Bank Holiday catch-up: EA, Wii-U and the $99 Xbox

Catch up on some stories that took place during the Bank Holiday, including the announcement of Dead Space 3 and a new way to sell game consoles

was a busy weekend for the games industry, so here is a quick update on what I missed while relaxing at home enjoying the holiday .. .

EA has a record year for revenues, refers to Dead Space 3, but he admits that Star Wars: The Old Republic subscriptions diving

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Electronic Arts announced its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2011 and the year. During the 12 months ended March 31, 2012, the company generated $ 4.2 billion in revenue, $ 1.2 billion digital projects. This resulted in earnings of $ 284 million, compared to U.S. $ 233 million in 2011. The publisher also revealed during an investor call that the payments of new Dead Space and Need for Speed ??franchise is due in this exercise. It is not surprising, really.

There were some grim news. There will be staff layoffs as part of restructuring plans of the company $ 40 million, and with an immediate effect on shareholder value, it was recognized that the number of subscribers fell in the Star Wars: The The Old Republic MMO - since March, the number was reduced from 1.7 to 1.3 million euros, almost 25% of the user base. EA has said, however, that support is strong among the subscriber bases of the game, and that the fall is due to occasional users who choose to stop the game before sales began.

Finally, the Company incurred $ 80 million developing the next generation console, with CEO John Riccitiello expressiing confidence that there is no place for the console market to continue over in addition.

• the $ 99 for Xbox 360

Is this a clue intriguing in future models of the price of the console? Microsoft in the U.S. offers a Kinect with the Xbox 360 for only $ 99 - but buyers must sign a two year subscription to Xbox Live Gold. Attenuation of the offer before time runs out requires a buy-out hand, like a mobile phone contract.

The agreement is only available through own retail stores from Microsoft and PC World as discover, may represent the best value, with most of the big chains that offer complete console rpice between $ 230 and $ 300 cheaper than putting the contract agreement, even when you add the subscription to Xbox Live.

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