If you have any money in the stock market you know how bad things are going. Such is the case with Electronic Arts (EA). According to a Forbes article, EA is expected "to report a loss of $111 million, or 33 cents per share, compared with a loss of $132 million, or 42 cents per share, for the year ago period."

While the article points out that this isn't anything shocking, due to the fact that the reported quarter is typically a slow one for the game industry, what is shocking is that EA didn't release any expectation for the next quarter; a standard practice.

The reason, some speculate, is that they have several new franchises hitting the market soon, the most important of which is Will Wright's, "Spore." Nobody knows if these games are going to be hits or failures, and with so much riding on the line, it would seem unwise for EA to make sales predictions which may make them look stupid later.

Personally, I think their current line-up is stale and won't do well. Sure, "Spore," will sell a ton of copies, but it won't be the next "The Sims," which they're expecting it to be.