In the face of a worsening economy and several rounds of painful staff reductions, publishers Microsoft and Electronic Arts have both made separate commitments to continue the development of original gaming properties, rather than resort entirely to the safety of sequels.

"I think you'll see some [IP under threat], yes--but I also think, and I can only really speak with authority about our own games development work, be very confident we'll continue to innovate, and focus on exciting IP for the future," said Microsoft Interactive Entertainment VP Chris Lewis to GamesIndustry.biz.

"I think all the big, mature companies are thinking that way, because if we're in the eye of the storm right now in terms of the economic situation, then clearly we'll come out," added Lewis. "The healthy companies will be the ones that have invested sufficiently during that phase, that they've got exciting IP and innovative things happening for when that recovery starts to happen."

Meanwhile, on the wake of layoffs affecting 11% of its business, Electronic Arts VP of communications Jeff Brown made a similar pledge to the development of new properties last week.

"We can take risks because we are pretty sure our blockbusters are going to generate good revenue that allow us some cushion," said Brown to Kotaku. "You will not be able to see a dramatic drop off original IP."

Electronic Arts studio DICE today confirmed that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is in development, as Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello revealed a few days ago. In addition, the company revealed the development of Battlefield 1943.

Unlike the first Bad Company, which was only released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Bad Company 2 will also get a PC release. DICE promises a "level of fervor to vehicular warfare never before experienced in a modern warfare action game."

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is not expected until early next year, but gamers will still get their Battlefield fix this year as Battlefield 1943 will be released this summer.

A presumably budget-priced release, Battlefield 1943 is a downloadable multiplayer-only title coming to PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It will feature 24 player action, three classic Battlefield locations--Wake Island, Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima--and uses the same Frostbite engine that powers Bad Company 2.

"Bad Company 2 takes everything that players liked in the original and ups the ante - more vehicles, more destruction and more team play," said Battlefield franchise executive producer Karl Magnus Troedsson. "Battlefield 1943 is a new take on a blast from the past classic coming to life with brand new technology."

DICE is also working on the free-to-play Battlefield Heroes, which is expected by April.

Speaking with investors in a conference call today, EA CEO John Riccitiello revealed that Redwood Shores' action-horror franchise Dead Space is heading to the Wii.

The CEO was mum on the details, but noted that the title should retain the so-called fear factor of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions that arrived in the fall of 2008.

BioWare's Mass Effect 2 and a sequel to DICE's Battlefield: Bad Company will arrive in the first three months of 2010, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello has revealed.

In today's conference call, Riccitiello said that Mass Effect 2 will arrive on multiple platforms, which means it could hit both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 at launch.

The first Mass Effect was a console exclusive for Xbox 360, trailed by a PC release a few months later. BioWare has suggested the sequel may follow that model.

When asked about specific platforms for Mass Effect 2, an Electronic Arts representative told Shacknews that no details were available at this time.

The Battlefield: Bad Company sequel will presumably follow in the footsteps of the console-only original, which hit PS3 and Xbox 360 in the summer of 2008.

Both games will be released during the fourth quarter of the publisher's 2010 fiscal year, which runs from January 1 to March 31.

Further ramping up its cost-cutting measures, Electronic Arts today revealed that it will be reducing its workforce by 11% and closing 12 facilities by the end of March 2009.

Previously, the company had said it would be reducing its headcount by around 10%, roughly 1,000 jobs, and closing "at least" nine facilities. The company now says the reductions will affect 1,100 people.

Electronic Arts today released its financial results from the third quarter of its 2009 fiscal year, posting an overall net loss of $641 million.

Due to poor holiday sales, the company has "significantly reduced" its outlook for the year, with EA CEO John Riccitiello labeling this "a clear disappointment."

The company's revenue in the third quarter grew by $10 million over that of last year, to $1.74 billion. However, it was hit by highers expenses and investment losses.

Sales were driven by FIFA 09, Rock Band 2, Need for Speed Undercover, Rock Band, Left 4 Dead, Dead Space, Madden NFL 09, Littlest Pet Shop, NBA Live 09 and Mirror's Edge, with Warhammer Online racking up approximately 300,000 subscribers.

Ludlum Entertainment has granted Electronic Arts the rights to the works of author Robert Ludlum, which include the Jason Bourne novels.

The first game to come out of the deal will be developed at Starbreeze Studios, the Swedish company behind The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, The Darkness, and the upcoming The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena.

"Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne is the most exciting action hero to emerge in decades, thrilling audiences around the world," said EA Games vice president of marketing Mike Quigley. "EA is excited to enter into a long-term relationship with Ludlum Entertainment, bringing the action, intrigue and intensity of Robert Ludlum's fiction to life for casual and core gamers around the globe."

High Moon Studios released a Jason Bourne game, Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy (PS3, X360), just last year. Following the release of that game, and the Activision-Vivendi merger, rights reverted back to the Ludlum estate.

No details, including target platforms, were revealed for the new Starbreeze Studios game.

Need for Speed Shift

Update: In addition to the three Need for Speed games below, Electronic Arts tells Eurogamer that "Black Box is currently working on a future action title in the franchise."

No additional details on the so-called "secret NFS game" are known at this time.

Original Story: GameSpot is reporting that despite recent mass layoffs at Need for Speed series developer EA Black Box, Electronic Arts is not giving up on the Need for Speed franchise.

On the contrary, as the publisher has three new entries in the series in the works.

The PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PSP are set to receive Need for Speed Shift, described as a "hardcore racing simulation". Development is being handled by UK start-up Slightly Mad Studios, with production overseen by Black Box... Read more

Electronic Arts today announced Boom Blox Bash Party, a sequel to the Steven Spielberg-produced, Jenga-esque Wii party game.

According to a release, the Bash Party will feature new multiplayer modes and over 400 fresh levels. The game will also allow players to download both EA and user-created levels.

"We know families and friends really enjoyed playing the original 'Boom Blox' together, so we designed more explosive multiplayer experiences with 'Boom Blox Bash Party'," said Spielberg, who enthusiastically described the series as a "wild social gaming experience."

Boom Blox Bash Party will hit the Wii this spring.

Supposed screenshots of Pandemic Brisbane's cancelled Batman game have emerged from the portfolio of artist Michael Pryor, as noticed by Kotaku Australia.

While Pryor never explicitly states these images are from the ill-fated movie tie-in, the shots certainly match the film's gritty rendition of Gotham City. There's even a monorail.

Reportedly facing a number of technical obstacles and missed deadlines, the game was said to have been cancelled last fall--roughly the same time that Pryor left Pandemic Brisbane for Pandemic Los Angeles, which is currently developing Saboteur.

Since then, owner Electronic Arts has axed it ties with Pandemic Brisbane, though Pandemic's other branch in Los Angeles was apparently unaffected by the cut.

As for Batman, the hero we deserve--but not the one we need--will return in video game form this summer via Batman: Arkham Asylum, which is being developed by Rocksteady Studios and co-published by Warner Bros. and Eidos.

Over 200 layoffs struck Skate developer EA Black Box today, according to a Gamasutra report that cites multiple development sources.

As Gamasutra points out, the loss of 200 jobs more than halves the studio's 350-strong workforce. It had previously been reported that EA Black Box would soon be closed, with staff moving to a nearby office to continue work on its associated franchises.

EA Black Box shipped Skate 2 (X360, PS3) this week. The studio was also responsible for recent titles in the Need for Speed franchise.

The Orlando Sentinel has further confirmed reports that Madden developer EA Tiburon recently laid off an undisclosed number of employees.

The layoffs are part of an overall cost-cutting strategy on the part of publisher Electronic Arts. The company announced in December its plans to reduce its workforce by 10%, or 1,000 employees, following poor holiday sales.

During a Spore "State of the Universe" event last night, EA Maxis announced three new Spore games that will hit stores this year, making for a total of four Spore titles to be released in 2009.

The newly announced games include Spore Hero (Wii) and Spore Hero Arena (DS), casual adventure titles that will see players directly controlling creatures as they follow a story arc. It's more action and less creation, all set on a crafted planet--but gameplay details beyond that were scarce. The Spore Hero games will hit this fall.

A stand-alone PC game, Spore Creature Keeper is essentially a virtual pet game for kids. Creatures will inhabit a "home," with players upgrading the creature and its surroundings. A multiplayer mode will allow for creature interaction. A screenshot was shown of a creature running on a treadmill inside a small, modern home.

Creature Keeper is expected to be released in early summer.

We also got a closer look at the first full expansion for the PC version of Spore, Galactic Adventures, which is due out in the vicinity of March. More on that later today.

As Electronic Arts continues to implement its cost-cutting plan, which will see the company shed 10% of its global workforce by March's end, new reports indicate that Madden developer Tiburon and Skate 2 developer Black Box are among the latest hit.

Though EA has already said it will close Black Box, the studio's development teams and "associated game franchises" were said to be moving to a nearby office, with Kotaku's report suggesting that not all of the Black Box staff will make the transition.

Also responsible for the Need for Speed series, Black Box just shipped Skate 2 today.

As for the cuts at Madden and Tiger Woods developer Tiburon, Gamasutra reports that "multiple staffers" have been let go, but offers no additional details.

Electronic Arts has repeatedly said it will not provide specifics on the broad cuts until early February. Other divisions rumored to be affected include Warhammer Online developer Mythic Entertainment and Destroy All Humans! vets Pandemic Brisbane.

"As part of EA, all studios are expected to do their fair share to meet the expectations of our CEO," Mythic VP Mark Jacobs wrote yesterday in response to said rumors.

The once-postponed and now-revived PlayStation 3 edition of Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 will arrive in March, publisher EA and developer EA LA announced today.

Dubbed the Ultimate Edition, the PS3 release of the real-time strategy game will feature five new maps over the previously released PC and Xbox 360 versions, and will pack a number of bonus videos, including a "Girls of Red Alert 3" featurette.

"The PS3 is a very powerful platform, and the extra time we have had in development has helped us create the ultimate console RTS experience, with better graphics, improved performance, a ton of extras and some nice exclusive perks that cannot be found on any other version," said EA LA development director David Seeholzer.

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning developer Mythic Entertainment is the latest EA subsidiary to be hit in the company's latest cost-cutting efforts, Joystiq reports.

Citing anonymous sources, the site claims that all of Mythic's playtesters were let go, along with 21 customer service employees and half of its quality assurance team.

When reached for comment, studio owner Electronic Arts once again stated that no specifics on the latest round of cost-cutting measures would be provided until early February--the same response given to rumors that EA axed Pandemic Brisbane.

Electronic Arts had previously announced that it would cut roughly 10% of its global workforce by March 31, and close "at least" nine facilities. Skate and Need for Speed developer Black Box is among those slated for closure, with the studio's teams and "associated game franchises" moving to a nearby office in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Electronic Arts will distribute Red Eagle Games' upcoming line of games inspired by Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time book series, the duo have announced.

Red Eagle is planning to transform the fantasy franchise into "a line of stand-alone games" for "all major videogame platforms," including PC and consoles, along with a massively multiplayer online role-playing game for unknown platforms.

All will be distributed through the EA Partners Label, which enables EA to pair with other third-party developers for publishing and distribution, including Valve, Harmonix, and id.

"The Wheel of Time series has a massive worldwide following and we're excited to help give Red Eagle Games' interactive products a blockbuster launch on the global stage," said EA Partners senior VP and general manager David DeMartini.

Update: There have been some layoffs at Pandemic Brisbane, as programmer Tony Albrecht's blog confirms that he was "made redundant." In the comments, Albrecht confirms that he has already found a new position elsewhere.

Original: Electronic Arts has cut ties with its subsidiary Pandemic Brisbane, according to multiple reports. However, the studio is not closed, with Kotaku's source claiming that the severance was "was more of a 'Find a new publisher. Good luck.' kind of thing."

Brisbane will reportedly retain the rights to its original property as well as its equipment. According to one source, the studio was working on a Wii release titled The Next Big Thing, described as an "open world reality show."

Pandemic Brisbane represented half of the developer behind such games as Mercenaries, Star Wars: Battlefront, and The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, with the Australian office responsible for the first two Destroy All Humans! games.

The branch was rumored to be working on a Batman movie tie-in for The Dark Knight, which was reportedly cancelled due to budget issues and missed deadlines.

Pandemic's other half, Pandemic Los Angeles, is not affected by the closure, according to Games On Net. EA acquired Pandemic and BioWare in 2007 for $860 million.

When reached for comment, Electronic Arts told Gamasutra that it will not provide more details on its cost-cutting measures until February. The company previously said it would close "at least" nine facilities in order to save about $120 million per year.

During a presentation at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, computer hardware manufacturer AMD and middleware developer OTOY unveiled plans for a new supercomputer they believe will revolutionize entertainment.

By calculating all relevant data sever-side and then streaming the results to online devices, AMD claims the platform can bring video games and other "graphically-intensive applications" to "virtually any type of mobile device with a web browser without making the device rapidly deplete battery life or struggle to process the content."

"Imagine playing the most visually intensive first person shooter game at the highest image quality settings on your cell phone without ever having to download and install the software, or use up valuable storage space or battery life with compute-intensive tasks," teased AMD digital media and entertainment director Charlie Boswell... Read more

Publisher Electronic Arts today announced its plans to support Sony's PlayStation 3 "social gaming community" PlayStation Home, beginning with an EA Sports Complex.

Slated to arrive in the ever-evolving service this spring, the EA Sports complex will feature "exclusive new EA Sports multiplayer games" along with the ability to interact with other gamers and watch trailers "and other content" from EA Sports titles.

The company also noted that it is "working with Sony Computer Entertainment on further label support of PlayStation Home Beta, and will announce plans in the near future." Last fall, publisher Ubisoft debuted a dedicated Far Cry 2-themed area.

"We're proud to support the PlayStation Home Beta with a very robust offering from EA Sports," said EA Sports president Peter Moore. "The EA Sports Complex is a rich new online environment that presents a compelling and immersive social gaming experience for the global sports audience."

The PC version of Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, released last October, will receive a digital download expansion this March, publisher Electronic Arts announced today.

Titled Uprising, the stand-alone expansion will offer four mini-campaigns for each faction, along with an additional campaign focusing on the origins of the Empire of the Rising Sun's commando Yuriko.

Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising also introduces the "Commander's Challenge". This feature will allow you to test your skills against a set of nine commanders from different territories and difficulty levels in 50 challenges, all with their own conditions and game rules.

Also look for new live-action cutscenes. Gemma Atkinson and Ivana Milicevic are among those actors returning; additional cast members will be announced soon.

"Uprising is a game that in many ways reflects the feedback we have gotten from the Command & Conquer community," said EA Los Angeles senior producer Amer Ajami.

"We're giving gamers more of what they want - more of the fast, fluid and fun gameplay, more of the story we began to tell in Red Alert 3 and more cutscenes featuring top-notch Hollywood talent. At the same time, we're excited we're going to be able to bring new things to the mix, including new units and the Commander's Challenge, which is a great way for players to hone their skills and get deeper into the combat."