EA says They'll Continue to Take Risks in 09

After experiencing disappointing sales for some of their original properties released last year, and even after losing $641 million in the holiday quarter and announcing 1,100 layoffs, Electronic Arts still insists that they plan to take just as many risks in 2009 as they did in 2008. Speaking with Kotaku, Jeff Brown, vice president of communications for EA, talked about their philosophy regarding new IPs, and how they believe they're uniquely situated to take more risks even in this harsh economic climate. "We can take risks because we are pretty sure our blockbusters are going to generate good revenue that allow us some cushion," Brown said. "So we're not living hand to mouth." Last year, EA made an emphasis on releasing fewer games based on existing franchises or licenses, and more original titles like Mirror's Edge and Dead Space -- neither of which performed as well as expected. But that isn't causing EA ... (link)