@shio - millions of Pc players love digital distribution...on torrent sites,everyone says thanks.

On private torrent sites,everyone is seeding for more ratio and greater speeds.

On DC/ODC hubs,everyone is happy to share.

So yeah,digital distribution is the way to go.

If ME2 does go to the PS3, where will they get their save games from? I helped the Rachni in ME1 and as such I expect them to return the favour in ME2.

They will be 2 very different games, 1 with ME1 interaction(squad/characters/races) and 1 without.

Just explain this - why hasn't EA announced ME 2 or ME 3 on the PS3 so far? Seriously - they may do it at GDC but look at these numbers on Saints Row, Saints Row 2:

1		Saints Row		THQ	4,984	N/A	2.07m	09th Aug 07
2		Saints Row 2		THQ	1,487	N/A	1.36m	07th Nov 08
3		Saints Row 2		THQ	460	N/A	0.69m	07th Nov 08

Saints Row 2 on the 360 will likely hit 2M. I seriously doubt you'll see PS3 got more than that.

For Saints Row 2, just picking it up was fun, but throughout SR2, events from SR1 are brought up constantly and really can make gamers feel like 'What's going on?' Shoot - even 360 gamers that missed SR said the same thing.

As far as EA, I just find it very, very odd that they would delay announcing a game of this caliber. EA is mum - and MS has nada to say.

Did you read up on publishing rights? How can they publish a trilogy when the first game was funded by a rival? You may play ME 2 on the PS3, but as much moaning as PS3 bots to start off with, they'll hem and haw over the lack of attention EA has given them with ME 2 and call it crap. Regardless, Bioware will continue to shine with the 360 and let EA deal with future ports of the game.

All will be revealed - and I can say with confidence it will be on the 360 and PC. Nothing - except a blog post on Mass Effect forums - has suggested a PS3 version.

Then what do you think MS did get out of the deal allowing EA to publish ME on the PC?  I guarantee you they didn't just give the rights away, and MS doesn't need money from EA.  I think Madskillz' argument is more likely than any other alternative.

madskillz said: Just explain this - why hasn't EA announced ME 2 or ME 3 on the PS3 so far? Seriously - they may do it at GDC but look at these numbers on Saints Row, Saints Row 2: 1 Saints Row THQ 4,984 N/A 2.07m 09th Aug 07 2 Saints Row 2 THQ 1,487 N/A 1.36m 07th Nov 08 3 Saints Row 2 THQ 460 N/A 0.69m 07th Nov 08 Saints Row 2 on the 360 will likely hit 2M. I seriously doubt you'll see PS3 got more than that. For Saints Row 2, just picking it up was fun, but throughout SR2, events from SR1 are brought up constantly and really can make gamers feel like 'What's going on?' Shoot - even 360 gamers that missed SR said the same thing. As far as EA, I just find it very, very odd that they would delay announcing a game of this caliber. EA is mum - and MS has nada to say. Did you read up on publishing rights? How can they publish a trilogy when the first game was funded by a rival? You may play ME 2 on the PS3, but as much moaning as PS3 bots to start off with, they'll hem and haw over the lack of attention EA has given them with ME 2 and call it crap. Regardless, Bioware will continue to shine with the 360 and let EA deal with future ports of the game. All will be revealed - and I can say with confidence it will be on the 360 and PC. Nothing - except a blog post on Mass Effect forums - has suggested a PS3 version.

I think they are waiting for a big event to announce it for the PS3.  Kind of like the Final Fantasy announcement.  If Saints Row 2 was a direct port from the 360 to the PS3, THQ made money on the PS3 version at about 200k units sold.  The rest is pure profit.  It wasn't some random poster in a forum, the CEO of EA told his investors that the game would release on multiple platforms and EA has refused to deny the PS3 version.  I guess the real question for you is why wouldn't EA deny a PS3 version if it truly didn't exist? 

@De85 - The ability to release the sequels in the trilogy on all platforms is far more valuable than the ability to release the original on the PC.  That is why I think the agreement between EA and MS was purely a financial agreement.  MS didn't have any control over the sequels so why would EA give them control?

Out of all possible terms for the deal I think financial would be the least likely.  EA is losing money, and MS already has tons of it.  That kind of deal just wouldn't make sense, and is why I think it involved publishing rights for the sequels.  Hell, maybe MS even gave them a little extra cash to even it out, but I see no plausible scenario where EA paid MS.

Thanks for the props. Right now, Sony needs more than a big event to stop the bleeding. This would be great for Sony, but in the grand scheme, it won't have folks running the streets, proclaiming they are getting a PS3 to play ME 2.

At best, MS loses the next two installments to EA's pimp ideology, but guess what? MS has the trump card. They will definitely tout the complete trilogy on their console. I recently picked up the game again and played it for a few. It ended with Shephard ready to deal out mo' punishment.

Still, publishers have rights, and I can bet you cash $$$ MS had some kind of deal with Bioware. Of course I could be wrong, but after seeing EA have to strike a deal with MS to publish it on PC makes me think there's a lot going on under the surface.

What do you think has more value the ability to publish the original Mass Effect on the pc, or the ability to publish all of the sequels and market any other assets related to the IP to the PS3?  EA paid a premium for Bioware and cannot justify the expense without marketing its IPs on all available platforms.

Disclaimer: I own all 3 consoles, have never played Mass Effect, will not play its sequels, and I really don't care if it comes out on the PS3.  I am trying to argue the point from the perspective of EA as a business.

If EA makes another port like they did with Orange Box they will hurt the franchise.

Maybe the PS3 will be the lead platform for Mass Effect 2.  EA seems to have switched to the PS3 for other titles.  I'd like to see the reactions if that happened.