Electronic Arts Blew this Console Cycle?

Electronic Arts is the focus of attention for both analysts and gamers as 2008 is closing. The publisher, which is already facing stiff competition from Activision Blizzard and Ubisoft, has seen worse than expected results in the last month, deciding to lay off more than 1,000 people, about 10% of its workforce, while also closing down or consolidating a lot of studios, including Need for Speed: Undercover developer Black Box. New intellectual properties like Dead Space, a space based horror shooter, and Mirror's Edge, the free running DICE developed title, have failed to make the impact that the company had hoped for.

Some analysts believe that the recent news shows how the publisher missed the start of this console cycle and needs to rethink its strategy in order to create successful titles.