Ink on the Playfish deal is barely dry, but EA is already planning to lay off 1,500 staff. The cuts come across divisions; Gamasutra reports tips coming in from EA Redwood Shores, Tiburon, Black Box and Mythic studios. Whether the glass is half-empty or half-full depends on whether you go…

In the midst of the EA acquisition news, paidContent managed to corral Sebastien de Halleux, Playfish’s COO, to get more details on how the deal came about—as well as how the company avoided getting tainted by the stigma of deceptive ads in social games. Tameka Kee: Rumors about the deal…

Playfish said no once, twice ... but perhaps the third time was the charm. The hot social gaming company has been acquired by *Electronic Arts*, in a deal potentially worth $400 million. Previous reports pegged the price at around $250 million. EA will pay $275 million in cash, as well…

Reports have been flying around about Electronic Arts (NSDQ: ERTS) potentially buying hot social-gaming company Playfish—with sources telling Inside Social Games that the deal may have closed “a few weeks ago”, and GamesIndustry.biz reporting that it was worth $250 million. EA’s response to us: “We don’t comment on rumors about…

As if there wasn’t enough digital and e-book hysteria from the international Kindle launch ... *Electronic Arts* is dipping its toe into digital books, albeit for the younger generation, with the launch of FLIPS, a new line of books that kids can “read” using the handheld Nintendo DS. The company…

Looks like Electronic Arts (NSDQ: ERTS) can’t stop the exodus of senior talent ... gaming vet Louis Castle has left to head up InstantAction, the online gaming unit of IAC (NSDQ: IACI). Castle is replacing CEO Josh Williams, who will move into the role of chief technologist. Castle will oversee…

Buoyed by the launch of The Sims 3 and a surge in digital revenues, game giant Electronic Arts (NSDQ: ERTS) turned in performance for its fiscal Q1 that beat the Street’s expectations. Sales increased by 34 percent year-over-year to reach $816 million; analysts were expecting just $728 million. And EA’s…

Electronic Arts (NSDQ: ERTS) has two sequels to its Dead Space survival thriller in the works, and now there’s a feature film coming down the pike, too. It’s EA’s fifth game to make its way into the back rooms of Hollywood, fruit of the representation deal it signed with talent…

Social gaming startup Playdom has scored its most high-profile new hire yet: EA COO John Pleasants, who’s taking the reins as CEO. Pleasants told us about EA’s interest in social gaming—not to mention his belief in the viability of the industry’s low-cost, high-ROI business model—so it’s not surprising that he’s…

There was a time when Electronic Arts (NSDQ: ERTS) was the game-company stock to own—with the most cutting-edge games and tons of cash on the books. But over the past few years, it has lost much of that luster. EA posted a $120 million loss for the most recent quarter—its…

—Zynga: The social gaming company continues to bulk up. On the heels of hiring *Yahoo* vet Vish Makhijani (whose title will be SVP of casual and mobility), comes news that they hired another *Yahoo* alum: Reggie Davis. Davis joins as general counsel. Zynga also brought in two EA execs: Mike…

Stuck in a cycle of lackluster game sales, staff layoffs and sequential quarterly losses—*Electronic Arts* has every reason to try to shake up the game industry status quo. That’s what it hopes to do later this year with the online-only launch of its Tiger Woods PGA Tour golf game: people…

*Electronic Arts* needs a massive best-selling game this year to make up for its lackluster titles last year—and judging from its new marketing blitz, the publisher is pinning its hopes on The Sims 3. Billboards hyping the game have sprung up in cities like New York, Boston, Chicago and LA;…

Will Wright, the influential creator of games like SimCity and The Sims, is leaving *Electronic Arts* to head up a new entertainment incubator called Stupid Fun Club. But it’s not the end of his 12-year relationship with the company; EA is taking a stake in Stupid Fun Club, and will…

*Electronic Arts* has been bashed for relying on “safe,” unoriginal games and sequels to fuel its sales, so critics and gamers took notice when it went out on a limb with Dead Space last October. The gory survival game, in which players try to slice and dice their way out…

*Electronic Arts* COO John Pleasants cut to the chase when he was asked about the poor performance in 2008 that sent the gaming giant’s stock down to its lowest point in more than seven years: “The biggest thing was that we didn’t make hits.” Pleasants told Goldman Sachs Technology and…

Holiday sales weren’t enough to stop the losses at Electronic Arts, as the gaming giant posted a $641 million loss for Q4 (its fiscal Q3), or $2 per share—up from a $33 million, $0.10 per share loss the previous year. Analysts were expecting earnings of $0.88 per share, per MarketWatch.…

Four entertainment companies, including two bellwethers, report quarterly earnings this week that should give investors and executives in the media space a picture of what to expect in what is starting off as an increasingly difficult 2009.  *Disney*, *Electronic Arts*, *Time Warner*, and Warner Music report throughout the week.  Here…

Buffeted by ballooning losses and an economy that could eventually pummel game sales, Electronic Arts (EA) will be laying off about 1,000 workers worldwide—or 10 percent of its staff, per an 8-K filing. EA is hoping to save about $120 million from the cuts, which will include the closing of…