EA duets with SingShot

Game publisher acquires online karaoke community to help develop "unique music platform"; SingShot team to work with Sims division.

EA is like Huey Lewis, SingShot is like Gwyneth Paltrow.

Electronic Arts may be heavy players in sports, action, first-person shooters, and just about every other game genre under the sun, but one category they've been relatively in the dark in is music-related games (except for this one). But like a wedding guest who has had one too many, it appears as though EA now has mustered the confidence and is getting ready to take the mic.

The company today announced that it has acquired SingShot, a San Francisco-based online karaoke community. SingShot allows users to upload their own renditions of karaoke classics like "Caribbean Queen," "At Last," and "Do You Think I'm Sexy?" all in a community-driven site akin to MySpace.

EA has not announced any specific plans for the five-man SingShot team, saying only that "The acquisition will help accelerate EA's efforts in community-building and promoting user-generated content through a unique music platform." However, it was disclosed that the team would work with the Sims division.

Game companies appear eager to get into the American Idol craze that has spawned millions of Clay Aiken wannabes across the country. In addition to EA's announcement today, late last week Sony president of worldwide studios Phil Harrison showed off the newest features of the upcoming PlayStation 3 karaoke game, Sing Star. The game will feature an online community for songbirds to strut their stuff and watch videos of their friends' performances.

18 Comments

  • mattconnect

    Posted Feb 15, 2007 12:57 am PT

    LOL!!! Maybe your sims can sing...

  • Chief_Kuuni

    Posted Feb 14, 2007 10:59 am PT

    ok......

  • John_of_Fire

    Posted Feb 13, 2007 4:37 pm PT

    EA buys another company. Shocker. They need a new IP of their own really badly.

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Feb 13, 2007 3:49 pm PT

    karaoke...it will be strange to see how that works out

  • anarchicgoth

    Posted Feb 13, 2007 10:46 am PT

    No! I hate those games! I cant sing and half of people who think they do actually dont- dont people watch the auditions of American Idol? They are hilarious!!!

  • cjcr_alexandru

    Posted Feb 13, 2007 8:20 am PT

    I'm not good at all at singing, so....

  • zsc4

    Posted Feb 13, 2007 3:57 am PT

    This is going to attract all the casuals.

  • Britesparc

    Posted Feb 13, 2007 3:50 am PT

    Hey, if EA wanna do an online Sing Star that's fine by me - might have a chance to see it on 360!

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Feb 12, 2007 10:21 pm PT

    Sounds too similar to SingStar.

  • DO646260

    Posted Feb 12, 2007 9:22 pm PT

    "fonzieahmed - why would i want to listen to other people singing badly?" I agree 150%!!

  • fonzieahmed

    Posted Feb 12, 2007 7:53 pm PT

    why would i want to listen to other people singing badly?

  • wildsnipe

    Posted Feb 12, 2007 5:43 pm PT

    yawn... too many karoake games man. Doubt EA can do anything with Singshot when Singstar is dominating Europe. publishers should look beyond, but this falls way short of EA status.

  • abelmaestro

    Posted Feb 12, 2007 5:32 pm PT

    Singshot, next company getting rpd by EA

  • Re_ensurer

    Posted Feb 12, 2007 5:11 pm PT

    I'm not too interested in karaoke.

  • piecake

    Posted Feb 12, 2007 4:30 pm PT

    kool
    theres huey lewis and this is news!

  • Darkiewonder

    Posted Feb 12, 2007 4:27 pm PT

    Let's go EA. Don't go ruin this now.

    haha. I was a member at singshot.com crazy stuff there. Now only if I had a mic and a voice to go with my useless self...

  • ericroadifer

    Posted Feb 12, 2007 4:18 pm PT

    Huey Lewis is the man.

  • TimSpot GameSpot staff member

    Posted Feb 12, 2007 3:50 pm PT

    I always thought EA was more like Fat Joe.

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