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Analyst Critical of Tiberium Canning

Kris Graft's picture

By Kris Graft

October 7, 2008

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When Electronic Arts canceled the Command & Conquer-themed shooter Tiberium, some praised the company's hard line on quality.

But Mike Hickey with Janco Partners questions how an admitted low-quality game got so far into development.

"Continued lack of management execution and/or product quality damages new management’s credibility and dampens our excitement for the Company’s shares," Hickey said in a Tuesday research note.

"We expect management will lower performance guidance for their fiscal ’09 period, which is likely priced into the Company’s shares at this time."

EA confirmed on September 30 that development on EALA's title would cease immediately. A rep said the title was not meeting quality standards.

"A lower quality game is not in the best interest of the consumers and would not succeed in this market," the rep stated.

Part of the game's cancellation is rooted in EA's goal to have an average Metacritic review score of over 80 percent by fiscal 2011.

Tiberium, which would have been a squad-based tactical shooter, made it as far as a Game Informer cover story in January 2008.

Hickey was more upbeat on EA's other prospects.

"Despite our aforementioned concerns, we remain cautiously positive on the ultimate performance of Warhammer Online and new IP releases including Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge," he added.

senator_smack's picture
On October 9th senator_smack said:

I understand the need for prudence, the video game business is afterall business, but I am personally frustrated that a game which not only expands in a new way on a strong IP but boasts unheard of gameplay innovations would get nixed because EA thinks metacritic scores judge game quality or sellability. These ideas certainly don't hold true for fan loyalty either. The pokemon series, which has rabid brand loyalty and has sold nearly 200 million units, has a metacritic average score of 70.3, with no single game hitting above the 85 point mark. The sims and other amazingly successful IPs suffer a similar fate. Is it possible that EA, the king of the franchise games, doesn't get franchise sales?