"The difference with an online subscription product like this one and package goods is... .package goods... everything's all about your first sixty days, maybe your first quarter. Whereas in an online subscription game, it's an annuity. Basically you have a group of consumers that have invested a lot of time that are paying a monthly fee. And if you care for them properly and treat them well, they'll keep paying that service for a long time and they'll fall off very gradually."
Westwood is part of Electronic Arts which is introducing an online version of the most popular computer game of all time... .The Sims. EA's Trudy Muller says with females making up the majority of players of The Sims titles... .the online component could be a breatkthrough...
With The Sims Online, it really can take online play mass market. It's something that people can identify with. It's relating to their everyday life. Right now, we're being conservative as far as what we see as being the potential for that. It could be big. It could break through into the mainstream as we've been looking for an online title to do that with subscription play.
The only question I have... .is how many subscriptions will consumers be willing to pay for? Bloomberg Boot Camp, I'm Fred Fishkin.