From your very own source (which by the way do not really do a good job at supporting either one of your claims)

Absolutely they do.  Because you are continuing to ignore one glaringly obvious piece of logic that you find inconvenient.  Microsoft had the publishing rights to ME PC, and probably ME2.  They handed them over to EA, and they didn't do it for nothing.

So answer the question, do you really think EA handed out massive wads of cash?  To Microsoft? 

C'mon, We're talking about EA here, when were they ever shy about moneyhatting? From what I've seen, EA doesn't half-ass anything in terms of business moves. If they want something, you better bet they'll go all out to get it.

Either way, If you're assuming that EA traded for the PC ME in exchange to give Microsoft exclusive rights to the console version of ME, then I'd call you crazy. EA aren't huge fans of making PC games to begin with (except for the Sims studios) and since they now own Bioware, there was most likely a buyout option just like most contracts. In the end, no one knows the exact details of the Bioware buyout or Mass Effect contract and both Microsoft and Ea/Bioware are reluctant to give any solid information about Mass Effect 2...with that being said, anything could happen, but I just think it's unlikely that EA would spend millions buying out a company and all of a sudden hold back from buying out a contract (from a division that needs profit more than anything).

I didn't see any prove from your sources that Microsoft had publishing rights to ME on PC or ME2, the only interesting part of your whole source that might prove one of your claims is when the EA president says that they reached an agreement with Microsoft for future publishing rights of ME.

That can be loosely interpreted and it does not mean nor prove that Microsoft simply gave the publishing rights to EA in exchange for something. Just because that's what you want it to happen, it doesn't mean that's what happened. Could this be what happened? Absolutely. Could it have been something completely different? Yep.

And what would this "one glaringly obvious piece of logic that (I) find inconvenient" be?

You on the other hand pointed me to 2 articles that were actually suggesting that ME might be coming over to the PS3 afterall. Thanks, I guess. And to answer your question, I simply don't know if EA handed out wads of cash to Microsoft.

@selnor

that could mean either way,,,
It could mean MS got exclusive deal,,,or it could mean after negotiations EA will publish the IP however they want.it just says they came up with an agreement.

I just think by the time ME 2 is out(mid -end 09)PS3 will ahve the same user base as x360(might be even more than 360),,,and EA is not the company to miss that opportunity(half of the market).

If ME doesn't sell that well on PC,,,the PS3 port is more than probable,cause EA wants the money.(especially after last year(falling from first place),,they have said that they will do whatever it takes to increse their revenue this year)

I don't care if they do a PS3 version or not, but would really appreciate if they weren't so slow with the PC version next time. Taking this long means most of the cool stuff has already been spoiled to me. ;__;

@Fila.

As I have maintained throughout this thread, all we have is speculation. Its just that my speculation falls into place with the available circumstantial evidence, whereas yours does not.

Actually, until I went searching for this thread, I wasn't aware that Microsoft likely had the publishing rights to ME2 in addition to ME PC. You need to understand something very simple. If Microsoft publishes something, it means they have the right to publish it (unless someone successfully sues them for doing so). There is a direct causal link.

Microsoft published ME for Xbox 360, and was going to publish ME for PC (and apparently ME2 for both). This means, quite simply, that they had the right to do so. Now EA has the rights to publishing ME PC, and they specifically stated that they needed to arrange an agreement with Microsoft to do so.

So it is beyond doubt that Microsoft HAD the rights to publishing ME PC, what is in doubt is what they got from EA in return for giving them up.

I don't understand how the PS3 is doing so poorly in software sales, but is doing that great for EA? Not a bash here, but jesus, with numbers like that, EA would have to be selling like 60 percent of the games on PS3 combined. It looks like more EA games are selling on the PS3 than Nintendo games on the Wii, jeebus. You got any theories on how this worked out like it did?

What did you expect when EA bought Bioware? EA is the type of company that ports everything to every console possible even if it means the end product is shit. They would port it to PS2 if they could figure out a way to do it with minimal cash up front.

Expect all future Bioware releases to end up on Wii, 360, PS3 and PC. (Maybe even a DS and PSP "spin off" with the exact same name)