Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[God save the green: Deal makes Jagex a US company]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/god-save-the-green-deal-makes-jagex-a-us-company/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/god-save-the-green-deal-makes-jagex-a-us-company/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/god-save-the-green-deal-makes-jagex-a-us-company/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Jagex
Jagex is trading up the Union Jack for the Stars and Stripes, as controlling interest in the studio has changed hands to a US firm.

Insight Venture Partners, a venture capital firm from the US, completed a deal last year to increase its ownership to 55% of the UK-based company. Previously, the firm had 35% interest in Jagex. Now that the scales have tipped to the new ownership, this technically makes Jagex a US-controlled company and has US investors leading its board of directors.

While revenues were up 2% for Jagex in 2011, both operating and net profits were significantly down from the previous financial year. Jagex is a major player in the MMO free-to-play market, with RuneScape, Transformers Universe, and 8Realms as part of its project portfilio.

Develop reports that the controlling interest was made possible by Jagex co-founder Andrew Gower selling off his ownership claims to the firm for $115.65 million. As part of the deal, Jagex paid $3.85 million in expenses. The studio will remain in Cambridge while its controlling firm is in NYC.

MassivelyGod save the green: Deal makes Jagex a US company originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>8realmsandrew-gowerboard-of-directorsbreakingcontrolling-interestdealinsight-venture-brothersinvestorsjagexjagex-game-studiosprofitprofitsrevenuerevenuesrunescapetakeovertransformers-universeukusMon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The agonizing wait for Star Wars: The Old Republic's launch date continues [Updated]]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/20/the-agonizing-wait-for-star-wars-the-old-republics-launch-date/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/20/the-agonizing-wait-for-star-wars-the-old-republics-launch-date/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/20/the-agonizing-wait-for-star-wars-the-old-republics-launch-date/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

SWTOR
The multi-million dollar question that's been on every Star Wars: The Old Republic fan's lips can be summed up in one word: When? While we still don't know a precise date, we may be a step or two closer to finding out today.

SWTOR fansite Darth Hater combed through a recent EA Q&A session with investors to pull a few pertinent details from CFO Eric Brown. When asked about the launch date for The Old Republic, Brown replied, "We haven't given a street date yet. We won't do so for some time, possibly at our next upcoming earnings call towards the end of October." This earnings call will take place on October 25th.

EA also continues to stand by its backup plan of a launch delay if SWTOR isn't ready, giving the title room to possibly slip from holiday 2011 to early 2012. Brown explained the conditions that would trigger such a slip: "We did hold out a slight possibility that it could slip to our March quarter. And the factors that would cause a slip is, for example, us not being completely satisfied with the scalability testing, and wanting to tune it for several extra weeks."

[Update: SWTOR's Stephen Reid has posted on the forums urging fans not to read too much between the lines of investor calls. "We are still very much aiming to ship in the holiday 2011 window (AKA, before the end of the year)," he says.]

[Update#2: The transcript was actually done by Darth Hater, which Ask a Jedi copied and pasted. The correct source is now linked.]

MassivelyThe agonizing wait for Star Wars: The Old Republic's launch date continues [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ask-a-jedibiowaredelayeaea-biowareearnings-callelectronic-artseric-browninvestorslaunchlaunch-datereleaserelease-dateslipstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorthe-old-republictorTue, 20 Sep 2011 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Controlling share in Bigpoint purchased for $350 million]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/26/controlling-share-in-bigpoint-purchased-for-350-million/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/26/controlling-share-in-bigpoint-purchased-for-350-million/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/26/controlling-share-in-bigpoint-purchased-for-350-million/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The prolific MMO developer Bigpoint is answering to couple of new bosses today. According to Gamasutra, Summit Partners and TA Associates have banded together to heavily invest in the company -- and by doing so, to take a controlling share in Bigpoint. The two firms, which are now on the board of directors, have jointly invested $350 million into Bigpoint. These funds will recapitalize the studio and expand its presence worldwide.

Bigpoint founder and CEO Heiko Hubertz, who controls 30 percent of the company, appears optimistic: "The investment by TA Associates and Summit Partners is a validation of Bigpoint's leadership position within the gaming industry, and will give us a huge boost toward becoming one of the most successful gaming companies worldwide."

Bigpoint has a wide portfolio of titles including Battlestar Galactica Online, DarkOrbit, and the upcoming Drakensang Online.

MassivelyControlling share in Bigpoint purchased for $350 million originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>battlestar-galactica-onlinebigpointboard-of-directorsbsocontrolling-sharedarkorbitdrakensang-onlinegamasutraheiko-hubertzinvestorssummit-partnerst-and-a-associates-is-a-completely-different-companyta-associatesTue, 26 Apr 2011 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The "big bet": EA aims at a half-million subscribers to make SWTOR profitable]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/02/the-big-bet-ea-aims-at-a-half-million-subscribers-to-make-swt/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/02/the-big-bet-ea-aims-at-a-half-million-subscribers-to-make-swt/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/02/the-big-bet-ea-aims-at-a-half-million-subscribers-to-make-swt/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


"It's a big bet, but it's the right kind of bet to make for EA."

These are the words of BioWare's Ray Muzyka, responding to a conference call to EA investors in which the company admitted that Star Wars: The Old Republic will need to pull in at least 500,000 subscribers to become profitable. This is substantially less than the two million subscriber mark that industry analysts previously predicted.

During the conference call, EA CEO John Riccitiello drew a line in the sand between financial failure and victory for The Old Republic: "At half a million subscribers, the game is substantially profitable, but it's not the sort of thing we would write home about. Anything north of one million subscribers is a very profitable business. Essentially it turns on a dime from being quite sharply negative in terms of its EPS [Earnings Per Share] impact to positive the day the product ships. So it's our view that we can be very successful without fundamentally challenging the market leader [World of Warcraft] because we think we'll probably hit the smaller competitors harder when we get out there. Of course, we have no particular ambition to be a distant number two. Our ambitions are higher than that, but we throttle back a little bit relative to our financial projections."

While Riccitiello admitted that the title has seen "significant development costs," he claims that costs proposed by the public are far higher than the actual costs of The Old Republic's development. He declined to share the actual costs or the number of staff working on the game.

EA also announced that The Old Republic's release date will be in calendar 2011. BioWare has as recently as this January targeted a spring 2011 release. EA's estimate puts its launch somewhere between March 31st and December 31st of this year.

MassivelyThe "big bet": EA aims at a half-million subscribers to make SWTOR profitable originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowareconference-callea-biowareinvestorsJohn-riccitiellolaunchlaunch-dateprofitprofitabilityray-muzykareleaserelease-datestar-wars-the-old-republicsubscribersswtorthe-old-republictorworld-of-warcraftwowWed, 02 Feb 2011 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Could EA's history make investors wary about SWTOR?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/24/could-eas-history-make-investors-wary-about-swtor/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/24/could-eas-history-make-investors-wary-about-swtor/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/24/could-eas-history-make-investors-wary-about-swtor/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

According to a report on Gamasutra, investors have been slow to support Electronic Arts in its latest MMORPG endeavor, Star Wars: The Old Republic. The article released today cites Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey as saying, "We believe many investors are betting against SWTOR achieving market success, provided the company's (Warhammer Online from Mythic) and industry's track record at releasing successful new MMOs." WAR and of course All Points Bulletin being the latest MMOs from EA could make a potential investor a bit gun-shy about placing his money into another game of the same genre.

Investors are not just concerned with the initial sales of SWTOR but also the long-term success of the game. The article uses the sales trend of WAR as an example. The first week's sales of WAR topped at 500,000 subscriptions, which is impressive for any MMO, yet subscriptions did not stick as customer satisfaction plummeted. If an investor is not familiar with BioWare's past successes or if he happens to view BioWare as a rookie in the MMO genre, then his wariness is clearly understandable.

Today, Mike Hickey is calling Electronic Arts a "buy," but that may change if investors continue to see EA as a risky investment.

MassivelyCould EA's history make investors wary about SWTOR? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>all-points-bulletinBioWareEAElectronic-Artsinvestinginvestorsjancojanco-partnersmike-hickeymythicMythic-Entertainmentstar-wars-the-old-republicstock-marketSWTORthe-old-republicTORWarhammerWarhammer-OnlineMon, 24 Jan 2011 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Update: 38 Studios sets facts straight on Copernicus]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/29/update-38-studios-sets-facts-straight-on-copernicus/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/29/update-38-studios-sets-facts-straight-on-copernicus/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/29/update-38-studios-sets-facts-straight-on-copernicus/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

In a follow-up to our story posted yesterday, 38 Studios has contacted us with a response on the issue of the game's cost to be between 50 million and 100 million and their "tenative release date" as reported by the Boston Globe.

According to 38 Studios, the 50 to 100 million figure came from the Boston Globe and not 38 Studios, as finances were never disclosed to the newspaper. Production costs were never mentioned as well during the interview. What was noted in the interview was that MMOs can be quite expensive to build, sometimes costing tens of millions of dollars to put together. As said to us by the company, "38 Studios is a private company and does not, and has never, disclosed financials."

Furthermore, the company wishes to stress that the supposed "December 2010" release date is not a date they wish to acknowledge. The company will release the game codenamed Copernicus when it is ready, currently wishing to not set any dates for their upcoming game.

Follow after the break for the full release from 38 Studios regarding the release date of Copernicus.

Continue reading Update: 38 Studios sets facts straight on Copernicus

MassivelyUpdate: 38 Studios sets facts straight on Copernicus originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>38-studiosboston-globebreakingcopernicuscurt-schillingfinancesinterviewinvestorspress-releaserelease-dateWed, 29 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[38 Studios estimates it will take 50 to 100 million to finish Copernicus, Schilling looking for investors]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/28/38-studios-estimates-it-will-take-50-to-100-million-to-finish-co/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/28/38-studios-estimates-it-will-take-50-to-100-million-to-finish-co/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/28/38-studios-estimates-it-will-take-50-to-100-million-to-finish-co/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Curt Schilling is out on the field again -- the investing field, that is. The former baseball star turned game developer is looking for more investors to back 38 Studios and their first game, the title codenamed Copernicus. The company's estimates for their game requires 50 to 100 million more in funding for the staff, all with their tentative December 2010 launch in mind.

Keep in mind, of course, that 38 Studios has acquired Maryland developer Big Huge Games, the company known for Rise of Nations, Rise of Legends, and Xbox Arcade's version of Catan. That acquisition doubled the company's headcount and has possibly driven operating costs into the 15 to 20 million a year range, according to the Boston Globe.

So far Schilling hasn't had any luck with potential investors. However, as he said to the Boston Globe, "I'm not going to complain about the economy. It's like pitching on a rainy day. The other guy has to pitch in it, too."

[Via Cuppycake]

Massively38 Studios estimates it will take 50 to 100 million to finish Copernicus, Schilling looking for investors originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>38-studiosacquisitionbig-huge-gamesboston-globebreakingbudgetcatancopernicuscopernicus-mmofundinginvestorskurt-schillingr-a-salvatorerise-of-legendsrise-of-nationsTue, 28 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Warhammer holds its ground with 300k subs]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/06/warhammer-holds-its-ground-with-300k-subs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/06/warhammer-holds-its-ground-with-300k-subs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/06/warhammer-holds-its-ground-with-300k-subs/#commentsFiled under: , ,


A minor note in EA's most recent earnings report revealed that as of March 31, 2009, Warhammer Online had over 300,000 subscribers, which is right about where it was at in December 2008. What's that we hear in the distance? I do believe it's the sound of thousands of haters and fanboys doing glorious forum battle.

Three hundred thousand players is actually a pretty good number these days. In fact, CCP was extremely happy to announce hitting the 300k+ mark today, on EVE's 6th birthday. Most MMO analysts would probably say WAR is one of the top 5 subscription MMOs in Europe/North America.

On the other hand, EA and Mythic can't be too happy about the current population situation since Mark Jacobs has made a couple famous remarks about population numbers in the past. The first is that WAR would be successful if it had north of 500k subscribers. The second is that 250k subscribers doesn't look too good to investors when you've made an initial investment of over $50M and have high maintenance costs. You might also want to factor in that Mythic started a recruit-a-friend program, free trial, and launched in Russia all during the period of the quarter being reported on.

With Aion set for release in fall 2009, WAR may soon face some stiff competition on the PvP/RvR front. A lot may be riding on Mythic's new live expansion, The Land of the Dead set for release this summer.

MassivelyWarhammer holds its ground with 300k subs originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 May 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aioneaearnings-reporteve-onlineinvestorsmark-jacobsmythic-entertainmentsubscription-numberswarhammer-onlineWed, 06 May 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Activision-Blizzard reveals that it's sitting on a big pile of money]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/06/activision-blizzard-reveals-that-its-sitting-on-a-big-pile-of-m/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/06/activision-blizzard-reveals-that-its-sitting-on-a-big-pile-of-m/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/06/activision-blizzard-reveals-that-its-sitting-on-a-big-pile-of-m/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

This year, Activision and Blizzard merged under French media group Vivendi (Blizzard's parent company) to become the biggest, baddest game publisher in the known universe. To make sure investors know just how awesome that event was, Vivendi sent out a press release describing its generally excellent financial condition.

Earnings for Vivendi as a whole were reported to be up 10.2% for the first six months of this year. While game division earnings are still actually down compared to this time last year, that should be no cause for alarm. It can be attributed to the lack of a World of Warcraft expansion. By this time last year, The Burning Crusade had reached store shelves.

Vivendi assured investors that it still plans to release Wrath of the Lich King by the end of this year, so that bump is still coming. But will Wrath be as big as The Burning Crusade? By definition it can't be any bigger, because you have to have played the TBC content to reach the point where you can enjoy most of what Wrath has to offer, right? Apparently we'll see soon.
One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

MassivelyActivision-Blizzard reveals that it's sitting on a big pile of money originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionactivision-blizzardblizzardbusinessearningsexpansionfinancesinvestorspress-releasesalestbcthe-burning-crusadevivendiworld-of-warcraftwotlkwowwrathwrath-of-the-lich-kingSat, 06 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Funcom suffering a loss of investor confidence]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/27/funcom-suffering-a-loss-of-investor-confidence/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/27/funcom-suffering-a-loss-of-investor-confidence/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/27/funcom-suffering-a-loss-of-investor-confidence/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Funcom, makers of Age of Conan, are dealing with some serious financial flux. Since the launch of AoC, their stock has tumbled from $54 to $24 a share on the Oslo Stock Exchange (last price as of the end of the trading day on Friday). This represents the loss of over 55% of the stock value. With little news coming from the world of high finance on the subject, it seems that investors may be jumping ship from the gaming industry starlet.

Much speculation continues to be made regarding the true status of Age of Conan and its success or failure, with references to the bugs of all sizes seen post-launch. There have also been several accusations of forum censorship and a number of highly publicized player flights from the game, which may be contributing to market fears that the game is in trouble with its fan base.

On the flip side, it should be noted that the price of Funcom stock had been fairly steady, around $25, for several months prior to March of this year. A sharp increase in price coincided with the release of X-Play pre-order statistics for AoC about two months before boxes hit the shelves. That was followed by a distinct downturn just a few weeks after the game's drop date and the slide has continued since, returning it back to familiar price territory just this past week.

So the question remains: was the $54 stock price just a temporary bubble around the launch when pre-orders were running rampant or have investors been scared off with the sentiment around the game?

MassivelyFuncom suffering a loss of investor confidence originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 Jul 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaocfinancefuncominvestorsstockSun, 27 Jul 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EA CEO Riccitiello doesn't think investors care about quality]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/23/ea-ceo-riccitiello-doesnt-think-investors-care-about-quality/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/23/ea-ceo-riccitiello-doesnt-think-investors-care-about-quality/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/23/ea-ceo-riccitiello-doesnt-think-investors-care-about-quality/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


When you're playing your favorite MMO, how much thought do you put into the finances of the game? Do you wonder if the game had initial investors, or if they were banking on a big-name publisher? Maybe they're an indie developer out raising their own investment capital? In the case of an MMO, the most-likely scenario is initial investments made by a big-name company, or in the case of Tabula Rasa, a big name dude.

In a recent statement by EA's outspoken CEO John Riccitiello, he says, "I don't think the investors give a sh*t about our quality. They care about our earnings per share. They wait for it to happen. We had three years where we didn't make our expectations. If I were an investor, I would wait and see." As controversial as this statement might be, we get treated to an interesting interpretation over at The Greenskin blog.

Continue reading EA CEO Riccitiello doesn't think investors care about quality

MassivelyEA CEO Riccitiello doesn't think investors care about quality originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eaea-mythicinvestorsjohn-riccitiellothe-greenskinwarwarhammer-onlineWed, 23 Jul 2008 07:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Turbine raises chunk of cash, working on new title?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/turbine-raises-chunk-of-cash-working-on-new-title/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/turbine-raises-chunk-of-cash-working-on-new-title/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/turbine-raises-chunk-of-cash-working-on-new-title/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

In an interesting story from a company we haven't heard much about recently, Turbine (who you might remember from such MMOs as Asheron's Call, D&D Online, and Lord of the Rings Online) announced yesterday that they've raised $40 million in capital funding from Time Warner and the GGV Capital, amongst others. Says CEO and President Jim Crowley, "This is a truly exciting time for Turbine."

While it's hard to argue with the fact that more money is a good thing, what is less clear is what sort of pitch the company made that warranted this infusion of sweet green moolah. Their release mentions a "growing portfolio of games" and bringing new titles to market, but this is the first we've heard of potential new development from the Massachusetts-based developer. One can't help but wonder what's next for Turbine. Mayhaps a superhero game to compete with the next biggest independent developer on the other coast? Only time will tell.

MassivelyTurbine raises chunk of cash, working on new title? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>financingggv-capitalinvestorsjim-crowleylord-of-the-blinglord-of-the-ringlotrotime-warnerturbineThu, 05 Jun 2008 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Green-themed kids' game nabs $3.2 million in funding]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/12/green-themed-kids-game-nabs-3-2-million-in-funding/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/12/green-themed-kids-game-nabs-3-2-million-in-funding/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/12/green-themed-kids-game-nabs-3-2-million-in-funding/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Fluid Entertainment, a game company that employs only 14 people, has raised an impressive $3.2 million in funding for the development of a Flash-based online social game for kids aged 6 - 11. The game has an environment-friendly theme.

After the successes of Webkinz and Club Penguin, these kid-oriented games and virtual worlds are hot items for venture capitalists, according to VentureBeat. Fluid is one of many companies aiming to enter that sector of the industry, but its game is particularly intriguing because it aims to use the medium to "[affect] real-world behavior around environmentalism and sustainability."

This is one more example of the virtual world and MMO phenomenon expanding beyond the hardcore role-playing game niche and "just for fun" design. Fluid is aiming for a summer release of the new game, and its business model will combine subscriptions, micro-transactions, and apparently the sale of real-world merchandise. With $3.2 million in funding, these guys could end up notable players in the kids' MMO space, so we'll be watching them.

[Via Mashable]

MassivelyGreen-themed kids' game nabs $3.2 million in funding originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>angel-investorsclub-penguinenviromentalismfluidfluid-entertainmentgreeninvestorskidsmashableventureventure-capitalistventurebeatwebkinzWed, 12 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Peter Moore talks smack about Activision-Blizzard]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/23/peter-moore-talks-smack-about-activision-blizzard/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/23/peter-moore-talks-smack-about-activision-blizzard/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/23/peter-moore-talks-smack-about-activision-blizzard/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


In a recent interview with MCV, Xbox big-wig turned EA big-wig Peter Moore explains how he believes EA Sports' new portfolio is poised on the brink of burying the new Activision-Blizzard juggernaut. He describes how EA Sports is trying to turn their attention to the an international audience, courting new swaths of gamers with casual titles that promise to appeal to customers outside of their usual demographics.

Of course, our immediate reaction is to wonder idly what kind of whacky-tobaccy Peter Moore is smoking, Activision-Blizzard's crown jewel is of course World of Warcraft, which netted the company approximately $1.2 billion last year. Yes, you read that number correctly, that's $1,200,000,000. That's not a number that can be countered by dumbing down your sports franchises and hoping for the best. Now, we understand that EA Sports is kind of Peter Moore's baby here, so his chest-thumping is not without rational cause, but I doubt even investors would be fooled by such reckless showmanship. Now, if he wanted to go on to explain why Warhammer Online is going to eat into WoW's market share, we might be more inclined to pay attention, but a pithy boxing game? Puh-lease.

MassivelyPeter Moore talks smack about Activision-Blizzard originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 23 Feb 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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