Okay, so this is definitely not new. Since it was introduced years ago, Spore (PC, Nintendo Wii, DS, Mac, and Mobile) has often been thought to be one of the games to bring new blood to the saturated PC gaming market by way of being the segment's best seller once it's released. But Electronic Arts just wants its investors to know that the company's feeling optimistic about the sim-strategy title, and Michael Pachter predicts more or less of the same.

Mobile games netting almost as much revenue as the combined sales numbers for both Sony's PS3 and PSP? It sounds like a farfetched idea, but Electronic Art's sales numbers for the third quarter of 2007 prove that it's possible. In any case, EA still wins, just as Michael Pachter predicted. More details in the full article.

Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter's eyes are on the iPhone and the DS, saying Apple isn't serious about gaming and mobile games on the pricey iPhone won't live up to Nintendo's handheld.

"The markets are different. The iPhone is an expensive toy for the wealthy and self-indulgent, while the DS is an inexpensive toy for everyone," Pachter said. This seems to be in response to Apple's recent moves to expand the iPhone's gaming library.

Some third-party publishers have been expressing interest and even support towards Apple's hottest multi-purpose handheld, but Pachter doesn't see good things in the future. He told GamesIndustry.biz:

I think that Apple will succeed in making mobile phone games a bit more accessible and fun, but cannot conceive of their gaining significant share of the handheld market. The iPhone is unlikely to ever compete effectively, as it is unlikely to attract the level of third-party developer support afforded the DS.

Electronic Arts has recently reorganized its top-ranking officials and made some key changes to its administrative roster. The maneuver was welcomed by a lot of observers, but one analyst made an interesting observation.

Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter says that the reorganization was a good move and a necessary one for the publisher, but someone seems to be missing in the equation: R&D  head Paul Lee. "In our view, the most important item in the press release is the omission of any mention about Paul Lee, the current head of R&D. It appears to us that Mr. Lee may have been reorganized out of a job," he says. Pachter continues:

He has been in his position for about a year, following the departure of Don Mattrick last year, and in that brief period, we believe that EA game quality has improved. However, we think that Mr. Riccitiello is laser focused on cost control, given that the R&D budget has doubled during his three-year hiatus from EA, while revenues have grown by only around 5%.

According to the analyst, one reason why EA is reorganizing may be because the administration has decided not to go all-out on research and development. He says he expects EA to begin talking more about its plans and policies soon.

For one, Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets agrees with Pachter on the necessity of restructuring. "We believe the restructuring was a necessary byproduct of EA's rapid growth over the last video game cycle compounded by operational challenges evident during the recent console transition period," he says.

No official word from EA has been released regarding Lee's status and what the new policy on research and development is. A statement is expected by many to come out any time soon. We'll keep you posted for more.