So what does EA make of Android?

November 26th, 2009, 15:07 Posted By: wraggster

Recent days have seen intense speculation around mobile games publisher Gameloft's support for Android, sparked by negative comments made by the company's CFO. Something that hasn't been talked about, though, is how Gameloft's fiercest rival sees Android. Has EA Mobile thrown its weight behind the platform?
In a word: no.
Comprehensive Android app directory AndroLib lists just two EA Mobile games on Android Market: The Sims 3 and Bejeweled.

Meanwhile, the smartphone section of EA Mobile's own website only lists one Android phone – the venerable T-Mobile G1 – and just one game for it.
By contrast, the site says EA has 66 games available for the BlackBerry Pearl 8100, and 29 games for the WinMo-sporting Samsung i760.
Sister site ME contacted EA Mobile to get its views on Android, and while the publisher declined to respond directly, it did supply a 'recent quote' from its VP of worldwide publishing Adam Sussman:
"We look for Google’s Android platform to become an important channel for EA Mobile and we have already launched some of EA Mobile’s most popular franchises on Android including Bejeweled and The Sims 3 with more to come, including Surviving High School, Spore Origins and many others."
EA is hardly wary of new mobile platforms, having supported N-Gage, ploughed resources into iPhone, and recently took the stage at BlackBerry's developer conference to showcase its plans for OpenGL 3D games on RIM's handsets.
The picture that is emerging, then, is that the two biggest mobile games publishers in the world are still decidedly wary of Android - with EA even resisting the urge (so far) to simply port across its existing Java game catalogue.
Concern about Android's handset and OS-version fragmentation? Dissatisfaction with the performance of paid apps on Android Market? Waiting for handsets like the Droid to sell in their millions before committing resources?
The reasons are unclear, but it seems Google has work to do to make Android a serious mobile gaming platform.

http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/295...ake-of-Android

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