Electronic Arts Inc. 
Description
Electronic Arts (EA) has a knack for the craft of creating video games. EA is a leading video game publisher, with popular titles such as "NFL Head Coach", "Madden NFL 2006", The Sims, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, and Medal of Honor. It develops games under such brand names as EA GAMES, EA SPORTS, and EA SPORTS BIG. It also distributes titles for third-party labels and publishes games based on Hollywood franchises, including The Lord of the Rings, The Godfather, Harry Potter, and Batman. EA develops its games for PCs and console systems such as Sony's PlayStation 2, Nintendo's GameCube, and Microsoft's Xbox.
In a move to enter the cell phone game market, EA has teamed up with mobile phone maker QUALCOMM's gaming division, Brew, to develop up to titles aimed at gamers on the go. An agreement with Amp'd Mobile will offer over 15 EA titles to its customers over Verizon Wireless' network, including Madden NFL 06, The Sims 2, and puzzle games from Pogo.com.
The company is also expanding its presence in mobile markets overseas; TOM Online subsidiary Indiagames will distribute EA's games to a number of mobile phone carriers in the Indian market. In its most aggressive move to snatch up a portion of the mobile gaming market, the company acquired mobile gaming leader JAMDAT Mobile in early 2006 and created a new division, EA Mobile.
Previously offering titles for online gaming through Sony's PlayStation2 system, EA ended a long standoff and announced that it will also offer some of its titles for online network play via Xbox Live, Microsoft's subscription-based gaming service.
Video game maker Activision is a firm believer that action speaks louder than words. The video game publisher is best known for action titles such as "Tony Hawk's Underground, Doom," and "Call of Duty". It also makes games based
on licensed properties from LucasArts (Star Wars), Marvel (Spider-Man and X-Men), and DreamWorks Animation (Shrek). Its titles are produced for console game systems such as Sony's PlayStation 2, Microsoft's Xbox, and Nintendo's GameCube. The company also distributes third-party titles. Activision was one of the first publishers for home game systems, creating such titles as "Pitfall" for Atari's 2600 system in the late 1970s.
Activision has seen record growth by focusing on titles for existing systems and signing deals to license movie properties for games. The company also owns the exclusive rights to develop and publish video games based on Marvel's comic book and film franchises: Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Iron Man. It has a similar deal with DreamWorks Animation that grants the company the exclusive rights to publish games based existing properties, such as Shrek 2 and Madagascar.
Activision makes selected titles available for online play through the PlayStation2 and X Box consoles. Some games can be played on various handheld wireless devices and handsets, and the company is developing titles for handheld gaming platforms such as the Sony PlayStation Portable and Nintendo Dual Screen.