EA abandons OS X release schedule

Mac users will have to wait for OS X versions of EA's games

Games developer Electronic Arts has axed plans to release its titles for OS X on the same day as its Windows releases.

A company spokesperson told vnunet.com that, rather than releasing Mac titles in sync with their PC counterparts, the strategy will be to achieve the release "as close as possible".

The statement directly contradicts EA co-founder and chief creative officer Bing Gordon's statement at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in June.

EA issued a press release at the time proclaiming that the firm "will ship Madden NFL 08 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 in sync with their worldwide launches".

The spokesperson told vnunet.com that both titles will be available to Mac users before the end of October. The Windows version of Madden NFL 08 was released on 14 August and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 is slated for 28 August.

Four other titles originally slated for release in July, including Battlefield 2142, Need for Speed Carbon, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, have all shipped to retailers and should be on shelves soon, according to the company.

"We have shortened the gap between the Mac launch and other platforms to just a few weeks," the spokesperson told vnunet.com.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.