Electronic Arts betting big on iPod as a gaming machine

Electronic Arts betting big on iPod as a gaming machine

World’s largest publisher of videogames Electronic Arts has said that Apple iPod has a great potential to be a casual gaming machine.

iPod is already the world’s most popular digital music player and is also doing well as a video player. Apple has just launched a mobile phone product which features the iPod functionality of playing digital music and videos.

Electronic Arts already has several games for the media player including classics like “Tetris,” “Mahjong” or “Sudoku.”

Mitch Lasky, who leads EA’s mobile gaming initiatives added about the gaming potential of Apple iPod: “Consumers have an appetite for a diversionary-type game experience — a snack where they can play for five minutes.”

The company in total has 5 games for the platform all of which are sold on Apple iTunes for $4.99 each. EA further said that mobile based games are increasingly becoming a relevant part of their revenue stream. Mobile gaming accounted for 14 percent of EA’s revenue in the fiscal year ended March 2006.