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Remember what the NFL was like this time last year? The league was in a state of suspension. Free agency didn't start until the late summer. Meanwhile, EA showed off Madden 12 and its first-ever fan-voted cover athlete Peyton Hillis amid speculation over whether there would even be a full NFL season.

A year later, everything couldn't be more different -- except for Madden, that is. In the first hands-on play time with the new version scheduled for release sometime in the late summer, you'd be hard-pressed to tell what, if anything, had changed. Except for presentation.… Read more

Electronic Arts might soon cut between 5 percent and 11 percent of its staff, according to a new report.

Derek Andersen over at Startup Grind is reporting, citing "multiple sources," that the gaming publisher is planning to lay off between 500 and 1,000 employees. Andersen doesn't know exactly when the layoffs will be announced, but he says that they could come down as early as this week.

When examining EA both now and over the last few quarters, it might not be all that surprising that the company is looking to lay off employees. During its … Read more

Game maker Electronic Arts is adding more diversity to its new multiplayer online role-playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic -- characters in same-sex relationships and plot lines.

Because of this, the company is coming under fire from some unlikely contingents for the gaming world -- anti-gay conservative groups such as the Florida Family Association and the Family Research Council.

"There were no LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender] characters in any of the Star Wars movies," the Florida Family Association declared on its Web site. "So if BioWare, the maker of Star Wars video games, adds LGBT … Read more

Can Electronic Arts possibly be a worst company than, say, Bank Of America? Can it possibly offer more troubling customer service than even Facebook?

It seems that, in more than a few eyes, it can. For it has just been voted by readers of Consumerist as America's worst company. Yes, the worst. The very worst. The most irredeemably awful company of all.

The Hollywood Reporter tells me that some people were rather upset that Mass Effect 3 had a rather less satisfying ending than "The Sopranos." In conclusion, the customers stopped believing.

Gamers, just like any other … Read more

While Netgear and D-Link introduced their approaches to app-supporting and cloud-enabled networking products at CES 2012, Cisco, which didn't have anything to announce at CES, turns out to be the first to materialize the new concepts.

Cisco today unveiled a line of Linksys Smart Wi-Fi routers that promises to change the face, and the body, of home networking.

The Linksys EA4500, EA3500, and EA2700 -- the "A" designation being short for "app-enabled" -- look like models in the earlier E Series but have more-powerful hardware and support Cisco Connect Cloud, the next generation of Cisco … Read more

A sign we live in the future: the next SimCity requires an Internet connection to launch the game, Maxis lead designer Stone Librande said in a recent interview with Joystiq.

Origin, everyone's favorite game distribution punching bag, must run on the computer to launch SimCity. After the initial Origin log-in, you can play SimCity offline without an always-on Internet connection.

The emphasis on an online experience revolves around the expanded multiplayer element, which includes a global economy, regional opportunities, and wide-area issues (pollution, disasters, etc.). This development may startle some veterans of the city builder, as one typically built cities and regions in an offline environment when playing previous versions of SimCity. … Read more

After new iPad owners get acquainted with Apple's latest tablet, one of the first things they'll do is head to the iTunes App Store. As more news of Retina-ready apps continues to come in, EA has added its own contribution for those ready to start downloading apps on launch day.… Read more

Is PC gaming dead? I've been hearing that argument for as long as I can remember. And although consoles and mobile devices have definitely stolen a lot of thunder from the PC platform, I'd say the latter is alive and well. It's simply...evolving.

And getting cheaper. From now through March 19, EA's Origin store is offering 50 percent off some top PC games. (The sale banner says "Get 50% Off Storewide," but that's just flat out untrue--only select titles are on sale. Come on, EA, you're better than that.)

Among the … Read more

Nearly 10 years after the last major SimCity release, Maxis Emeryville and EA unveiled information yesterday about SimCity 4's upcoming successor.

The fifth version of the iconic SimCity is due in 2013, and features a large range of graphic and gameplay improvements over previous generations. One major new feature is multiplayer region support (for up to 16 players). Playing with friends enables challenges such as leaderboards and the ability to "launch a space shuttle or build magnificent wonders," according to EA.

Multiplayer relationships go much deeper, though. For example, you can send fire trucks to another region in a massive crisis. If your city turns into a smog-filled re-creation of Los Angeles, then Sims in a friend's area suffer and experience health problems. … Read more