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EA VP Says Apple Paid EA a 'Truckload of Money' to Delay Android Version of Plants vs Zombies 2

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MacRumors

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Apple paid EA a "truckload of money" to delay the Android version of Plants vs Zombies 2 according to Frank Gibeau, head of EA Labels, reports gaming site Giant Bomb.

With the exception of China, Plants vs Zombies 2 has not launched on Android yet -- the fact that the game is iOS-only is a big win for Apple.
"Apple gave us a truckload of money to delay the Android version [of Plants vs Zombies 2]," said Frank Gibeau, head of EA Labels.

Giant Bomb confirmed the quote with several sources who watched the presentation today.

It is unclear what a "truckload of money" means, and we have no further details on the apparent agreement between Apple and EA.
Click to expand...
Apple, for its part, categorically denies the report, saying that no money was exchanged. It's also possible that there was some sort of marketing agreement between the companies where the app was launched on iOS first in exchange for prominent placement on the App Store.

If the report is accurate, it would be the first known instance of Apple paying developers outside of the standard App Store revenue and shows how important AAA-level games are to the App Store. It also shows how important Apple is to the developers of AAA titles, with the App Store on par with other consoles with regards to exclusive launches. Apple has a tendency to show favoritism with regards to App Store placement and promotions to developers that release exclusively on iOS.

Plants vs Zombies 2 is a free download for the iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link]

Update: EA has issued a statement to Metro acknowledging that no money changed hands and that the issue was an "unfortunate misunderstanding".
'A comment from an internal meeting taken out of context has created an unfortunate misunderstanding. Reports of a paid relationship between Apple and EA are factually inaccurate, and we apologise for any confusion,' said a later EA statement.
Click to expand...

Article Link: EA VP Says Apple Paid EA a 'Truckload of Money' to Delay Android Version of Plants vs Zombies 2
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2013/09/24/ea-vp-says-apple-paid-ea-a-truckload-of-money-to-delay-android-version-of-plants-vs-zombies-2/
M

MRSucks

macrumors member
Aug 9, 2013
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UPDATE: Apple is denying the substance of the comments made by Gibeau.

A company spokesperson described Giant Bomb's story as "not true" and said no money was exchanged.

When these deals are made in the games industry, it's often a co-marketing deal, not a briefcase full of cash. It's possible Gibeau meant this but chose his words poorly. When asked whether Apple and EA had brokered an agreement regarding iOS exclusivity, the company would not disclose any details on its relationships.

BREAKING NEWS: EA VP also confirmed he is one of the fandroids trolling MacRumors.

/s
 
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K

komocode

macrumors newbie
Sep 16, 2013
14
0
More like, Samsung paid EA a truckload of money to say that Apple paid them a 'truckload of money' to delay Android.
 
ValSalva

ValSalva

macrumors 68040
Jun 26, 2009
3,783
259
Burpelson AFB
If this EA VP was getting a truckload of money then why is he complaining? Why now? Something isn't right. Maybe Apple didn't give him as much as he wanted and now he's making noise. Why is this guy burning bridges?

This sounds bad. It sounds Microsoftian. Let's wait to hear Apple's side of it.
 
S

StevesJob

macrumors newbie
Jul 1, 2011
28
2
really nice move of EA to cash in the money and then tell everyone that apple bribed them...
 
A

Atomic Walrus

macrumors 6502a
Sep 24, 2012
878
434
nunomoreira10 said:
Oh, a company paying for exclusivity, shocking!
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Pretty much how the entire gaming industry rolls, so to speak. MS pays for 360 exclusives, Sony pays for PS3 exclusives, they both pay to keep games off the PC. Not surprising that mobile device companies are getting into it.

I think the one thing we can be certain of is that "Frank Gibeau" will be searching for employment soon.
 
H

herocero

macrumors regular
Jan 23, 2003
148
127
down on the upside
get ready

paying for platform/timed exclusivity is standard in the gaming/console industry. it's no surprise apple would play by those rules as well. Considering existing handhelds are about to get a whipping in this space when controller accessories hit the market for iOS AND Apple being able to spend this cash to back AAA titles in a heartbeat, we're in for a handheld gaming revolution IMO.
 
N

nicmr

macrumors newbie
Dec 17, 2012
16
0
hmm

Apple payed truckloads of money and not signed any privacy terms?
Seems dumb.
 
E

Erphern

macrumors 6502
Mar 6, 2013
285
75
UK
Wow, sounds like Frank Gibeau is a bit of a wanker for taking Apple's cash and then framing the deal in this manner to the media. Right?
 
JGIGS

JGIGS

macrumors 68000
Jan 1, 2008
1,818
2,075
CANADA!
Sounds fake but if its true seems like a waste money by apple. Is not having plants vs zombies available right away really going to deter someone from buying an android phone? I think not.

Sounds more like EA making an excuse for not having the Android version finished at the same time as the ios version.
 
scbn

scbn

macrumors 6502
Jul 25, 2010
272
22
Big mouth VP? Even if there was an agreement like that, Apple won't have written it in a way so that it would become a big anti-trust liability down the road.
 
P

PaulOBrain

macrumors regular
Aug 23, 2013
211
0
UK
They should be paying them a "truckload of money" to stop EA from offering ridiculous in app purchases and make them just have a one off charge for the game.
 
koruki

koruki

macrumors 65816
Aug 16, 2009
1,346
669
New Zealand
LOL yeah okay I'm sure EA couldn't wait to release it on Android since the amount of paying customers on Android is a fraction of the iOS customers.
 
R

RabidMacFan

macrumors 6502
Jun 19, 2012
356
170
California
Microsoft pays most of their App developers to port their apps to Windows Phone.

Samsung Pays many app developers to port their apps OR make them exclusive for a set amount of time (Look up the Jay-Z/Samsung Deal).

For the first time, this is news that Apple is doing the same thing.

Until now, most developers would put their apps on iOS first completely based on the amount of development effort it takes to program for one platform at a time versus two. It seems that this has changed, at least for the large development houses.

I'm sure Apple is not happy that this information has leaked out. It's a sign that Apple is realizing that they need to do this in order to compete with the other Phone OS eco-systems. The gloves have come off.
 
SteveSparks

SteveSparks

macrumors 6502a
Jan 22, 2008
905
31
St. Louis, MO.
Maybe the title should be "Former EA VP..." Things like this have NDAs attached and lots of conditions.

Plus, really who looks bad? Apple for wanting exclusive access or EA for shafting Andriod users?

EA likes and needs revenue, Apple has cash. Sweet deal for both if the former VP turned tech support specialist can keep his mouth shut.
 
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