Feature: EA vs. Activision: Genre by genre Subscribe to this RSS feed
Licenses, Original IPs, and the winner declared!
LICENSES:
Madden NFL 2008
EA: EA's near monopolization of sports games makes it a licensing giant. Not only is it the only third-party company allowed to use NFL and ESPN licenses, they also own the exclusive rights to NCAA Football. Add in some non-exclusive agreements with the NBA, NHL, and NASCAR and you've got the ultimate sports package. On top of that it owns exclusives to Harry Potter, The Simpsons and Lord of the Rings.
ACTIVISION: This company scoops up movie licenses faster than movie stars can get DUI's. Its big ones include James Bond, Spider Man and The Fantastic Four. Some less notables include Transformers, A Shark Tale, Madagascar and Shrek.
Edge: EA. Although Activision sends just about every computer animated blockbuster straight to your home console, EA's solitary NFL license is probably more profitable. Even without its sports licenses, EA still has a competitive set of movie licenses. At least Activision has Pimp My Ride and Lemony Snicket.
ORIGINAL IPs:
EA: If there's any company that could be criticized for relying on sequels, EA is the one. With yearly iterations of almost all of its franchises EA has a reputation for churning out rehashed games with little improvement on an annual basis. The company has made strides this year, however, with Army of Two, Boogie and Crysis.
ACTIVISION: While Activision is known for mining its franchises as well, it seems to exercise a bit more restraint. Activision has also single-handedly launched a gaming genre with Tony Hawk making extreme sports a gaming goldmine.
Edge: Activision. So long as EA reproduces Madden into perpetuity, it will forever be branded as "the sequel company". Activision may not have the amount of new IPs that EA has in the pipeline this year, but it has traditionally been the more innovation-based company.
UNCONTESTED AREAS:
Spore
EA: No matter how many companies EA acquires, it's likely that the EA Sports titles will be the company's bread and butter for years to come. The company's strong suite of sports titles is dominant across all platforms, to the point where few companies even attempt to produce competing titles. The company also has the Simulation genre locked down with The Sims and the upcoming Spore. Both genres are largely untouched by Activision.
ACTIVISION: Activision has some ground to make up here, with EA representing several genres uncontested.
Edge: EA. Activision should keep out of sports entirely, since it lacks key licenses to make any headway. It might be worth bolstering its lineup with some sim titles. Of course, we can't put it by Activision to create a couple new genres in the next few years that we didn't even know existed.
THE WINNER: EA, 5 to 4
While EA may have temporarily ceded the third-party crown, it's quite obvious that it's pulling out all the stops to get back on top. From challenging Activision's strongest IPs directly with skate and Rock Band, to creating a whole host of new titles, EA is attacking Activision with guns blazing. Take into account that Activision is still a couple competent studios away from matching EA in some key genres, and we'd be surprised if EA didn't reclaim it's role as the biggest third party in the world by the end of 2008. Whether that's a good thing or not is up for debate.
DECIDE FOR YOURSELF!
Which company do you think will rule the third-party roost? Go to SucksorRules to let your voice be heard!
