Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday said the top independent video game developer, Electronic Arts Inc. will make titles for its upcoming Xbox console, giving a huge boost to the software giant's push into the $20 billion-a-year video game market.
The long-anticipated partnership gives Microsoft a key weapon in its quest to unseat Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 2 game console from its throne atop the industry.
``There is no question. This is a crucial relationship,'' said Steve Kleynhans, an analyst with technology consultancy the META Group.
``EA is the biggest player in games. If you don't have them producing games for your platform, well, I wouldn't say it was impossible, but it would be a fairly significant negative on the new platform,'' Kleynhans said.
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