Faster than you can say Guitar Hero, Activision has taken the lead as the largest third party game software company in the world. The position has been held for a decade by Electronic Arts.
According to NPD Group, Activision pulled in sales of almost $400 million for the first six months of 2007. The large figures were attributed to the popular Guitar Hero games. Electronic Arts, on the other hand, raked in $365.7 million during the same period of time according to the LA Times.
Electronic Arts has always been in the crosshairs of other game companies. Ubisoft has previously stated that they were gunning for the top spot in third-party game publishing companies as well. Now with the fall of EA from the leader’s position, the prospect of toppling the giant seems within reach for other companies.
The recent move by Electronic Arts to hire Peter Moore away from Microsoft maybe an indication that there needs to be a change in its direction in software development if EA hopes to be competitive in the next few years. Electronic Arts has long been criticized by the gaming community for producing old worn-out sequels as its primary product line for sales.
Look out EA, everyone’s gaining on you.
