Not to mention Battlefield Bad Company and Army of Two.

Electronic Arts has been a pilar of new IP's recently.

[PopoWRX]

Not to mention Battlefield Bad Company and Army of Two.

Electronic Arts has been a pilar of new IP's recently.

For our sakes we need to see the new EA succeed and Activision fail (to a degree) otherwise, its sequels forever.

That is assuming EA's new ip offerings are good.

[3Suns]

Funny, because I have finally stopped hate EA with their changes in management/decision making. I think they are definitely on the right track to please gamers, maybe not make the ridiculous coin they did in the past, but still stay in the black and not be thought of as the Spam of the meat world. They need to hold the new course.