Pivotal Point for Electronic Arts

Second is Medal of Honor: Airborne, the latest update to the World War II-themed shooter series. This game is getting a significant makeover in terms of game-play features, likely as a result of Activision (ATVI Quote) dominating the WW2 genre with the juggernaut Call of Duty series. That said, Activision is taking the Call of Duty series out of WWII, which could be either very good or very bad for Electronic Arts. On one hand, it reduces competition in WWII-themed games, but it could also be a sign that the theme is overdone.

The next important title is the eagerly awaited sci-fi shooter (the word "shooter" is popping up quite a bit here, no?) Crysis, due in the first quarter of 2007 on the PC. The game is being developed by independent German game-software firm Crytek, known for the monster hit Far Cry series, which was considered revolutionary by many gamers and industry pundits.

Another much-buzzed-about PC title is Spore, a strategy game in which players guide a species from origin to civilization.

We'll also see Army of Two for Xbox 360 and PS3, a military action game that may have been inspired by the megahit Gears of War, and Skate, an Xbox 360/PS3 skateboarding game targeted to compete with Activision's Tony Hawk series, which has generated more than $1 billion in sales for Activision since inception.

The Bottom Line

These are just a few of the many titles Electronic Arts will release in 2007, but they will have a big effect on the company's top and bottom lines this year. So keep your eyes on the sales charts at the sites such as Amazon.com (AMZN Quote) and Best Buy (BBY Quote), and read reviews, because they do have an impact.

In a hit-driven industry, the giant has to have a lot of hits to succeed. Those who own or are interested in Electronic Arts need to monitor whether these games become hits or misses, because they'll ultimately determine the direction of the company's stock price.