AfterDawn: News

EA disappointed with PS3 game sales over holidays

Electronic Arts has said it was "disappointed" by the sales of games for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) console during the 2006 holidays. Executive VP Frank Gibeau said the publisher was disappointed with the number of games sold per console since launch and up to Christmas. In the quarter ending December 31st, EA took orders for 900,000 titles for the PS3 console, making up a total of $41 million (€31.6 million).

In comparison, during the same time period in 2005, after the launch of the Xbox 360, the publisher took orders for 1.69 million units (for Xbox 360), making up a total of $76 million (€58.5 million). Gibeau explained this as "the eBay effect"; many consumers who bought a PS3 early planned to sell it for a higher price.



While the holiday season figures were under what EA expected, Gibeau acknowledged that things began to look up in January with a higher ratio. EA is the number one publisher for both Microsoft and Sony.

Source:
GamesIndustry.biz

Written by: James Delahunty @ 7 Feb 2007 6:34

• Previous article

• Wii modchips won't work on recent Wiis

• Next article

• Jobs: Apple would offer DRM-free downloads if allowed

• 20 comments

• solarf

  its funny how a company can be disappointed by only making $41 million dollars in one quarter

  7.2.2007 07:40 #1

• Dela

  Originally posted by solarf:its funny how a company can be disappointed by only making $41 million dollars in one quarterI agree ;-)

  7.2.2007 07:44 #2

• BobbyBlu

  Disappointed EA got the stones to open there mouth when they cancel NBA Live 07 a week before launch for the PS3 and promise Sony that it was going to be a launch title.Or what about that gliching ass NBA Live 07 on the PS2 that you getting sue for.Worry about that.Maybe yet that rip off Madden 07 for the 360 & PS3 thats disappointing.I was one of your biggest supporter's but you guys have got real lazy over the years.

  7.2.2007 10:35 #3

• georgeluv

  video games are suposed to be kid stuff right? then how come the only people i see with ps3s are 30 year old asian IT types? oh thats right cause it costs 600 bucks and only working stiffs with no lifes can afford them. you may get 100% profit maximization sony, but you lost respect BIGTIME!

  7.2.2007 11:10 #4

• lfzombie

  Quote:In comparison, during the same time period in 2005, after the launch of the Xbox 360, the publisher took orders for 1.69 million units (for Xbox 360), making up a total of $76 million (€58.5 million). Gibeau explained this as "the eBay effect"; many consumers who bought a PS3 early planned to sell it for a higher price.well everyone forgets at that time the 360 was the only game system out at that time and no other system to compete with it jump ahead 1 year you have a new system and for most ported games
  let get it a year under its belt then judge it
  
  
  the 360 is the 1st grader and the ps3 is in preschool and everyone wants the ps3 to grow up real fast but not help it along
  
  they must suck at being parents

  7.2.2007 12:39 #5

• akkuma

  hey, EA has to blame it on someone!

  7.2.2007 13:12 #6

• Edgewise

  lfzombie: lmao i've never heard it put that way but explains it really well.

  7.2.2007 14:26 #7

• ZippyDSM

  the PS3 price is what has effected its profits,plus EA is a publisher thats good at pushing blame of bad games off on everyone else....they might have acouple of good sports titles 1 or 2 good non sports titles but the rest suck.

  8.2.2007 09:24 #8

• croy00

  I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that the online support for the PS3 sucks. I mean what did you think was going to happen you have to quit everytime you want a freind to come and play with you. Then when they write back yes or no you have to quit again to see the message.

  8.2.2007 15:18 #9

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by croy00:I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that the online support for the PS3 sucks. I mean what did you think was going to happen you have to quit everytime you want a freind to come and play with you. Then when they write back yes or no you have to quit again to see the message.Thats more a bug or annoyance they are working on and since they don't have alot of people telling the of bugs and annoyance's they cant fix much yet *L*
  
  
  ggaaa I am being bad :P

  8.2.2007 17:00 #10

• ggo70

  Lower sales, I wonder why. Could the people be catching on. To start, EA did this to themselves. Over the last few years, their games have declined in quality and playability. I use to look forward to playing almost all of EA games (from the sports to war games). Now they are riddled with glitches, less features than previous versions, and overall poor quality. Most games have the rushed feel to them. My biggest complaint with EA, their online servers are terrible. I'm still not able to get five friends in a game of Burnout Revenge. Random disconnects in Battlefield and other sport games. I don't even want to start on NBA Live 07. At least Tiger Woods 07 is more playable this year. (for the record, I have a great 8mbs connection).
  
  As for my support for EA and Sony. Both have a lot to prove to me before I spend one more dollar on them. I am tired of being ripped off by EA. I will never pre-order any game made by them ever again. I will wait and read the forums that we the people talk in, not the magazine reviews. They test these games with a limited amount of people. Less people = less problems found.
  
  As for the most powerful console out there, the PS3. I am happy that I wasn't able to get one on day one, or lucky. I would have been disappointed and upset about spending the money on it. I am looking forward to buying a PS3 in the future when the lack of quality games and system problems are addressed. The Best Buy by my house still have more PS3's being returned due to malfunctions than they are selling. Hopefully this changes soon and the PS3 takes off and the games developers start to support it more.
  
  After the last year of garbage that EA released, if we were able to rewind time and release the Xbox 360 today as the first next gen, do you think the EA games would have sold just as well or worse? I don't know, could it be the people are waking up and starting to make a statement with their wallets? Or is it that most PS3 owners already have the games on the Xbox 360 or PS2 and there is not enough difference or upgrade to justify buying it again for the PS3?

  9.2.2007 20:55 #11

• ZippyDSM

  ggo70
  dude in the past few years EVERYONES GAMES have been declining in quality.

  9.2.2007 23:46 #12

• borhan9

  I say the numbers are low because Nintendo's Wii has done well and also with EA games it is more interactive the person actually moves around.

  10.2.2007 02:36 #13

• salsa36

  Perhaps they should have thought a better game, it is the new super console and those reres of EA come out with a border line black and white game. (Need for Speed Carbon) I returned the game as soon as I saw it.
  
  The game sucks. Period. That's why it's not selling.

  11.2.2007 13:06 #14

• scott6664

  What did they expect
  what was NFS Carbon supposed to be, it didnt evrn rank with most wanted.
  We just got the ps3 down here in oz so i cant comment but 1000 dollars + 120 for games it would want to be good to get my $.
  SHAME on you EA

  14.2.2007 12:56 #15

• Brightbla

  Quote:Shame on EA Its more like Shame on Sony for trying to make me by an overly price console! They better bring me a game worth playing soon or ill never buy one, lol.
  
  If they would get rid of that stupid Blue Ray it would be dirt cheap. I think its time for Sony to wake up and give me a game or give me a cheaper version of the console.
  
  AAhhh i feel better. Ranting is always good for ya.

  14.2.2007 14:24 #16

• anand9

  Quote:[quote]Shame on EA Its more like Shame on Sony for trying to make me by an overly price console! They better bring me a game worth playing soon or ill never buy one, lol.
  
  If they would get rid of that stupid Blue Ray it would be dirt cheap. I think its time for Sony to wake up and give me a game or give me a cheaper version of the console.
  
  AAhhh i feel better. Ranting is always good for ya.[/quote]Actually, thats a pretty good idea. Maybe there should be another option for a PS3 that has no blue ray player.

  15.2.2007 14:40 #17

• ZippyDSM

  Quote:[quote][quote]Shame on EA Its more like Shame on Sony for trying to make me by an overly price console! They better bring me a game worth playing soon or ill never buy one, lol.
  
  If they would get rid of that stupid Blue Ray it would be dirt cheap. I think its time for Sony to wake up and give me a game or give me a cheaper version of the console.
  
  AAhhh i feel better. Ranting is always good for ya.[/quote]Actually, thats a pretty good idea. Maybe there should be another option for a PS3 that has no blue ray player.[/quote]-------------------------------------------------
  =============================
  I hate the buggy quote system *L*
  --------------------------------
  BR is part of the PS3 there is no going back they might add a BR/HDVD combo drive but even thats wishful thinking sony is suborn when it comes to formats and really neither side is "wining" its like the current wii/ps3/360 debate you can fool with the numbers but no one is really winning and no one is really losing,the only thing sony can do since they let eh cat out of the can is drop the low end production altogether and knock 150-200 off the high end but they wont becuse they dont want to put a effort into the format war.
  
  If sony was smart and made the PS3 more modauler have a 20GB core system with Ethernet,BT,BR,USB,HDMI,Multi AV and sold it for 350-400 a unit they would have matched the WII in sales and put a BR player in nearly every house,sadly Sony dose not want to win dose not want long term gain they want quick money and are going about making profits sloppily on nearly everything they do thus they will have nothign but hard times untill the PS3 goes under 350.

  15.2.2007 14:51 #18

• tmfloria

  http://www.jokeroo.com/funnyvideos/why_ps3_sucks.html

  18.3.2007 11:55 #19

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by tmfloria:http://www.jokeroo.com/funnyvideos/why_ps3_sucks.htmlKillzone was not that bad,The 360 had as crappy if not a worse launch,hell I still wont touch a 360 till they get the hardware out of "beta".
  
  The PS3 is a costly pompus system from a arrogant dev no worse than the 360 in many respects,however Sony is making me wonder about the 010-012 time line,at least I know the 360 will get better with their new models every few years...
  
  BTW am I the only one to see this for the PC market
  They blame Piracy add DRM witch adds cost to a game then it sales poorly because the game is "bad" switch to console only then blame the consumer for not buying enough...surely I am not the only one to see this...
  
  
  anyway the pS3 is to much for to little and the 360 is incomplete...next....

  18.3.2007 12:06 #20