EA旗下多达68款游戏的99美分大规模促销活动，引起了业内的高度关注，但大家最关心的莫过于苹果乔布斯的立场。EA这个西方头号游戏发行商在iOS平台上大秀肌肉，实在很难不让人想象苹果会有什么反应。

据游戏邦了解，iTunes已在日前替EA打出了节日促销广告横幅，可见苹果的态度已经十分鲜明。

App Store promotes EA games

此举引来了众多开发商的满腹怨言，不少人对苹果官方竟“公然支持”EA这种促销手段，感到十分不快。

不过也有人对此表示乐观，认为App Store的促销广告可以引来更多用户，其他开发商的游戏也有望从这些促销客源中分得一杯羹。

大家特别在乎的一件事就是，苹果在本月23日暂停iTunes Connect的服务时，究竟是否会一并关闭App Store应用排行榜。另外，EA究竟是否会赶在圣诞节许多iOS产品激活量上升之前，神秘地将这些促销游戏恢复原价？果真如此的话，EA就能在App Store停止服务之后5天中，仍然稳居应用排行榜的前列。

如果情况真如大家所料，苹果“公然支持”EA促销活动的态度，就很容易引起开发商的强烈反弹，这些开发商明年有可能转向其他新平台，比如说Android和Windows Phone 7。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

Apple’s official sanctioning of EA’s 99c iOS game sale splits developer opinion

In the midst of the debate about EA’s 99c App Store assault, one important viewpoint has been overlooked.

In other words, what would Steve Jobs do?

Personalisation aside, it’s a valid question. When the biggest mobile publisher in the West cuts the price on most of its iOS back catalog, you’d think Apple would have an opinion.

And that view has been made clear with the platform holder running banner ads on iTunes promoting EA’s Games For The Holidays price cut.

Hand in hand

It’s led to murmurings from the developer community, some of whom are unhappy with Apple ‘officially sanctioning’ EA exercising its publishing muscle in such a blatant manner.

Others are happy thinking that with more people checking out the App Store because of the sale, a riding tide will float everyone’s boat.

Still, the vital – and as yet unanswered question – concerns whether Apple will lock down the App Store charts for five days when it freeze iTunes Connect on December 23.

And whether EA will magically increase the price on all its games prior to that, effectively converting the chart position for its 99c sale titles for the next five days to games now costing anything from $3 to $7, just as millions of new iOS devices are given as presents.

If so, expect such ‘official sanction’ to result in serious backlash from developers who are already planning on exploring new platforms such as Android and Windows Phone 7 in 2011. （source:pocketgamer）