Game publisher EA sets its sights on Facebook

November 10, 12:39 PMDetroit Technology ExaminerScott Banks

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All your games are belong to us...well, most of them anyway.

Electronic Arts, publisher of the popular Rock Band franchise, posted a 2009 fourth-quarter loss of $42 million and today, announced it was cutting 1500 jobs, about 17 percent of its' workforce. A large chunk of the loss is due to EA acquiring Playfish for $300 million, a company that makes social networking games, another revenue stream that falls under the "casual gaming" banner.

Operating within EA Interactive, a division of the company that focuses on the web and wireless offerings, Playfish has already installed more than 150 million of its' games to web and mobile platforms like Myspace, Facebook, Android, Google and, ever-present in any discussion about social networking or mobile advertising, the iPhone.  With over 1 billion play sessions monthly, this accuisition could maintain EA's edge in an evolving media and entertainment market.  Currently, EA Mobile is the number one developer of mobile applications with Having seen console sales slide in every EA franchise from Madden to Rock Band while mobile versions of those same games lead mobile application sales worldwide, EA is making a decisive play to stay "in the game".