Now, though, Houser tells the WSJ that in the event of an acquisition by EA, Houser wouldn't mind being "a much smaller fish in a much bigger pond."

The "talent" at Rockstar, as they're called internally, make star-caliber money and might find EA's more traditional pay structure jarring. In 2005, a particularly strong year, Take-Two paid royalties of $84 million, according to company filings. The bulk of funds, say people familiar with the matter, went to Mr. Houser and other Rockstar executives. If EA succeeds in acquiring Take-Two, some analysts believe EA's star developers might demand a bigger share of game proceeds.

Another possible kink: Rockstar's history of autonomy. If EA ends up with Take-Two, Mr. Houser says it's unlikely that he would go so far as to seek EA's approval for game content. Still, he calls Mr. Riccitiello "the real deal" and sees some appeal in an EA alliance, which he says would make Rockstar a "much smaller fish in much bigger pond."

"I'm not someone who has any kind of problem with that," says Mr. Houser, who says EA turned him down for a job in the late 1990s.

According to TechCrunch, the draw for EA is Rupture's technology infrastructure, not its userbase, because as to the latter there apparently ain't much to speak of yet. The service apparently stalled in beta and never launched a second version. In other words, Rupture's not good for much - except as a ground on which EA could build a social network around multiplayer online games.

From TechCrunch:

Presumably, creating social networks around massively multiplayer video games is a key component of its online strategy. The company has not yet officially announced the acquisition, but it is expected to do so soon. [Update: The closing of the deal is imminent, but there are still some papers to sign].

EA declined to comment on the report.

Shawn Fanning Finally Gets A Real Payday: Electronic Arts Buys Rupture For $30 Million [TechCrunch]

Take us out, Rockapella!

'From First to Last' Steps in the Ring with Arcade-Style Boxing Game Facebreaker From EA Sports

Suretone/Artwerk Artists Showcased Via Music And Likenesses In All-New Game As Their New Album Hits Stores & Tour Begins

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—The worlds of new music and gaming collide in the ring as Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced that Suretone/Artwerk band From First To Last will be showcased in EA SPORTS' upcoming arcade-style boxing game, FaceBreaker™. The band, whose self-titled debut album was released last week, will have three new songs on the FaceBreaker soundtrack as well as being featured as animated characters within the game itself.

"FaceBreaker is the beginning of a classic new EA franchise," said Steve Schnur, EA's Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing. "It looks and plays like no other game on the market today and deserves a soundtrack to match. We were looking for a left-of-center band to connect with a great soundtrack opportunity, and From First To Last is the ideal act to showcase in this game. Add in their new album, their upcoming Warped Tour appearances and a few surprises still to come, and you've a 360˚ partnership that totally 'gets it'. Simply put, we've matched the new with the new like never before. The dual impact of FaceBreaker and FFTL is going to be undeniable."

Along with lending their music and likeness to the game, From First To Last will also promote the game during 45 shows on their upcoming spring and summer tour. The band will hold public presentations of FaceBreaker via projection screens prior to each concert, and band members will pull selected fans on-stage before their show kicks off to demo the game.

Additionally, EA will feature game demos, merchandise and the FaceBreaker band bus at each stop of the tour, as well as exclusive FFTL downloads, profiles, band playlists, contests and more on the FaceBreaker website. To round out the marketing campaign and create online buzz, From First To Last will also participate in the making of 10 viral videos of live concert footage married with FaceBreaker clips to be released on the web.

"By signing FFTL to EA's music publishing company Artwerk, we've made a commitment to create unique marketing opportunities for them," says Schnur. "In addition to FaceBreaker, their music will be featured in the soundtracks of several other top EA titles in the months to come. FFTL's music, concert tickets and merchandise will soon become an even bigger part of their fans lives. The ultimate goal is for the guys who we believe to be the best post-hardcore band in North America today to be heard by the largest global audience possible tomorrow."

"World's Away", along with other tracks from FFTL's new self-titled album are available on EA's music website at www.ea.com/eatrax. More information on From First To Last is at http://www.fromfirsttolast.com/.

GOLDEN TRAILER AWARDS HONOR THE YEAR'S BEST TRAILERS IN NINTH ANNUAL AWARDS SHOW

Hammer Creative Takes Home "Best Video Game Trailer" Award

MAY 12, 2008, LOS ANGELES: Hammer Creative has been honored with the award for the year's "Best Video Game Trailer" at the 9th Annual Golden Trailer Awards for their THE SIMPSONSTM GAME: MEDAL OF HOMER (Electronic Arts) trailer. This win marks the third year in a row that Hammer Creative has garnered this prestigious recognition, and is preceded by Best Video Game Trailer awards for THE GODFATHER: THE GAME (2006) and TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL: DOUBLE AGENT (2007). "It's a real tribute to our video game team, led by Scott Hayman and Jim Botko, that we have had such consistent, long term creative success in the video game arena," commented Hammer Creative founder Mark Pierce. "EA has been a terrific partner and we look forward to our continued relationship with them."

I absolutely love the PlayStation.

You know what: He's a businessman, not some insane fanboy. He'll "love" whoever keeps him employed and "hate" whoever threatens to keep him out of a job. No surprises here.
Peter Moore Talks [PSU via Next-Gen] [Pic]

Skate It looks to replace the dual analog control scheme from the original skate with a Wii remote-only method that looks serviceable based on the promo video. As expected, the game also plans to use the soon to be release Wii Fit Balance Board, but executive producer Scott Blackwood is light on details. IGN has the full scoop.

Skate It on Wii and Nintendo DS [IGN]

"There's no news here," said EA VP of communications Jeff Brown. "This is just a process point on something we announced in February."

With $2.3 billion on hand in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, EA already has the funds available to do the deal as it currently stands. With the deal not contingent on financing, why borrow more money?

"It helps us maintain maximum flexibility for any opportunities," said Brown.

Take-Two had no comment as of press time.

The announcement comes on the heels of news that Mass Effect will also be ditching the ten day re-authentication.

We wanted to let you know that we've been hearing your concerns about the online authentication mentioned earlier this week. I didn't want to head into the weekend without getting back to you with some information about how Spore is planning on using this new system.

A few things we wanted you to know:

— We authenticate your game online when you install and launch it the first time.
— We'll re-authenticate when a player uses online features, downloads new content or a patch for their game.
— The new system means you don't have to play with the disc in your computer. And if you are like me, always losing discs, this will be a huge benefit.
— You'll still be able to install and play on multiple computers.
— You can play offline.

We do hope that players will play online - sharing creatures, buildings and vehicles with other players is something that is unique to Spore and one of the coolest features of the game. Every day, when I play the Creature Stage, I get to see wacky and awesome new creatures from my Buddies on the team coming over the hill at me and I can't wait to see what happens when our creative, passionate community starts sharing their creations.

Sounds like Electronic Arts got the message, here's hoping that other publishers do too.

The developer said the decision came after listening "very closely" to its fans and that the new system will also allow gamers to play the game without the DVD in the drive.

The system will allow gamers to authenticate their game on just three computers, but EA does have the ability to give additional authorizations if they are warranted.

Hit up the jump for the official FAQ and to let us know what you think about this change of heart.

Q: What is the difference between the old PC disc authentication solution and the new online model?

A: Two things have changed:

• First, authentication of discs has now gone from the physical format to the online format, freeing the need for consumers to have a disc in the drive at all times.

• Second, with online authentication consumers now connect to the Internet the first time the game is launched and are required only to reconnect if they are downloading new game content.

Q: Will EA or BioWare take any personal information from my computer during an authentication?

A: Absolutely not. We do not take any personal information from your computer. The system simply verifies that a valid CD key has been provided and assigns that activation to that PC.

Q: What happens when I’ve reached the maximum # of computers for my game and I need more, say due to theft of computer, computer crashes, etc?

A: EA customer service is on hand to supply any additional authorizations that are warranted. This will be done on a case-by-case basis by contacting customer support.

Q: Why are BioWare and EA implementing this new authentication process?

A: This serves to protect our software from piracy. It has the added benefit of allowing consumers to activate the game on multiple machines without needing the DVD in the drive when playing the game.

Q: Did BioWare and EA change their mind on requiring that the game be re-authorized every 10 days?

A: BioWare has always listened very closely to its fans and we made this decision to ensure we are delivering the best possible experience to them. To all the fans including our many friends in the armed services and internationally who expressed concerns that they would not be able re-authenticate as often as required, EA and BioWare want you to know that your feedback is important to us.

Q: If the game isn’t going to require an authentication every 10 days, will it ever require re-authentication?

A: Only if the player chooses to download new game content.

The game, the first ever in the franchise to come to the PC, is being "rebuilt specifically for the PC" and will include expanded multiplayer, enhanced online feature and new "community driven content."

Criterion will be holding a press conference on their website later today to talk more details about the upcoming game. Hit up the jump for the full release.

Criterion Games

EA’s Burnout Paradise Revs Its Engines on the PC
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Criterion Games, a studio of Electronic Arts, (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced that the award-winning driving game Burnout™ Paradise is being rebuilt specifically for the PC. Burnout Paradise will be the first Burnout title ever made for the PC, customized with expanded multiplayer, enhanced online features, and community driven content.

Originally released for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system, Burnout Paradise has won over 55 awards worldwide. Burnout Paradise delivers an open-world environment built for intense speed, excitement and exploration and sets a new standard in the seamless transition from single-player offline to social online gameplay.

Burnout Paradise for the PC will combine all the open world racing, intense speed and action of the original game with new gameplay for the PC version.

Gamers can tune into a live webcast at http://criteriongames.com at 8:00 AM PST on Friday, May 9 for more details on this announcement. For more information about Burnout Paradise, please visit http://criteriongames.com or the EA press website at http://info.ea.com.

Burnout Paradise for the PC has not been rated by the ESRB or PEGI.

The game, under development by Pandemic Studios, will give gamers a chance to fight some of Tolkein's greatest battles as either the good guys or the bad when it hits this fall.

“We’ll freely admit that we’re rabid fans of The Lord of the Rings fantasy,” says Josh Resnick, co-founder and general manager at Pandemic Studios. “Our experience creating massive, rich, action-packed games means that The Lord of the Rings: Conquest will give fans exactly what they want: full control of the blade, bow and magic to fight its epic battles any way they want – even if they choose to play from the evil side.”

Hit the jump for the official press release.

PANDEMIC STUDIOS ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS: CONQUEST
‘Conquest’ Grants Players Freedom to Fight Epic ‘Rings’ Battles Any Way Desired

LOS ANGELES, Calif., May 8, 2008 – Pandemic™ Studios, an award-winning developer of blockbuster video games, is proud to announce the development of The Lord of the Rings: Conquest™ for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, PC and Nintendo DS™ platforms. Pandemic Studios is a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS).

In a partnership with New Line Cinema, The Lord of the Rings: Conquest is an action-packed game created by the same Pandemic Studios team behind the best-selling Star Wars Battlefront™ and Star Wars Battlefront™ II titles. Set in “The Lord of the Rings” universe of J.R.R. Tolkien as depicted by the Academy Award®-winning films, players will finally fight the entirety of these epic battles any way they want. In addition to crusading as the heroic forces of good, for the first time ever in a ‘The Lord of the Rings’ action title they’ll conquer Middle-earth while playing as the legions of Sauron’s evil army, including Cave-trolls, Oliphaunts, the Balrog and Sauron himself. The game is set for a global release in fall 2008.

“Our Pandemic Studios creative teams have years of expertise bringing giant battlefields to life,” says Andrew Goldman, Pandemic Studios co-founder and general manager. “We’ve always wanted to harness our experience in a fantasy universe with warriors, archers, mages and castle sieges. Of course, there is truly no better fantasy world to recreate than the enormity of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ realm.”

“We’ll freely admit that we’re rabid fans of The Lord of the Rings fantasy,” says Josh Resnick, co-founder and general manager at Pandemic Studios. “Our experience creating massive, rich, action-packed games means that The Lord of the Rings: Conquest will give fans exactly what they want: full control of the blade, bow and magic to fight its epic battles any way they want – even if they choose to play from the evil side.”

“We are thrilled to be working with Pandemic Studios on this game,” commented David Imhoff, Senior EVP of Worldwide Licensing & Merchandising for New Line Cinema. “They bring not only their incredible technical and creative abilities but also a great passion for The Lord of the Rings.”

The world premiere of game footage and the first trailer for The Lord of the Rings: Conquest will premiere exclusively on Spike TV’s GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley on Friday, June 20.

This announcement reveals the third blockbuster video game project in the works at Pandemic Studios’ Los Angeles-based headquarters alongside the upcoming Mercenaries 2: World in Flames™ and Saboteur™, both in development for the Xbox 360™, PLAYSTATION®3 and PC platforms. For more information on The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, please visit: http://www.pandemicstudios.com/conquest.

I don't think of it as casual. We were one of the first games that started to attract a broad audience. We were one of the first games that bought in women... To some degree The Sims is more of a toy than a game. People want to create characters, tell stories and explore relationships in a way that is maybe different from their real lives.

We're watching very closely what the Wii Fit board does. We think we have to have a role to play with that mum - the kids have gone to school, she's got 45 minutes on her own, the Wii is there, it's the first console she's ever liked because she can do things herself. And we're working on stuff, trying to work out how we can use EA Sports applications there.

EA making Wii fitness game [Eurogamer]

This is exciting stuff. I used to kick Iron Mike's ass pretty regularly—as Lil' Mac, of course—but was terrified when I ran into him last year at a party. I shall take my revenge on him next year for giving me such a fright. I may even go so far as to say that his heart/children will be eaten, should the game allow it. You hear that, Tyson?!

The Champ Is Back! EA Announces EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4

Mike Tyson Featured in First Boxing Videogame in Nearly a Decade

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq:ERTS) announced today that EA SPORTS™Fight Night Round 4 is in development at EA Canada in Vancouver under the EA SPORTS brand. EA SPORTS Fight Night is back with the most realistic "in the ring" experience to date, featuring some of the greatest boxers in history fighting in their prime.

"The EA SPORTS Fight Night franchise has always been synonymous with quality and innovation that raised the bar for the sports videogame genre", said Kevin Wilkinson, Executive Producer, EA SPORTS. "EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 3 was a platform defining game as the industry transitioned to next generation consoles. EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 will change how boxing games are played and measured in the future."

Featuring a re-written gameplay engine, EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 will add a variety of fighting styles and boxer differentiation to authentically emulate the greatest fighters of all time. Pressure your opponent with the brawling inside style of young Mike Tyson, bobbing and weaving to set up powerful hooks and uppercuts. Capitalize on Muhammad Ali's reach, hand speed and fleetness of foot to bewilder your opponent with lightning fast jabs and straights from the outside. For the first time in history, EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 gives you the opportunity to pit these legendary heavyweights against one another and name a true champ.

No fight will be the same with an all-new physics-based animation system that recreates the full spectrum of true-to-life punch impacts, giving boxers a devastating arsenal of punches, blocks and ring movement. The new physics system allows for missed punches, glancing punches, knockout blows and for the first time ever, rough and tumble inside fighting. Fatigue, adrenaline, footwork and timing all come into play as you hammer away at your opponents.

EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 will be available for the Xbox 360™ system and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and ships to retailers in 2009. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI.

EA SPORTS™ is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world, with top-selling titles and franchises including Madden NFL Football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® and NASCAR® racing.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA SPORTS Freestyle™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2007, EA posted revenue of $3.09 billion and had 24 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle, and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. John Madden, NFL, FIFA, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Tiger Woods, PGA TOUR and NASCAR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. Microsoft and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. "PLAYSTATION" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

What does this mean for EA's ongoing bid for Take-Two? Cowen and Co. analyst Doug Creutz said this morning that even the GTA IV launch couldn't have elevated the share price from January's 17 dollars per share to its current 26-dollar range, and that right now the elevated price is due to investor eagerness for the sale.

"Take-Two's self-imposed moratorium [on negotiations] is over," said Creutz. "We haven't heard anything out of either company in the last week. They could be talking... I still think the odds that the deal happens that are very high... I don't think GTA changes that at all."

Just how high are those odds? EA continues to point to the ticking clock, and just recently told GamesIndustry.biz that the chances of a deal happening are "now 50/50 at best."

"I think it's more like 80/20," said Creutz.

To understand the likelihood, Creutz cites an example from elsewhere in the market. Adjacent to this ongoing battle, we've seen Microsoft launch a similarly aggressive bid to acquire Yahoo! — and fail. But according to Creutz, the EA-Take-Two bid is an opposite scenario in every way. "EA's shareholders want this deal to happen; they understand how potentially accretive this deal is," he said.

"If you compare this to Microsoft and Yahoo!... Microsoft shareholders didn't really want the deal, and Yahoo!'s management wanted to stay in charge. EA shareholders do want this, and Take-Two management have a lot of incentive to cash out so they can move onto the next project."

A Take-Two spokesperson said today that the Board will do "the right thing" for its stockholders: "Toward that end, we are committed to a process of considering all strategic alternatives to maximize stockholder value, including remaining independent. We have said that we were willing to begin formal discussions with interested parties on April 30th, after the launch of GTA IV, and we have continued to observe that timetable."

The spokesperson also reiterated it had received interest from "various parties" since the EA bid went public, but analysts have repeatedly noted a so-called "white knight" has yet to appear.

Creutz is of the opinion that EA will have to bid a little higher to make the deal happen. "EA can cut a lot of costs [in the event of an acquisition]," he said. "They don't have to have Strauss [Zelnick] and Ben [Feder] around; they can get rid of the corporate overhead. There's a lot of cost synergy with sales and marketing reorganizations and probably on the R & D side. A deal has the potential to add a lot to EA's earnings power; because of that, they can afford to pay more."

So why hasn't EA raised its bid? "You don't go public with your best offer; it's negotiating 101," said Creutz. "I think EA's willing to raise the bid once to get it done, but they have to take a hard line, otherwise Zelnick is going to walk all over them. Zelnick has to play it the same way."

"It's a game of chicken. Neither of them really wants to lose here, and neither of them wants this to blow up."

Are the parties talking? What does Take-Two consider an adequate offer? "We are not going to comment on specific conversations with third parties, nor will we speculate about the 'right' stock price," said the spokesperson.

Creutz also suspects bravado has a big role to play in this "game of chicken" — "If this deal doesn't happen, it's because egos got in the way, and both sides are going to walk away feeling a little stupid that they let this slip through their fingers," he said.

EA's Jeff Brown was unavailable for comment.

The publisher plans on taking over LA's Orpheum Theater on Monday at 3 p.m. For those of you keeping track, that's technically the day before the show starts.

Last night the New York Times let slip that Grand Theft Auto IV pulled in more than $500 million in its first week, selling an astounding 6 million copies globally, 3.6 million of them on the first day alone. This morning Take-Two confirmed the report, adding some well-deserved back-patting to the numbers.

To put it in perspective Halo 3, the previous record-holder, earned $300 million in the first week.

"We knew Grand Theft Auto IV would break new ground in terms of the player's experience, with its compelling story line, extraordinary gameplay and action that ranges over a broad urban canvas. Now, it has broken sales and rating records as well. Grand Theft Auto IV's first week performance represents the largest launch in the history of interactive entertainment, and we believe these retail sales levels surpass any movie or music launch to date. We congratulate the entire Rockstar team on creating a must-have experience that takes the legendary Grand Theft Auto franchise to a new level," said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two.

"Rockstar's goal is to make each new title in the Grand Theft Auto franchise even better than those that preceded it, and Grand Theft Auto IV is a smashing success on that score. Grand Theft Auto IV makes full use of the power of next generation technology, and offers players an experience unique in the interactive entertainment medium. This game sets a new standard in the industry, with critics hailing it as both an artistic and technological masterpiece," said Ben Feder, Take-Two's Chief Executive Officer.

The real question now is what this record breaking, Halo 3-smashing game will do to the EA/Take-Two talks.

It's like how swimming pools have a deep end and a shallow end. EA Sports has really only built a swimming pool with a deep end. It's intimidating for a lot of people to jump right in the deep end. With All-Play, we're building a shallow end.

...some games are so over-the-top violent and so extraordinarily interactive that I am even afraid of them. I am not going to name names... My kids will never go in and take an R-rated DVD and play it. But there is something very compelling and different about the artwork on the box of what might be an M game that could tempt my kids... There are games that are taboo. And I won't have them on the premises. I don't want my kids saying, 'How come Dad is playing that and we can't?'

Side note: Watched Temple of Doom three times today. Damn, that's a good movie.
Spielberg Switches [USA Today via Go Nintendo]

Freestyle is pitched as a more casual, more inclusive, pick up and play brand, one that Peter Moore says is "an easier entry point into EA Sports." Brilliant! Look at Peter shakin' things up!

The first title to fall under the EA Sports Freestyle sub-brand will be Facebreaker, EA's take on Punch-Out!! and Ready 2 Rumble. Two more titles are planned as Freestyle releases in the next year. Press release proof is right after this.

EA Unveils New 'EA SPORTS Freestyle' Sub-Brand

EA SPORTS Freestyle to Represent the Lighter Side of Sports: No Rules, Just Fun.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq:ERTS) today launched EA SPORTS Freestyle™, a new sub-brand aimed at a growing, more casual sports gaming audience. EA SPORTS Freestyle games, while based in sports, will be playful, inclusive, casual, and easy to pick up and play for kids and parents, women and men, and casual and hardcore sports fans of all ages.

"The launch of EA SPORTS Freestyle is an exciting milestone in the evolution of the EA SPORTS brand," said Peter Moore, president, EA SPORTS. "EA SPORTS Freestyle will be a perfect complement to our core portfolio of games that our loyal fans are deeply passionate about, and will provide compelling opportunities for new audiences looking for a lighter gaming experience and an easier entry point into EA SPORTS."

EA SPORTS Freestyle will be the home for innovative new intellectual properties from the EA SPORTS label, including three new games in development and slated for release in the next 12 months. The first title to launch under the new sub-brand will be FaceBreaker™, an arcade-style boxing title set for release in September 2008 and the first new console IP from EA SPORTS since 2002.

EA SPORTS™ is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world, with top-selling titles and franchises including Madden NFL Football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® and NASCAR® racing.

Media can find the new EA SPORTS Freestyle logo and the latest screenshots from FaceBreaker™ at info.ea.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA SPORTS Freestyle™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2007, EA posted revenue of $3.09 billion and had 24 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

But is it all of that enough to shake off the stink of Wii shovelware and live up to the expectations of a game created by the man behind E.T., Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark?

Loved
Eclectic Gameplay: With more than 300 levels, a myriad of ways to play (from blasting and throwing to pulling and stacking), Boom Blox is a virtual toy story of Wii gaming. Each facet of the game manages to deliver, with little to none of the technical issues that have marred other remote-heavy Wii titles.

Great Character Design: What's a game without character? While Boom Blox is loaded with plenty of entertaining character design, it's in the adventure mode that the funky characters really shine. The four themed worlds were "creatively directed" by Spielberg himself and some of the sizzle seems to have made it through the process. Also, it's hard to go wrong with mini-fig like monkeys, cows and kittens in my book.

Deep Pick-Up and Play: None of the many games and modes in Boom Blox are hard to understand or to master, but the level of depth, the sheer number of puzzles included in the game are staggering. Many may take you only a minute or two to whip through, but all of them are satisfying.

Level Editor: The game's mix of multiplayer, single player, co-op, competitive, story and play is nicely augmented with a surprisingly innate level designer that, once the game is fully played through, grants you access to just about everything you come across in the packaged game. Building levels in the editor is so quick and easy to test out that it's almost as fun as playing them.

Sense of Fun: Boom Blox is a charming toy, a game imbued with a sense of fun that somehow makes it greater than it's many parts.

Hated
Weak Co-Op Gaming: After playing through the addictive adventure mode, I was looking for a similar experience to share with my son. Unfortunately I didn't get one. The co-op levels felt more like something meant for training or to show off the tech than for fun.

Shallow Competitive Gaming: While a bit better than co-op, the game's relatively shallow competitive mode feels like what I thought Boom Blox was going to be before I played it: A one trick pony.

Gimped Level Sharing: There's nothing more disappointing then being given a surprisingly robust tool with which to create your own fun and then being told you can't really share it with many people. Boom Blox level sharing relies on the Wii's innately flawed online support, which is so protective it throws down roadblocks to fun. In this case, you can, at least for now, only share them with a select group of friends. Perhaps a new channel will pop up on the Wii for level sharing down the line, but until then it's not very useful.

Boom Blox is, at it's heart, a puzzle game; you have to move, blow-up or shoot away blox to score points, save little blox characters, or defend buildings, but with so many different things to do and so many different ways to do them, it's easy to forget that. Add to the absurdly large number of puzzles and modes the game's four adventures, each with its own story and distinct look, and you've got a game that's sure to entice.

While Boom Blox isn't without its issues and moments of tedium, the main thing that prevents this title from realizing its full potential is the lackluster multiplayer. A game about fun should make multiplayer a top priority, not something that feels so tacked on.

Boom Blox was developed by Electronic Arts LA, published by EA and was released on May 6. Retails for $49.99. Available on Wii. Played single player Adventure mode to completion. Played single player Explore and all multiplayer modes and tested level creation.

Later this year, folks who buy the South Park season 11 DVD set will be treated to a trio of unspecified Rock Band tracks alongside top shelf poop and dick jokes. Details? Scant! All this cross selling makes us wonder: Could Rock Band be the greatest cross promotion tool ever to grace the video game medium?

Best Buy Promoting Exclusive Rock Band X360 DLC; Tracks Will Be Publicly Available in June [Shacknews]
South Park - Interesting Bonus Item, Early Box Art forThe Complete 11th Season: Uncensored [TV Shows On DVD]

On his Level Up blog, Newsweek's N'Gai Croal decided to go right to EA's Jeff Brown and see what the company had to say in its own defense. The logo you see here is Level Up's own design for the EA Empire — think they should adopt it officially?

In a recent Q&A with Portfolio, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick had the following exchange with the interviewer:

Is there a key to Activision's growth?

It's about really being considerate of the culture in the game studios that Activision buys. That's the biggest difference between us and any of our competitors. We built a model that celebrates entrepreneurial, opportunistic, independent values. It's almost the opposite of Electronic Arts, which has commoditized development. It did a very good job of taking the soul out of a lot of the studios it acquired.

What was the reaction of the executives at Electronic Arts when they read that quote?

The truth is, everyone laughed. In the past year EA has made radical changes to decentralize the company and put creative control back in the hands of development teams. It's too early to declare victory but if you talk to people like Patrick Soderlund at dice in Stockholm, Mark Jacobs at Mythic in Virginia or Josh Resnick at Pandemic—they'll probably tell you that it's working. They get a lot of resources and creative freedom. That freedom has already contributed new start-ups like Dead Space, Mirror's Edge and Boom Blox and there's a lot of others to be announced soon.

MTV Games, Harmonix, and EA will be releasing the Rock Band Track Pack Volume 1 for the PS2 and the Wii on July 15th. $29.99 at your local game purveyor nets you an additional 20 songs for the game, chosen from the DLC already available on the PS3 and 360. It's an okay mix I suppose, with some of my favorites - NIN's "March of the Pigs", Faith No More's "We Care A Lot", and Weezer's "Buddy Holly", but I much prefer being able to pick and choose my songs rather than be handed a chunk all at once.

I am going to assume these packs are standalone, going by the size of the files and both systems lacking a hard disk. Still, more Rock Band fun is more Rock Band fun, right? Hit the jump for the full track listing, and see where you fall between delighted and disappointed.

YOU CAN'T STOP THE ROCK!!

MTV Games, Harmonix and EA Announce "Rock BandTM Track Pack Volume 1" for WiiTM and PlayStation®2 System Will Be Available July 15, 2008

Cambridge, MA - May 5, 2008 - Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a division of MTV Networks, which is a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with distribution partner Electronic Arts, Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced plans to release Rock Band™ Track Pack Volume 1 for the Wii™ home video game console from Nintendo and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The 20-Track Pack features an electrifying mix of classic hits and current favorites, including songs by Boston, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, and All American Rejects. The Rock Band™ Track Pack Volume 1 will be available on July 15th, 2008 for a MSRP of $29.99. Complete details are as follows:

Release date: Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Tracks:

30 Seconds to Mars The Kill
All American Rejects Move Along
Blink - 182 All the Small Things
Boston More Than a Feeling
David Bowie Moonage Daydream
Faith No More We Care A Lot
Grateful Dead Truckin'
The Hives Die, All Right!
KISS Calling Dr. Love
Lynyrd Skynyrd Gimme' Three Steps
Nine Inch Nails March of the Pigs
Oasis Live Forever
Paramore Crushcrushcrush
The Police Synchronicity II
Queens of the Stone Age Little Sister
Ramones Teenage Lobotomy
Smashing Pumpkins Siva
Stone Temple Pilots Interstate Love Song
Weezer Buddy Holly
Wolfmother Joker & the Thief

**All 20 tracks utilize original master recordings**
** All tracks are available as DLC on competing platforms**

Price: $29.99 MSRP

Rock Band is the ultimate platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music like never before. The game challenges players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune - all while learning to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals. Featuring the most master recordings of any music game ever by the world's biggest rock artists, Rock Band includes tracks that span every genre of rock ranging from alternative and classic rock, to heavy metal and punk. Rock Band has garnered over 40 awards this year including Game Critics Award: Best of Show E3 2007 and three awards at The 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards including Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Family Game of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack.

Rock Band is rated "T" for Teen (lyrics, mild suggestive themes) by the ESRB.

Rock Band will be available for the Wii starting June 22, 2008. Rock Band is currently available on the PLAYSTATION®2 computer entertainment system, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®.

EA is the exclusive distribution and marketing partner for Rock Band.

For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.

Indulge your Sims with an office that is sure to promote order and productivity with its elegant Vika Hyttan desk, inspiring Kila desk lamp, bold Helmer drawer unit, and Lack zigzag wallshelf.

We have a lot of fun with it, so every expansion pack we come to the point where we're adding in some new death states. I remember in Seasons they were putting in the death state of being snowed to death. The person is in a snowstorm, and you see them trying to fight it and fight it, until the fighting slows down [laughs] and he just rolls over and gives up. It shouldn't be funny. But oh my goodness, it is. It's always about mean things happening in an amusing way. There's also a lot of potty humour in it, and we fully embrace that. I think that's a wonderful traditional mode of humour, and I still find it funny watching Sims pee themselves. I make no apologies for it. I think that's a classic genre and endlessly entertaining. [laughs] It makes chuckle just thinking about it!

It's a fun little two part interview, even if you're not a big Sims fan.

Dinner With Rod Humble: Sims Style Stuff [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

There's definitely the potential to go to other consoles. Our mindset, our philosophy was that we didn't want to taint our thinking by taking any other console into account. The way we saw it we wanted to make this the most authentic Wii experience that it could possibly be. So we didn't think about the PC, DS, PS3 or Xbox 360. We're still very much in the mindset of finishing this game. But once it's over the sky's the limit. There's definitely the possibility of going to other consoles.

E3 is not the boon to publishers that it once was, says Penny Arcade's director of business development Robert Khoo, who as the organizer of the PAX fan expo clearly has an interest, to say the least, in how things turn out.

"The reason that E3 imploded in recent years was because the publishers felt that it turned into this sort of pissing contest between them... where they were trying to figure out who could one-up each other," Khoo said. "They all thought to themselves that it just wasn't worth it."

The controversial decision to re-format last year's E3 into a smaller, more toned-down event was what Khoo calls "a self-correcting measure by the members of the ESA," in an effort to address its constituency better.

"I would imagine that that show is still trying to look out for what the publishers want - that's the whole goal of that trade association, which is to deliver the needs and try to figure out what their members actually want."

Neither Khoo nor Penny Arcade are ESA members, so he couldn't speak to whether the association is acting optimally to assure its members' best interests. "The real question is whether a show like E3 is something publishers want," Khoo said. "I guess Activision, Sierra, Blizzard, Vivendi feel that is not the case."

Earlier today we reported that several companies skipping E3 blamed their departure on "business issues," which analyst Michael Pachter pinned on poor timing for the July event, inconvenient to those companies' fiscal calendars and overlapping with times during which they must observe a "quiet period" and avoid communicating with investors.

"That blackout period is definitely interesting," Khoo said. "We don't really deal with that at all, just given the timing of our show, because its smack dab in the middle of the quarter. I'm sure that is a genuine concern, but since the third quarter ends at the end of September, it doesn't affect us at all."

According to Khoo, the years where publishers knew what to expect from E3 appear to be over, and that's hurting the event and potentially the ESA by association. After last year's "transitional period," quite a bit looks still to be up in the air, he said.

"It's in flux, and since publishers have that level of uncertainty, that is an unattractive trait to have going into a fairly large investment not knowing what you're going to get out of it."

Several industry sources expressed the same opinion as analyst Pachter: that Gallagher's lack of involvement in the industry not only results in poor planning and poor communication regarding E3, but may weaken the ESA's power to serve the video game industry in the long run.

When prior president Doug Lowenstein gave his final, impassioned speech at DICE 07, he vented his frustration at developers and publishers who refuse to defend their creative work when it's controversial, saying, "Don't duck and cover when the shit hits the fan."

But that's largely what Gallagher did when the association failed to publicly defend Mass Effect during the infamous Fox News "SeXbox" controversy. In an interview with GameDaily, he promised to "support the thrust of the industry activities and the reaction of the video gaming community," but refrained from taking any public position on behalf of the ESA.

However, plenty of the major publishers, including Capcom, Take-Two and EA, continue to support both E3 and the ESA. "It seems that at least four very large members are on the floor and doing press conferences, and it seems like a fifth unaligned company is doing a large event contiguous to that," said EA's Jeff Brown, VP of corporate communications. "That means that there's going to be no problem getting a crowd into LA for E3 this summer."

For the first time in several weeks, Take-Two is in agreement with EA on something: "As a member company, Take-Two Interactive supports the Entertainment Software Association, its leadership and its efforts on behalf of the industry," said CEO Ben Feder. "Mike Gallagher has done an outstanding job as president of the ESA and we look forward to participating in the E3 Media and Business Summit this July."

"No plans to drop out, no issue with Mike, no comment," Capcom said, when asked for their thoughts on the usefulness of the ESA and the fate of the event.

Atlus USA is one of the companies declining to participate in this year's E3, but spokesman Aram Jabbari stopped short of placing the blame on the ESA. "The nature of the show changed when they changed it from a consumer show to an invite-only press show," he said. "A lot of things have changed, but our participation doesn't have to do so much with the changes... we just chose not to exhibit this year and we do wish the ESA and all the exhibiting companies the best of luck."

NCsoft said its refusal to attend E3 was related to a timing issue with their internal development schedule and not with any conflicts about E3, but PR manager Mike Crouch declined to comment on potential issues concerning the state of the ESA. "One of the primary functions of the ESA is to manage E3," Crouch said. "And we still believe in E3, and we would have gone this year had the timing worked out for us. In that regard, we don't have anything negative to say about the usefulness of ESA."

"We would have definitely found E3 useful had it fit into our schedule this year. The judgment would be the ESA serves its purpose as far as we're concerned, as far as E3."

Analysts, of both the professional and the armchair varieties, suspected that Take-Two's stock was set to take a big leap with the major title launch, thereby forcing EA to raise its offer. And it's true that Take-Two's stock has drifted up a little bit higher this week to over $26 per share by a handful of change, trumping EA's current offer of $25.74.

Talking to the New York Times recently, Strauss Zelnick says the increase proves the wisdom of his strategy. Some possible flaws in his logic, however, make the situation a little less clear-cut.

Zelnick told the Times:

"The critical and consumer response to Grand Theft Auto IV vindicates our strategy of waiting until the launch with regard to E.A.'s offer," said Strauss Zelnick, the chairman of Take-Two, in a statement.

Enthusiasm and high critical acclaim for GTA IV leading up to its launch has been unavoidable (as Kotaku readers have doubtless observed in spades). We haven't seen North American numbers yet, but we know it's broken records in the UK. With that in mind, though, wouldn't you expect to see a bigger price jump for the stock than just a little bit of pocket jingle?

Moreover, the increase in Take-Two's share price over the last week pales in comparison to the boost it saw following the EA bid; prior to that, it was trading at a much less-robust $17 per share. As of press time today, the stock has been malingering throughout the morning, sagging slowly back closer to the even $26 mark, and over the past few days, three major analyst groups - Citibank, Janco Partners and the Cowan Group - have downgraded their recommendations from "buy" or "outperform" to either "hold" or "neutral."

EA's Jeff Brown also talked to the NY Times:

"We've seen a share price above and below our offer and it doesn't change anything. We knew the game would be an extraordinary success," said Jeff Brown, a spokesman for Electronic Arts. "All of that was factored into our offer of $2 billion."

So one thing remains the same: Zelnick says EA's shafting him, EA says it isn't. Zelnick may feel vindicated while the stock is over $26 - but if the stock continues to slide rather than climb in the wake of GTA IV's release, as some analysts have suggested it might, he may need to reconsider. Neither Take-Two nor EA look about to blink in this staring contest, though.
Grand Theft Auto IV and Real-World Billions [NY Times]

When I first came on, my concerns were the "American-ness" of the brand. Powerful brand, strong voice, red, white, and blue, out of California, an American voice: Andrew Anthony, you know, 'It's in the game.'

You love it because it's very clear what it's about. It's a brand that resonates with 14 to 34 year-old males very strongly. And yet, in today's world, particularly in Europe, there's an anti-Americanism that sits higher than it's been for a long time, based on the war, the administration, George W. himself, and you worry about that.

Today, the EA Land blog revealed that it would be shutting down on August 1, ending The Sims Online forever.

The whys weren't given, but speculation from commenters and CNet is that EA wanted to kill The Sims Online without having to kill "The Sims Online." The closure of EA Land—who again?—is far more palatable, brand-wise. Details on outstanding subscriptions can be found at the official EA Land blog.

EA-Land Drawing To A Close [EA Land]
'EA Land' closing just weeks after debut [CNet - thanks DaveKap!]

"BattleForge is the next step in compelling RTS gameplay by taking the battles completely online," stated Executive Producer & Vice President Richard Leinfellner. "With co-op play, challenging tournaments, Guilds, chat rooms and a robust marketplace for trading and buying your cards; BattleForge is the first RTS to add integral social and community components to an exciting fantasy RTS."

EA's BattleForge Catapults PC Gamers into Multiplayer Online Melees Build Unique Armies and Team Up for Epic Battles in a New Fantasy RTS Game

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced that the multi award-winning EA Phenomic Studio based in Germany is developing BattleForgeTM, a new fantasy online real-time strategy game where you assemble your own army with collectible trading cards. Win, trade and buy your cards online to create your ultimate deck.1 Mix and match the elements of your cards to play with your friends online and conquer massive online battlegrounds.

For mortals caught in a clash between insane gods and ancient giants, standing together is the only option. Using the forces of Fire, Frost, Nature and Shadow a mysterious Forge which makes legends come to life, is their single hope to create armies powerful enough to overcome these impossible odds. It is now time to set out and reclaim an epic fantasy world which has been overthrown by sinister powers in the twilight of a dying sun.

"BattleForge is the next step in compelling RTS gameplay by taking the battles completely online," stated Executive Producer & Vice President Richard Leinfellner. "With co-op play, challenging tournaments, Guilds, chat rooms and a robust marketplace for trading and buying your cards; BattleForge is the first RTS to add integral social and community components to an exciting fantasy RTS."

Under development at EA Phenomic, BattleForge is expected to ship in Fall 2008 for the PC. This product is not yet rated by PEGI or ESRB.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA SPORTS BIG™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2007, EA posted revenue of $3.09 billion and had 24 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG, POGO and BattleForge are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

1 Disclaimer: Complete game available with box copy purchase. Microtransactions not required to play game, only for new cards

Thanks to the FalseBlue Magic: the Gathering Card Generator

BioWare Announces Special Pre-Order Offer for Mass Effect on PC

EDMONTON, Alberta—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Leading video game developer BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS), is proud to announce that key retailers across North America will be offering $10 off for all pre-orders of Mass Effect™ for the PC1, shipping to retailers May 27, 2008 in North America and June 6, 2008 in Europe. Gamers will receive the $10 discount by pre-ordering Mass Effect at both specialty and online retailers including GameStop, Amazon.com and GoGamer.com.

Gamers who pre-order Mass Effect through the Electronic Arts online store will receive bonus items2 from the game Dead Space™, the highly anticipated sci-fi survival horror game by EA, including the first issue of the Dead Space comic book and a Dead Space poster while supplies last.

Published by EA and re-designed for the PC by Demiurge Studios and BioWare, Mass Effect invites players to take the role of Commander Shepard as they set out on an adventure to save the galaxy from imminent destruction. Wrought with treachery, heroism, difficult decisions and a universe filled with unique and colorful species, Mass Effect delivers a truly compelling storyline.

Fully optimized for the PC, Mass Effect includes a new Tactical Heads-Up Display, higher resolution visuals, an enhanced inventory system, fully optimized controls designed specifically for the PC, individual squad control and a new decryption mini-game. The "Bring Down the Sky" downloadable content for Mass Effect on PC, featuring 90 minutes of new gameplay, will also be available free for registered BioWare Community members at the launch of Mass Effect PC.

Originally released for the Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system, Mass Effect has received critical acclaim throughout the world with more than 80 awards including 2007 Console Game of the Year and Role-Playing Game of the Year (http://masseffect.bioware.com/previewsawards/).

The $10-Off pre-order offer is available now at all participating retail and online retail outlets. The Dead Space pre-order offer is available now at the Electronic Arts online store at www.eastore.ea.com. Mass Effect is rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB. For more information about Mass Effect, please visit www.masseffect.com.

Yesterday Take-Two's stock nudged up over $26 per share, a higher value than EA's $25.74 per-share bid. But EA's Mariam Sughayer, senior manager of Corporate Communications, says the company's looking further down the line — despite predicting that GTA IV is the likely contender for game of the year.

"We believe our offer is based on the long-term valuation of the people and franchises that make up the TTWO - not a one-time event within an important franchise," Sughayer said. "In addition — we believe that TTWO's price prior to our offer already reflected that this would be a global blockbuster - the stock was trading at approximately $17."

She added, "We expect GTA IV will be a huge blockbuster - and #1 game of the year."

As of market open on launch day, though, Take-Two has not seen any further resurgence in its share price, sticking firmly within the range of $26-and-change. This lends credence to the argument put forth by EA and many industry analysts that the highly-anticipated commercial success of GTA IV is already reflected in the share price.

Cowan Group analyst Doug Creutz agrees, commenting, "We expect the release of the game to have a minimal impact on TTWO share price, as it continues to be driven by arbitrageurs on the likely outcome of the outstanding Electronic Arts tender offer."

Take-Two has said multiple times that it wouldn't entertain any discussions on a potential acquisition until after the launch of GTA IV — which means the two companies could sit down and confab together as soon as tomorrow.

For his part, Creutz believes the acquisition is likely regardless of how GTA IV sells, if EA raises its offer a little: "We continue to believe that the most likely outcome is a sale price in the $28-30 range, and do not believe that the success of GTA IV is likely to impact this meaningfully," he says.