EA have this morning announced that The 2 as well Medal of Honour: Pacific Assault, will be delayed until the second or third quarter of this year, giving the developers more time to ensure the games meet the publisher's high quality standards. This puts them due for launch somewhere between July and December; potentially quite a wait from the previously touted Q1 dates.

On the slippage, CFO Warren Jenson commented to investors that "It's really about polishing the product. It's about the entertainment experience, critic meta-rating, and, ultimately, sales."

Whilst these delays to two of EA's most popular and best-selling series impacted the PLC's share price a little, there is not much that can shake the firm's ongoing financial excellence, as became apparent in the figures revealed this morning.

Income for the third quarter ending December was up a whopping 57% (on last year) to $392 million, whilst revenue also rose a healthy 20% to $1.475 billion.

"Our portfolio of franchise hits continues to grow," enthused Jenson. "In the last twelve months we had 27 platinum titles - each selling more than a million units. This compares to 22 platinum titles just a year ago."

By Luke Guttridge