EA Israel

EA Israel was an Israeli cloud-gaming technology company and development operation based in Caesarea. It originated as Playcast Media Systems, founded in 2007 by Guy Debeer and Natan Peterfreund, and focused on delivering interactive games through cable television, IPTV, set-top boxes, and other connected devices rather than requiring users to install games locally. The company was an early participant in the emerging gaming-on-demand sector and developed technology intended for telecommunications operators and pay-TV providers. Playcast tested its service in Israel during the late 2000s. A beta installation was placed on a live cable network in February 2008, followed by a larger pilot on the HOT cable television network. Its business model centered on partnerships with network operators and publishers. The company worked with publishers including Activision, Atari, Disney, Capcom, Codemasters, THQ, and Strategy First, allowing operators to present catalogues of games through their own television and broadband platforms. The company expanded outside Israel through operator agreements. In November 2010, Portugal Telecom and Playcast announced a commercial service called Meo Jogos. In 2012, the platform was brought to more than 3.51 million subscribers of South Korea's CJ Hellovision. In 2013, Bouygues Telecom introduced Playcast's cloud-gaming service through its Bbox Sensation set-top box in France, with an offering reported to include more than 50 games. Playcast also introduced an application for Amazon's Fire TV microconsole in 2014, extending its technology beyond traditional operator-managed television environments. In June 2015, Playcast merged with GameFly's cloud-gaming business. The resulting operation was associated with the GameFly Streaming name and combined Playcast's operator-focused technology with GameFly's streaming-gaming activities. Before the merger, Playcast had received backing from Jerusalem Venture Partners and MK Capital. Electronic Arts acquired the company in 2018, after which the Israeli operation became known as EA Israel and formed part of EA's broader technology and development organization. EA Israel ultimately operated as a relatively small specialist unit rather than as a widely marketed consumer brand. The Caesarea office was closed in 2023 during a period of global cost reductions at Electronic Arts, and the staff, described in available reference material as numbering dozens, were laid off. The closure ended the operation's existence as an independent Israeli office. Its history is significant primarily for its early work in operator-delivered cloud gaming and for its role in the transition from Playcast to GameFly Streaming and then to EA Israel.

Playcast Media Systems was established in 2007 in Israel by Guy Debeer and Natan Peterfreund. Its purpose was to build a gaming-on-demand service for cable and IPTV environments. Instead of treating games solely as downloadable or physical products, Playcast designed a system through which operators could make games available over their existing television and broadband infrastructure. The company conducted an early technical test in February 2008, when a beta version was installed on a live cable network. A larger pilot subsequently ran on Israel's HOT cable network. These trials placed Playcast among the early companies attempting to make cloud gaming practical for pay-TV and telecommunications customers. Its approach depended on collaboration with both infrastructure operators and game publishers. The publisher relationships cited in the company's history included Activision, Atari, Disney, Capcom, Codemasters, THQ, and Strategy First. Playcast began international commercialization in 2010. Portugal Telecom and Playcast announced the first commercial deployment of the service in November of that year under the name Meo Jogos. The agreement demonstrated the company's operator-led strategy: the service was distributed through a telecommunications platform rather than sold only as a standalone application. In July 2012, Playcast expanded to South Korea, where its cloud-gaming service was made available to more than 3.51 million CJ Hellovision subscribers. The technology reached France in October 2013 through Bouygues Telecom. Customers could access Playcast games on televisions using the operator's Bbox Sensation set-top box. The offering was reported to contain more than 50 titles. In 2014, Playcast broadened its device strategy by releasing a cloud-gaming application for Amazon's Fire TV microconsole. In June 2015, Playcast merged with GameFly's rival cloud-gaming operation. The combined business became associated with GameFly Streaming and represented a change from Playcast's original identity while retaining its cloud-delivery expertise. Playcast had been backed by Jerusalem Venture Partners and MK Capital before the merger. Electronic Arts acquired the company in 2018, and the Israeli operation subsequently operated under the EA Israel name. EA Israel remained based in Caesarea and functioned as a specialist technology and development office within Electronic Arts. It was not principally known as a separate consumer-facing game publisher. In 2023, EA closed the office during global cost reductions. Dozens of employees were laid off, bringing the operation's history to an end. The company's trajectory—from Israeli cable and IPTV pilots, through international operator deployments and the GameFly combination, to acquisition by EA and eventual closure—reflects the changing economics and ownership structure of early cloud-gaming businesses.

1. 2023Caesarea office closes

   EA Israel was closed and its staff were laid off during Electronic Arts' global cost-cutting measures.

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2. 2018Electronic Arts acquisition

   Electronic Arts acquired the company, leading to the Israeli operation's adoption of the EA Israel name.

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3. 2015Playcast merges with GameFly

   Playcast merged with GameFly's rival cloud-gaming business and became associated with the GameFly Streaming name.

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4. 2014Fire TV application launches

   Playcast released a cloud-gaming application for Amazon's Fire TV microconsole.

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5. 2013Bouygues Telecom service launches

   Bouygues Telecom made Playcast available through its Bbox Sensation set-top box in France, with more than 50 games reported in the offering.

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6. 2012Expansion to CJ Hellovision

   Playcast brought its cloud-gaming service to more than 3.51 million CJ Hellovision subscribers in South Korea.

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7. 2010First commercial operator launch

   Portugal Telecom and Playcast launched Meo Jogos, described as the first commercial deployment of the service.

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8. 2008Israeli cable-network testing begins

   A beta version was installed on a live cable network, followed by a larger pilot on the HOT cable television network in Israel.

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9. 2007Playcast Media Systems is founded

   Guy Debeer and Natan Peterfreund founded Playcast Media Systems in Israel to develop cloud-gaming and gaming-on-demand technology.

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An enterprise cloud-gaming technology provider serving telecommunications, cable, IPTV, and connected-device platforms, rather than a conventional retail game publisher.

• Playcast cloud-gaming platformCloud gaming platform2008

  Playcast's core technology delivered games through cable, IPTV, broadband, and connected-device platforms. It was designed for telecommunications and pay-TV operators that wanted to offer game catalogues through television interfaces and set-top boxes without relying exclusively on local game installation.

• Meo JogosOperator cloud-gaming service2010

  Meo Jogos was the commercial service launched with Portugal Telecom in 2010. It represented Playcast's operator-distribution model, placing cloud gaming within a telecommunications provider's existing television and broadband ecosystem.

• GameFly StreamingCloud-gaming service2015

  GameFly Streaming was the name associated with the business created after Playcast merged with GameFly's cloud-gaming operation in 2015. The combined technology continued the concept of streaming games to supported consumer and operator platforms.

• 2023Closure of the EA Israel officeStrategy

  Electronic Arts carried out global cost reductions affecting its international operations.

  What changed. EA closed the Caesarea office and laid off its staff.

  Aftermath. EA Israel ceased operating as an Israeli office, ending the business's corporate history under that name.

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• 2018Acquisition by Electronic ArtsM&A

  The Playcast/GameFly-related operation had developed technology for delivering games through streaming and operator platforms.

  What changed. Electronic Arts acquired the company and integrated the Israeli operation under the EA Israel name.

  Aftermath. The Caesarea operation became part of EA's organization until its closure in 2023.

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• 2015Combination with GameFlyM&A

  Playcast operated in the developing cloud-gaming market alongside GameFly's competing streaming business.

  What changed. The two businesses merged in June 2015, creating an operation associated with GameFly Streaming.

  Aftermath. The merger expanded the business beyond Playcast's original operator-focused identity before its later acquisition by Electronic Arts.

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• 2023EA Israel office closes during global cutbacks

  Electronic Arts closed the Caesarea office and laid off its staff as part of broader global cost reductions.

  BankruptcyLeadership change
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• 2023EA Israel closes and staff are laid off

  The EA Israel office closed in 2023, with the local staff laid off as part of broader Electronic Arts cutbacks.

  BankruptcyLeadership change
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• 2018Electronic Arts acquires Playcast-related operation

  Electronic Arts acquired the company, after which the Israeli operation became known as EA Israel.

  M&A
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• 2018Electronic Arts acquires Playcast-related cloud-gaming operation

  Electronic Arts acquired the company in 2018, after which the Israeli operation became associated with EA Israel.

  M&A
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• 2015Playcast merges with GameFly's cloud-gaming business

  Playcast Media Systems merged with rival cloud-gaming company GameFly in June 2015, creating the operation later associated with GameFly Streaming.

  M&A
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1. EA Israel