E3 Interview: EA’s Riccitiello Promises to Make “Eyeballs Peel”

The game business is booming. But the industry’s traditional leader has stumbled. It’s going to get its mojo back, says CEO John Riccitiello.

News Byte

King.com Appoints EA Social Games Producer to Rule New London Studio

King.com, one of the fastest-growing social games companies on Facebook, has opened a new game studio in London that will be led by Electronics Arts and Playfish veteran Catharina Lavers Mallet. While an executive producer at EA, Lavers Mallet worked on major titles like The Sims Social. The London studio is expected to hire about 40 employees and to work with the company’s headquarters there in addition to other offices in Hamburg, Stockholm, Milan, Romania, Malta and San Francisco.

Zynga Hires Top Digital Executive Away From Electronic Arts

Zynga has hired away Barry Cottle, the EVP of Electronic Arts’ interactive division, marking the third high-profile steal it has made from the rival videogame maker over the past year.

Electronic Arts Acquires Another Social Game Company as Zynga’s IPO Nears

Electronic Arts has acquired a small social games company, KlickNation, in its ongoing quest to challenge Zynga as the dominant game maker on Facebook.

After a Too-Long Wait, Playdom Readies a Dozen Games a Year After Disney Acquisition

After taking five months off from releasing any games, Playdom has a dozen new releases in the pipeline, some of which will finally leverage Disney’s big brand names.

Electronic Arts Becomes Second-Largest Social Games Company After Zynga

Zynga easily tops the social games charts, but Electronic Arts is slowly creeping up behind the highflier with a combination of acquisitions and launching games based on well-known brands.

EA’s Sims Social Comes to Life on Facebook

The game, which launches today, promises to change your social life forever, but it’s also hoping to wreak havoc on Zynga’s dominance in the space.

EA Shuffles Upper Deck With Three Promotions

Electronic Arts has reorganized its management team to take into account its acquisition of PopCap, once it’s complete, and the departure of COO John Schappert, who left in April to fill the same role at Zynga.

An Inside Look at EA’s Social Games Business as Zynga’s IPO Awaits

As part of Electronic Arts’ first-quarter earnings report today, it shed some light on the company’s social games business, which is both up and down at the same time.

Mobile Games Generate More Revenue if Given Away for Free

Freemium is one of those made-up terms that might be here to stay.