All signs point toward venerable game publisher Electronic Arts (EA) making a move in the social gaming space by buying one, if not more, social game development companies. EA COO John Pleasants let the cat out of the bag in an interview with PaidContent when he indicated that bringing their titles "live" and creating a "social aspect" were keys to their strategy.
EA Sports has already taken a step in this direction by bringing Tiger Woods PGA TOUR to the web, and other games are incorporating online features, like NCAA Football 2010's online TeamBuilder and the inclusion of Season Showdown, which lets players boost their favorite team's status by competing online as well as winning games offline.
So what will they bring to the social gaming space?
Well, EA doesn't have the most stellar reputation in the gaming space. While companies like Blizzard are known for putting the best and most bug-free game possible, EA has had somewhat of a checkered past. From dragging the venerable Ultima series through the mud to releasing an extremely buggy NFL Head Coach and never putting out any substantial patches, EA has demonstrated that their decision making process starts and stops with the profit margin, not the customer.
However, EA does have a vast number of popular titles, including the highly anticipated Sims 3 and an exclusive deal with the NFL Players Association. A move into the social gaming space might make for some interesting titles, such as a Facebook version of Madden football or Twitter profiles for your Sims 3 characters.
But their first moves will probably be in the area of acquisition. PocketGamer reports that social game development company J2Play might be in EA's crosshairs.
We'll have to wait and see what sort of longterm impact this move makes, but one thing is certain: now that social gaming is attracting the big boys, the social gaming space will not be the same.