Electronic Arts(EA ) , the video and figurer plot publishing firm behind some of today ’s most popular games , has annunciate its lineal support for the Macintosh . The company will begin releasing Mac versions of some of its biggest game beginning in July .
conduct the keynote stage with Apple CEO Steve Jobs , EA co - founder and Chief Creative Officer Bing Gordon tell attendees of this calendar week ’s Worldwide Developers Conference ( WWDC ) that EA would rejoin to the Macintosh beginning in July with four of its most democratic franchises : Command and Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars , Battlefield 2142,Need for Speed CarbonandHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix . In August , EA will shipMadden NFL 08andTiger Woods PGA Tour 08 .
The plan is for EA to publish the Macintosh versions of the Harry Potter , Madden and Tiger Woods game simultaneously with their PC and console table counterpart , said EA voice Tammy Schachter .
“ We desire to capitalize on the selling impulse for these game , ” said Schechter . That ’s a clearly dissimilar approach than in the past , where EA has licensed out Macintosh versions of the games to Mac - specific publishers , like Aspyr Media .
EA Chief Creative Officer Bing Gordon
Almost all of these games have some form of proven story on the Macintosh : Command and Conquer made a recent appearance on the Mac via an Aspyr porthole , as have past interpretation of the Battlefield , Harry Potter , Madden and Tiger Woods franchises . Need for Speed Carbon is brand new to the Macintosh , however — it ’s the late edition of the pop street racing game series , in which you and your work party must race in an all - out warfare for the metropolis , winning territory one cylinder block at a prison term by try your racing art in an more and more challenging run of performance cars , heftiness auto and exotics .
Bypassing PowerPC systems
While a Mac - centric publisher can efficiently code games for the Mac and take the burden of publication and marketing on themselves , they ordinarily turn a loss that decisive selling momentum . Most often , months or a twelvemonth or more will pass before the game is quick for Mac customers . By then , many consumers have lost interest or have purchased the game for another chopine , such as a television game console .
for manage a simultaneous release , EA is play with TransGaming Technologies , developers of Cider , a engineering which enables Windows game to extend on Intel - base Macs . Cider has already been used to impart forth Macintosh transition of games including Myst Online : Uru Live , Heroes of Might & Magic V , X3 : reunification and the forthcoming release of EVE Online , a massively multiplayer use work game set in out space .
cyder use an generalisation stratum similar to other Mac OS X - to - Windows “ virtualization ” products like CrossOver from Codeweavers or Parallels Desktop for Mac . But unlike Parallels , Cider does n’t require a separate Windows partition or “ virtual automobile ” to be installed — the app looks and work like a Mac app .
This is a very different approach than a aboriginal Mac plot porthole , where the game ’s source code is rewritten to run natively on the Macintosh platform . That coming is much more time - consuming , but in this case imply the remainder between EA ’s new Mac secret plan being capable to work on PowerPC - based Macs or being limited to Intel - base Macs rather . The EA titles will run only on Intel - ground Macs .
EA and Aspyr to continue working together
While these deed of conveyance mark the first time EA has published its own games for Mac OS X , EA ’s hardly a stranger to the political program — the company has knead behind the scenes for age with Mac publishing company Aspyr Media to bring in its top games to the Macintosh . Much of Aspyr ’s A - listing Mac secret plan library can be line back to licensing deals it ’s strike with EA .
luckily , it does n’t appear that this latest move is going to wear away that relationship — at least not entirely . Schechter said that EA will cover its family relationship with Aspyr Media going forward . EA and Aspyr will continue to partner together to bring forth Macintosh version of The Sims game and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - ons , she said .
Those sentiments were echoed by Ted Staloch , Aspyr cofounder and executive vice President of the United States of publication . “ [ EA ] stay on one of our most measure partner and we are frantic about our ongoing relationship , ” Staloch say .
“ We support major newspaper publisher such as EA evidence interest within the Mac gaming manufacture , ” he added . “ We are the biggest Mac gaming fan on the satellite so we are rummy to get our hand on the newly announce title . When Mac secret plan are done mighty — such as with , Call of Duty 2 , CivIV , Empire at War , World of Warcraft and The Sims 2 — it ’s a huge boost for the diligence and a expectant experience for the gamer . In improver , any time the spotlight shines lustrous on the Mac platform it has read into succeeder for Aspyr and we anticipate more of the same . ”
