Electronic Arts Mobile looks to expand in RP

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.net THE mobile division of game development and publishing giant Electronic Arts (EA) is already looking to hire a person in the Philippines as part of the company's expansion in the Southeast Asian region. EA Mobile has offices in China, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa while its current Southeast Asian office is in Singapore. The Philippines will become its second office in the region, the company said. EA Games Sales and Marketing Director for Asia Pacific James Gray said the company is hoping to get a person that will be working with telecommunications providers in the Philippines and to maximize channel partnerships within the year. EA Mobile develops and publishes games for the mobile phone market. Among the games it publishes include Spore, The Sims, FIFA, Madden, Need for Speed series, among others. Incidentally, the simple block game Tetris remains the most popular in Asia, according to Gray. Gray said EA Mobile is looking at Asia's huge mobile phone penetration, as well as growth in high end mobile phone usage, which can run some games. He also said that EA expects to be successful in the region, though they still need to set up pricing strategies. "Would they want it pay-for-play or monthly subscription?" he posed. He added that there is also a trend in gamer behavior where gamers will want to get access to their favorite console and online games through their mobile phones. "They can play on their mobile device, look at their game progress while on the go," he said.