EA is running a massive sale- 99 cents instead of the usually $6.99. Because of that, they got a huge, massive boost in sales.
When they increase prices, download amount will go back down.
The Paid charts are based on downloads, not revenue- seems to me they're increasing their iOS install base ahead of putting out new versions of their games, so they can cross-promote against those new paid apps.
EA is usually dominant on the App Store, but not this dominant. The big story is how many independent developers are normally in the Top 10. Ever see a 50/50 studio/independent split on Xbox or Nintendo DS? iOS is still the best deal going for independent game developers.
Having said that - I purchased five EA iPad games on the weekend because of this sale. SimCity for 99 cents? Yes please!
Angry Birds isn't up there because EA bought the publisher a couple weeks ago. It's up there because it's a fun and addictive game.
What does it mean for Chillingo/EA to "publish" Angry Birds in this case? I understand what publishing houses did back when software was only sold in a box; but in this case, I fail to see what exactly does EA do for Angry Birds.
And sometimes publishers will actually fund a project, usually in the form of advances.
I don't know Angry Birds specifically though.
Source: http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/20/angry-birds-chillingo/
