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Apple Signals Gaming Ambitions

Tom Ivan's picture

By Tom Ivan

May 5, 2009

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iPhone maker Apple is rumoured to be interested in buying Electronic Arts, according to professional investor Guy Adami.

Adami said “that there is chatter that Apple is eyeing Electronic Arts as a takeover target” in an article posted on The Street.

The speculation arose as Apple confirmed that it had hired new executives to aid its push into the games market.

Richard Taversham, formerly Xbox Europe’s senior director of insights and strategy, has joined the company from Microsoft, reports Forbes, while Bob Drebin, the creator of the Nintendo GameCube's graphics processor, swapped his position as chief technologist at chip maker AMD's graphics group for a role at Apple.

IBM chip designer Mark Papermaster also recently joined Apple as head of its iPod business.

DubsTF's picture
On May 5th DubsTF said:

SWEET. Since discovering computers via the Apple ][ line I've been waiting patiently for updates to Pinball Construction Set, Hard Hat Mack, Archon, et. al.

HELLFAST's picture
On May 5th HELLFAST said:

Alot of Apple's actions would seem to signal that they are slowly working there way into the gaming industry. Apple is usually a very couscous company when it comes to entering a new market preferring to do alot of R&D to get the job done to there standards.

If indeed Apple does enter the industry I am sure with or without a EA take over Apple would not find it very hard to attract the development community to there systems. And being a technology company I am sure we would get a system that would rival not only Nintendo's might but Sony's and MS aswell...

dreamhunk's picture
On May 5th dreamhunk said:

aplle has made a console before and if floped. Chamces are ifapple is getting into the gaming market it will be for their i phone and pc market. In fact they started selling their comdaore pc's agin market targeting pc gamers.

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/46132
I even hear apple has online gaming store for pc gamers. when apples gets more games and mods I would be buyingtheir pc's. I really don't micro soft too much.

Indrema's picture
On May 6th Indrema said:

No, your mistaken.

Many people believe that Apple released a gaming system. Others, an Internet device, & some - a PC. Actually it was none of those things, but a NEW device that encompassed all of those features together. For the low price of $699, you could have a device with half the power of the N64.

Good times! All hail Pippen!

dreamhunk's picture
On May 6th dreamhunk said:

huh, you have lost me i don't know aht you are talking about. Didn't read the link I gave? Do you have any proof at all? Being a pc gamer I have yet to find any info on such matters.

Indrema's picture
On May 6th Indrema said:

Sorry, I thought you WERE talking about the Pippen.

If you haven't heard of it - It's a gaming console about twice as big as the original Xbox, and 4x the weight. In practice, it produced graphics slightly better than the PSOne, but it was, like, $700! Oh, & it was released about a year after the N64.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandai_Pippin

dreamhunk's picture
On May 6th dreamhunk said:

Oh ok it says here was released in 2005, not sure if that was the apple gaming console that had flop or not. I can't remeber i wouldhave to look it up. thanks for the info.

toadwarrior's picture
On May 5th toadwarrior said:

I hope they do it and yank EA's games off the PC and 360 and have them work exclusively on everything that isn't an MS product.

I'd like to see Apple computer take a bigger chunk out of MS' monopoly so I hope this happens and they build up mac gaming.

SCTakara's picture
On May 5th SCTakara said:

Trading one monopoly for another? That's not progress. And, if you're going to get rid of the 360 and PC from support, why not take out the PS3 while you're at it? Sony isn't any different, and would trade places with Microsoft in a heartbeat. Or have you not kept track of all the proprietary formats they've tried to promote over the years?

Competition is healthy. Pulling EA back from supporting *profitable* platforms to only Apple's (or "just" one current-gen console) is not beneficial, and I'm pretty sure stockholders wouldn't allow for that. If you want a breaking of anyone having a monopoly, go Open Source. Go Linux. Not another proprietary OS (Windows, OSX, iPhone, etc) or hardware platform (consoles, Macs, iPhones, etc).

After all, who's to say 5-10 years from now Apple won't have stranglehold on the market like MS has had? Microsoft is being sued by Opera about the browser issue again, but Apple told them they can't develop for the iPhone since Opera duplicates functionality provided by Safari? Excuse me? That's not monopolistic? That's not unfair how?

Indrema's picture
On May 5th Indrema said:

I thought the Wii was number 1.

Although I can say the chances of the Sims franchise going "Mac-only" are about as likely as the U.S. Adopting the metric system.

tirminyl's picture
On May 5th tirminyl said:

In all honesty, EA has been doing great in terms of IP offered. EA in my mind has made a turnaround, unfortunately the slew of new IP they have given us did not sell well (bad timing I think) but they certainly have changed from rehashing the same stuff over and over. Give us more Dead Space, more Mirrors Edge, more new and original IP!

Daniel_Lynch's picture
On May 5th Daniel_Lynch said:

God no, more monopolising of a rather stagnant industry. Creative games seem cast aside. Then again, apple could spell a breath of fresh air into the industry as Sony did when they first entered. We'll have to wait and see!

calladorn8t's picture
On May 5th calladorn8t said:

Actually wouldn't mind this purchase (if it ever happened) . EA would instantly get that "we are a creative company" image that they seem to to be working so hard in wanting. I think their games would actually get better and sell more...

Rider_on_the_Storm's picture
On May 5th Rider_on_the_Storm said:

This is pie in the sky material. Never going to happen.

Billytech's picture
On May 5th Billytech said:

So...Peter Moore will be working for Steve Jobs...Instead of Bill Gates...
The irony...

SCTakara's picture
On May 5th SCTakara said:

Not as ironic as if he went to work for Sony (he was at Sega first).

Apple should let him go rather than take him on. Every system he's launched has had heat problems (a good run of Dreamcasts had a problem, plus the 360/RRoD). He's bad luck for hardware ;)

jazzbrownie's picture
On May 5th jazzbrownie said:

I thought the same thing

SCTakara's picture
On May 6th SCTakara said:

Still love the guy, though. Shrewd.

Indrema's picture
On May 5th Indrema said:

One of the most innovative companies buying of the least innovative companies? That's weird.

It's like if Larry Flint decided to buy the New York Times.

dreamhunk's picture
On May 5th dreamhunk said:

I really hope apple buys and takes over EA :) that would be good news in deed.