Electronic Arts is picking itself back up after some major restructuring, including a shift in development gears through its Label network of acquired companies. The developing/publishing giant also maintains EA Partners, essentially their partnership program with third party developers who are not already an EA Label studio.

EA Games Label president Frank Gibeau stresses the value of their EA Partners strategy despite the potentially lower margins as a result of not owning the IP, explaining that studios who previously leveraged EA's resources and distribution to get their titles off the ground and into publishing are more likely to become EA Label developers.

EA expects both its internal Label and Partner studios to deliver two to three new IPs annually. The publisher is learning to better pace the release of new IP, based on it's experience with the Dead Space and Mirror's Edge launches. To be fair, the prevailing economic downturn caught EA off-guard.  With a greater number of new IP, it's only natural that we get more sequels. Dante's Inferno will of course be a candidate, depending on how well it is received.  The publisher remains committed to upping their A-game, and getting gamers excited about new releases for their tried-and-tested franchises in the process.

The question of reception is also raised regarding EA's Wii titles, particularly those aimed at the "core" gamer demographic. Gibeau concedes that catering to such a market on the Wii remains a "calculated risk" for the company. Dead Space: Extraction for example is noted as a "gamble", though Gibeau stands behind the high quality of the title tailored for Nintendo's platform. While even EA is not above being concerned over an ecosystem dominated by Nintendo's first-party products, Gibeau believes Nintendo is making an active effort to spread the love with third parties:

"Eventually, those types of platforms lose legs, because you need innovation coming from publishers and developers outside of Nintendo to really keep them fresh. I mean, look at 360 as an example, they've really nailed it.

"And I think Nintendo knows that, and that's why they've been very supportive with our company and others in trying to bring more titles. They've been very good with partnering with us, sharing information and giving us a view of the markets."

It could be that EA happens to one of the few institutions able to take a chance on a "calculated risk" for the Wii.  Despite its success in the mainstream, Nintendo's platform remains challenged with securing similar hits for titles aimed at the traditional "core" gamer market.  There is a fear that in their bid for expanding the market, Nintendo is growing disconnected with their long-time fanbase.