Comcast is close to completing a deal with Electronic Arts (EA) that would allow its XI subscribers to buy and stream games, such as “Madden,” through their TVs, according to a story by Reuters.
Citing five unnamed sources, Reuters reported that Comcast and EA have worked on testing the service for the past two years. Instead of a game console, the service would allow gamers to use their tablets as the controllers for the games.
The model would be a new source of revenue for both companies, but details on how the revenue would be split weren’t available. Comcast has dipped its toe into retail sales with its Xfinity On Demand digital store, which launched in November, that allows its subscribers to buy or rent movies directly from the cable operator.
According to the Reuters story, Comcast and EA’s goal with the partnership was to make buying games as easy as ordering a pay-per-view movie.
Comcast has upgraded X1 with X2, which is a software update to the user interface that includes more support for apps. Comcast was showing X2 in its booth last week at The Cable Show. The Reuters story didn’t say if the games would be available to play on other devices, such as an iPad, but last week’s X2 demos showed how tablets could be more than just “second screen” platforms.
A Comcast spokesperson declined to comment on the Reuters story.
