Originally posted on GameStooge

Thanks to Jonah Falcon for the article.

If you listened to Episode 63 of 2Old2Type, one of the reader voice mails asked Codemonkey and DSmooth if 1. Sony would pull out of the console manufacturing game, and 2. Who would replace them. Both immediately said there would be a PlayStation 4, but they started pondering who would be the next company to jump into the game and make their own console?

The company that would be the most intriguing would be Electronic Arts, and what a behemoth they could potentially be. Let’s cite some factors onto why EA might try their hand:

• They have the financial wherewithal to get it started.
• They’ve been eternally at war with Activision, and the merger with Blizzard gave their rivals not only World of Warcraft, but the Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo licenses, effectively making them the Kings of PC Gaming. Electronic Arts’ recent PC offerings have been scant and unsuccessful; even the long-hyped Spore underperformed.
• EA has the licensing. Imagine the console sports landscape with every EA Sports title suddenly exclusive to a single console? “You can only get Madden on our system!” They already have the premiere soccer (FIFA) and hockey (NHL) titles. Then you have all of their other powerful licenses – The Sims, for example. Rock Band. Valve’s console adaptations. Mass Effect. Command & Conquer. Battlefield. Burnout. The Simpsons. Can you imagine how it would rock the gaming landscape if they announced: “The Sims 4, only on our system! Rock Band 3, only on our system!” iD Software. Even relatively defunct licenses could get new life, like Wolfenstein, SSX, Need for Speed and Medal of Honor. Can you say Spore 2?
• Focused, cheaper development – Electronic Arts always tries to get their major titles on multiple platforms – well, on every platform available. They even released Madden NFL 08 on the defunct Xbox and GameCube systems. Now, with a single platform to develop for, maybe their yearly games wouldn’t be nearly as shoddy.
• They would no longer have to pay Nintendo, Microsoft and PlayStation 3 fees to publish on their systems.
• EA classic games: Let’s not forget their massive library of older games. How would you like to download M.U.L.E. for your new system? Archon? Pinball Construction Set? The Bard’s Tale? The Seven Cities of Gold, Mail Order Monsters, Populous, and Skate or Die! Imagine them reskinned for better graphics. That’s just a taste of their classic library. They could start their own version of Xbox Live Arcade and improve upon it.
• The console world is still relatively untapped in terms of MMOs. This would be fertile ground for them to establish their own alternative to World of Warcraft. If the PCs are already owned by WoW, then why not fight on a different turf?
• EA would also learn from the mistakes and successes of Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony. They’d realize they could make two SKU’s of their console – a cheap $250 system that would include a cheap hard drive and a $399 system with all the fixin’s – and include a chatpad with both. They’d make a software development package that’s easy for themselves and third-party devs to write on.

Most of all, Electronic Arts could kneecap Microsoft and Sony by taking the most profitable third-party games from them, attract the younger casual gamers by only releasing something like The Sims 4 on the console (while you’re on the charts, let us know where The Sims is all-time), and offer the hardcore some of the most intense games they already enjoy – a brand-new console-based Counter-Strike, anyone? Remember, Electronic Arts had expressed desire for a world with only one console system. And unlike their previous foray into hardware manufacturing, the 3DO, they won’t charge an outrageous $700 for the system.

Plus, they know if they fail, they can always go back to third-party game development and continue on their merry way, like Sega. One wonders why they haven’t done it already – or if they’re planning it now and are waiting to strike.