EA and Xbox Live

Convincing Electronic Arts to develop games for Xbox Live is no doubt a huge win for Microsoft. I assume EA was the real winner in the negotiations, as Microsoft had everything to lose by not having EA onboard.

When I worked in the games industry I developed a basic rule for estimating the success of a console. If EA is supporting the platform, it will have a chance of survival. If EA is not supporting the platform, the console is DOA. By signing EA, Microsoft makes Xbox Live a true contender in online field.