Electronic Arts is a large publisher of games, but the possibility of upgraded consoles by way of the rumored PS4.5 (aka PS Neo) and the Xbox 1.5 is “somewhat irrelevant” according to the company’s CFO Blake Jorgensen.
“Our business model is so much more diverse now than it has been historically that the notion of a console cycle becomes somewhat irrelevant in our ability to generate strong earnings and cash flow,” Jorgensen said. “So we’ll all be interested to see where Microsoft and Sony come out if they do something at E3 or sometime in the year to come. We’re excited about the continued growth in the business and not afraid of a cycle change if that was to occur.”
Jorgensen added that the publisher has not heard any insider information from either Sony or Microsoft regarding the possibility of upgraded consoles during the current cycle.
“In terms of any midcycle upgrades, I can’t predict,” he said. “What I can tell you is what we’ve heard publicly from the console makers: They are realizing the compatibility issue across consoles is an important consumer issue.”