EA: 'Far Too Many' Games Released During the Holiday Season

Following a glutted holiday gaming market that lead to some disappointing sales for new Electronic Arts franchises, the publisher has admitted that its strategy of releasing many of its larger titles during the same season was a mistake.

"The one big thing we learned was, we came out with a bunch of new IP, actually with a bunch of new games at the same time," said EA Redwood Shores general manager Glen Schofield to GamesIndustry.

"I think that we traditionally thought that people only buy games at Christmas or around holiday time," he continued. "And now we're looking back and going, 'You know what, GTA launched in May; Resident Evil comes out in March.'"

Weak sales of new IP such as Dead Space and Mirror's Edge contributed to third quarter losses of $641 million at EA. The publisher quickly moved to cut 11% of its workforce in response.

"I think the industry has finally gone, 'Wow, we could probably just come out just like the movies do,'" concluded Schofield. "Movies launch on Christmas day, they launch blockbusters during the summer, and we're now learning that we could probably launch a game at any time, and if it's a good game it will be well received."