The beginning of the end?

http://kotaku.com/5416716/ea-might-release-even-fewer-games

When Electronic Arts sacked 1500 employees recently, it also binned a number of titles in production at the studio. Not that they're done trimming the number of games the company releases.

Speaking at the Reuters Global Media Summit earlier today in New York, EA boss John Riccitiello said that despite plans to reduce the number of games he company releases from 50 to 40 next year, that's not where the knifework will end.

"Thirty wouldn't shock me at some point in the future", he said, meaning EA would publish 30 games in a single year.

Let's hope, even if it is a fool's hope, that means fewer iPhone and DS games, and not fewer Mirror's Edge 2s.

Well that would definitely be bad but would be due to gamers taking less risks in their purchases thus EA will take less risks in their development. More sequels and more "safe" new IPs. Not the route I would like to go. But I still remember the words of the Dead Space developer stating we ask for new things but don't' buy it... it seems to be truer than ever lately.

^I see it as a great thing, a smaller EA means they are more susceptible to a big flop, maybe even bankruptcy

All there will be left in the future will be shooters. Those are the only games making money these days, besides nintendo games of course.

well there goes BF3.... lol, hopefully not, maybe the death of some of their shovelware crap though meaning fewer movie based titles.

But if EA goes out of business that's not good at all.  I mean, I know people have a general dislike for bigger gaming developers, but they are held together by a string of very prominent developers including that of Bioware.  I would be very sad if EA were to ever go bankrupt. 

I've never quite understood gamers dislike of big game developers considering MS, Sony, and Nintendo would fall under that category.  I mean they are going to work the same way as smaller developers as well.  I actually think EA does a pretty good job funding the guys under them and keeping things fresh.  Only thing I don't like about them is their constant millking of sports franchises without much changes to them.  Of course with the licensing with all those sports, they couldn't get out of that if they wanted to haha. 

EA dying would be a sign of the collapse of the games industry, which imo would be a very good thing.

The big developers are part of the problem, one need only look at the loads of shovelware and the horrible milking of stale franchises to see it

yes but surely we can be a lttle more rational.  Huge changes can be accomplished without the destruction of the industry.  Hell Nintendo has already proven that.  EA will have to adapt just like everyone else but that doesn't mean for a full change that the old have to die.  Seems more like a purge haha.  Part of why I like Nintendo so much is because they are able to radically change the industry while at the same time still sticking to their roots.  We can't lose our roots in gaming and expect us to be standing on the other side. 

Well Disruption usually results in the destruction of the old industry and the creation of the new

They most likely will release fewer games anyway.
Just seeing how crowded holydays usually are and how crowded Q1 2010 is going to be is proof enough of this...

part of EA problem is that they actually release too many games....( fire everyone working on Wii software and the company would be in much better shape :p).

If EA focused on Madden/FIFA/Battlefield/Mirror Edge/Dead Space/ one Bioware RPG/year /Sims and a few others select projects they would be in much better shape...