Retailer marks down BioWare’s role-playing game as part of wide-ranging digital PC sale; Saints Row: The Third going for $10.

Gamers in the market for the PC version of Mass Effect 3 are in luck. Amazon is currently offering the digital version of BioWare’s role-playing game for $6.

By comparison, Electronic Arts’ own Origin store is currently selling the title for $20. No matter where Mass Effect 3 is purchased, players must register through Origin to play.

The deal is part of a wide-ranging PC download sale at Amazon that also includes markdowns on various single titles like Bastion ($3.75), Saints Row: The Third ($10), Deus Ex: Human Revolution ($5), and Lord of the Rings: War in the North ($5).

Numerous compilation packs are also on sale, including the BioShock Dual Pack ($10), the Dead Space Dual Pack ($8), the Dragon Age Dual Pack ($10), and the Firaxis Complete Pack ($20), among many others.

For the full rundown of discounted digital PC titles, check out the Slickdeals forum post.

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Electronic Arts has opened a new DICE studio in Los Angeles and it will focus on developing new Star Wars titles. A report on the Wall Street Journal has stated that the new studio is looking to hire 60 employees by the end of 2013.

This news comes a week after Electronic Arts secured a deal with Disney to exclusively develop and publish future Star Wars games. DICE Los Angeles will be using the Frostbite 3 engine to develop its Star Wars games. Battlefield 3 used the same engine.

Karl-Magnus Troedsson, the companies general manager, did say that the LA studio will have two main rivals also based in Southern California. The two studios are Activision’s Infinity Ward and Treyarch, who both develop Call of Duty titles.

The new LA studio has already hired several employees from the core team behind the Medal of Honor franchise. Troedsson hopes to draw from the same talent pool as its two rivals.

“There is an extreme talent pool over that we want a part of,” Troedsson said. “It’s no secret that our main competitor is there.”

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Company share value climbs more than 15 percent after earnings report, Star Wars deal, and FIFA license extension.

Shares of Electronic Arts are up more than 15 percent today after the company’s busy week of big news.The publisher announced a new partnership with FIFA today, reported full-year revenue of $3.79 billion yesterday, and signed a new Star Wars deal with Disney on Monday.

At press time, EA shares are up 15.59 percent (+$2.87) to $21.28 for the day. This represents the company’s highest stock value since the end of 2011.

EA’s new partnership with FIFA will give the publisher exclusive license for future games through 2022. As part of the recent EA-Disney pact, EA will make new Star Wars games for consoles, PCs, tablets, and mobile. Battlefield developer DICE and Dead Space studio Visceral Games are currently working on the new games, powered by the Frostbite 3 engine.

EA’s stock is hot today and if the company can execute its near- and far-term goals, growth will only continue, according to the publisher.

“As we enter a new fiscal year, EA is well-positioned for dynamic growth on next generation consoles, PCs, and mobile platforms,” executive chairman and interim EA CEO Larry Probst said yesterday. “With world-class games, a rapidly growing digital business, and top-notch creative talent, we are excited about EA’s strategy for FY 2014 and beyond.”

In an effort to reduce costs, EA recently cut 10 percent of its global workforce, or around 930 people. The publisher will pay $16 million in severance expenses as a result.

EA is not the only game company to see its share value rise today. Grand Theft Auto parent publisher Take-Two Interactive is up 3.8 percent (+$0.60) to $16.35 today, while Activision is up 2.8 percent (+$0.42) to $15.36.

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The Walt Disney Company has released its financial statement for its second fiscal quarter and six months ended March 30, 2013. Revenue for the quarter increased 10 percent to $10.55 billion, from $9.63 billion during the same quarter a year ago. Profits jumped an impressive 32 percent to $1.51 billion, from $1.14 billion.

For the six month period revenue increased by seven percent to $21.90 billion, up from $20.41 billion during the same period a year ago. Profits increased by 11 percent to $2.90 billion, from $2.61 billion.

Disney Interactive was the only division to post a loss for the quarter. Revenue did increase eight percent to $194 million. The division posted a loss of $54 million, which is a 23 percent improvement when compared to the same quarter a year ago. The shrinking loss was due to growth in its Japan mobile business from a licensing agreement.

Disney has moved away from developing its own game and announced earlier this week that Electronic Arts will be publishing Star Wars games. When Disney acquired all the rights to LucasFilm, it quickly killed LucasArts. However, Disney Interactive is publishing Disney Infinity which will be released this August.

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Electronic Arts has released its financial statement for its fiscal fourth quarter 2013, which ended March 31, 2013, as well as full year sales. Revenue for the quarter reached $1.21 billion, down from $1.37 billion during the same period a year ago. Profits for the quarter dropped to $323 million, from $400 million a year ago.

For the full year, Electronic Arts revenue dropped to $3.80 billion, from $4.14 billion a year ago. Profits did increase however to $98 million, up from $76 million in 2012.

“As we enter a new fiscal year, EA is well-positioned for dynamic growth on next generation consoles, PCs, and mobile platforms,” said Executive Chairman Larry Probst. “With world-class games, a rapidly growing digital business, and top-notch creative talent, we are excited about EA’s strategy for FY 2014 and beyond.”

Electronic Arts also released sales figures for many of its games. Sim City managed to sell 1.6 million units since its launch in March. Also half of the sales figures were from digital downloads. FIFA 13 sold 14.5 million units, which is a 30 percent increase over FIFA 12. FIFA 13 digital sales reached $200 million, which is a 94 percent increase over FIFA 12. Battlefield 3 Premium revenue reached $120 million.

Electronic Arts was the number one publisher in the Western markets in the March quarter. The publisher was also number one on the iOS in the fiscal year 2013. The Simpsons: Tapped Out almost reached $10 million in revenue, making it one of the five biggest titles for the iOS in the March quarter. Real Racing 3 was the most popular racing title on the iOS in the March quarter, with more than 30 million downloads.

The publisher has also released its expectations for the fiscal year 2014, which ends March 31, 2014. Revenue is expected to be $3.50 billion, an eight percent drop when compared to 2013. There was no estimate given for the profit.

“EA has a solid operating plan with disciplined R&D spending and a sharp focus on delivering the best games and services,” said Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen. “We are holding our FY 2014 operating expenses flat to the prior year — a significant achievement in a console transition year.”

Electronic Arts also announced yesterday they have signed a deal with The Walt Disney Company for exclusive rights to publish Star Wars games in the future.

“EA and Disney have signed an agreement to create a number of games on the Star Wars franchise,” said EA President of Labels Frank Gibeau. “Our agreement unlocks a whole new future of Star Wars games that will span consoles, PCs, tablets, mobile, and more.”

Read more here: VG Charts

Publisher says big-budget shooters “came in below our forecast” despite topping charts during release month.

Big-budget shooters Crysis 3 and Dead Space 3 did not meet Electronic Arts’ sales expectations, despite topping sales charts, the company revealed today in a post-earnings financial call.

EA CFO Blake Jorgensen said sales of these titles “came in below our forecast.” Specific sales figures for the games were not divulged.

Dead Space 3 sold 605,000 units and was the top-selling title in the United States during its February launch month, according to NPD data.

Crysis 3 was also released in February and was the month’s third best-selling game in the US, moving 205,000 copies, according to the research group.

Crytek founder Cevat Yerli previously said that Crysis 3 is “so far, our masterpiece.”

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FIFA and Battlefield publisher expects to pay $16 million in severance costs related to layoffs; global staff now estimated at around 8,400.

The recent wave of layoffs at Electronic Arts totaled about 10 percent of global staff at the FIFA and Battlefield publisher, the company announced today.

EA CFO Blake Jorgensen confirmed the figure today during a post-earnings financial call. He said EA expects to recognize $16 million in severance expenses as a result of the cost reduction move.

The 10 percent global layoff figure was rumored last month.

At the end of 2012, EA employed around 9,370 people across the world. A ten percent staff reduction would mean the company’s total headcount now stands at around 8,400 developers.

EA has yet to detail which teams were impacted and a company representative was not immediately available to comment.

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Electronic Arts reveals business model switch for Star Wars MMO has been lucrative; paying subscribers stand at 500,000.

Since Star Wars: The Old Republic added a free-to-play option in November, monthly average revenue has doubled, Electronic Arts revealed today in a post-earnings financial call. Specific figures were not mentioned.

EA Labels president Frank Gibeau said the massively multiplayer online role-playing game has added 1.7 million new players since the business model switch. This is lower than the 2 million announced in March.

Concerning paying members, Gibeau said The Old Republic now has “just under” 500,000 subscribers. This is down from 1.3 million subscribers year-over-year.

To keep gamers logging in, Gibeau said BioWare will continue to invest in new content and services, expected to be added to the game every six weeks. Star Wars: The Old Republic added the Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion last month.

For more, check out GameSpot’s review of Star Wars: The Old Republic.

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Dev teams such as DICE and Visceral to work on new games

The next major play after Disney’s acquisition of the Star Wars franchise has been revealed. Following the recent closure of Lucasarts, the Walt Disney Company officially signed an exclusive multi-year deal with Electronic Arts to develop and publish games based on Star Wars. Read on for more.

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EA and Maxis confirm upcoming PC and Mac game is single-player offline experience.

The Sims 4 will not require an Internet connection, Electronic Arts and developer Maxis confirmed today following the game’s announcement.

EA described The Sims 4 as a game that celebrates the “heart and soul of the Sims themselves” through a single-player offline experience.

“The Sims 4 encourages players to personalize their world with new and intuitive tools while offering them the ability to effortlessly share their creativity with friends and fans,” EA said in a statement.

Maxis’ last project–SimCity–drew significant controversy for its always-online requirement. EA claimed the game’s broadband mandate was necessary for gameplay purposes and was not in any way a form of DRM.

SimCity’s launch was marred by server woes that left the game unplayable for some. In response to frustrations over the game’s issues, EA gave out free games.

The Sims 4 will launch in 2014 for PC and Mac. It is the first core entry in the series since 2009′s The The Sims 3.

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