New Direction For EA

[BigTen]

I saw this article and thought that I might share:


Most video games are "boring" or too complicated, and game makers need to do more to appeal to casual players, according to the head of the world's largest video game publisher, Electronic Arts.

"We're boring people to death and making games that are harder and harder to play," EA Chief Executive John Riccitiello told the Wall Street Journal.

Riccitiello became CEO at EA in April in his return to the game maker.

EA's former chief operating officer had left the company in 2004 to help found Elevation Partners, a media and entertainment buyout firm.

The video game executive criticized the industry for rolling out sequels to new games that add little from the previous version.

"For the most part, the industry has been rinse-and-repeat," he was quoted as saying. "There's been lots of product that looked like last year's product, that looked a lot like the year before."

The comments were made as the $30 billion video game industry prepares for its annual gathering, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, in Santa Monica, California. Anticipation is running high that cheaper hardware and a host of keenly awaited new games will fuel the strongest sales in years.

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4121795a28.html


This is a scary direction that EA might be going in. Obviously if games are too difficult than they run the risk of alienating novice gamers but the average age of gamers is closer now to 30 as opposed to 20.

And also EA Games have to be the biggest perpertrator of delivering sequels (or series) that are almost exactly the same as earlier versions. All of their sports games suffer from this and as rugby fans we have been pretty hard hit. And as for making the rugby games even easier - well that really is scary. I always struggled to play FIFA at the hardest difficulty level so they have dumbed rugby way down. Imagine if they furthered the dumbing down?

This is a scary direction that EA are looking at.

 

[Hazey]

He isn't commenting on the way the company WILL be run, he is making a criticism of the way it HAS been run and the whole point of his interview was to point out that "EA Games have to be the biggest perpertrator of delivering sequels (or series) that are almost exactly the same as earlier versions"... thus, since he is the new CEO, he will be working to change that.

 

[SPIDER18]

He isn't commenting on the way the company WILL be run, he is making a criticism of the way it HAS been run and the whole point of his interview was to point out that "EA Games have to be the biggest perpertrator of delivering sequels (or series) that are almost exactly the same as earlier versions"... thus, since he is the new CEO, he will be working to change that. [/b]

it is wierd though the guy is head of sequels 'r' us and wants to create orignal games talk about joining the wrong company (i'm not bagging ea its just funny)

 

[Hazey]

The general business idea is that you make the public think that you are doing something about your weaknesses, and thus they believe you are an improving business and are more likely to buy your next ***les, whether or not the games themselves have improved.

 

[SPIDER18]

The general business idea is that you make the public think that you are doing something about your weaknesses, and thus they believe you are an improving business and are more likely to buy your next ***les, whether or not the games themselves have improved. [/b]

tru but have you heard any other head of ea say that? ea usually talk up big improvements not actual revoulutionary changes (though admitedly he doesn't say anything of substance its just i haven't heard an ea guy talk like that before).

 

[Hazey]

Whenever a new head of business comes in, whether it be in Gaming or Heavy Industry, especially to a set up that is taking a little criticism, he can be expected to make speeches that proclaim the revolutionising of the business - they have to be seen to have their own ideas, and to be making the business better, as I said.

I was simply pointing out the fact that BigTen had misunderstood what the EA CEO was saying.

 

[BigTen]

But he says quite clearly:



"...For the most part, the industry has been rinse-and-repeat..."

 

[Hazey]

Yes, and he also clearly says "We're boring people to death" - 'the industry' is simply a generalisation he uses to sum up the general consensus on the present game producing fraternaty.

It's quite obvious that Riccitiello is trying to establish a 'this is how it was, and we are going to change it to make it better' line of discussion to try and show customers/stock holders that he is aware of their opinions and is doing something about it.

It is not, as you tried to make out, the direction to which he is taking the company.

 

[candybum]

oh what a gib, the games aren't that complicated? only for those who aren't gamers, theyre right about "There's been lots of product that looked like last year's product, that looked a lot like the year before"

 

[SPIDER18]

Whenever a new head of business comes in, whether it be in Gaming or Heavy Industry, especially to a set up that is taking a little criticism, he can be expected to make speeches that proclaim the revolutionising of the business - they have to be seen to have their own ideas, and to be making the business better, as I said.

I was simply pointing out the fact that BigTen had misunderstood what the EA CEO was saying. [/b]

my comments have nothing to do with your critizim of bigten i just think its wierd for an ea guy new or otherwise to balatantly rubbish his own company when its extremely successful and still making great games. again quote me another ea guy thats gone that far?

 

[BigTen]

It is definitely spin as you, Hazey, kind of mentioned.



"...Whenever a new head of business comes in, whether it be in Gaming or Heavy Industry, especially to a set up that is taking a little criticism, he can be expected to make speeches that proclaim the revolutionising of the business - they have to be seen to have their own ideas, and to be making the business better, as I said..."



But I never actually said that EA are going to do this. All I said is that.



"...This is a scary direction that EA are looking at..."


Obviously I never take EA at what they say. They have to the masters in propaganda.



I just thought that other posters may like to see what the new head is saying.

 

[Hazey]

You're missing the point entirely.

Why is it a 'scary direction' for EA to be looking at??? The new CEO is clearly saying that games were becoming boring, and too difficult in the extreme, and the jist of his interview is that he is moving away from that directly.

Most video games are "boring" or too complicated, and game makers need to do more to appeal to casual players, according to the head of the world's largest video game publisher[/b]

It says that in the first bloody sentence of the article!

 

[SPIDER18]

You're missing the point entirely.

Why is it a 'scary direction' for EA to be looking at??? The new CEO is clearly saying that games were becoming boring, and too difficult in the extreme, and the jist of his interview is that he is moving away from that directly.

Most video games are "boring" or too complicated, and game makers need to do more to appeal to casual players, according to the head of the world's largest video game publisher[/b]

It says that in the first bloody sentence of the article!





[/b]

what hes (bigten) trying to say isn't rocket science read the second line of the article it says we're making games harder and harder and the ea guy is talking about moving away from that and making games easier and hes(bigten) saying imagine if they make rugby easier (its already too easy)

 

[BigTen]

It isn't brain surgery either.



EA says games are too hard.



EA rugby is too easy.



If EA thinks that EA rugby is too hard than they will make EA Rugby even easier than it is.



And that is bad.



And that is why this post is in the EA Sports Rugby Series.

 

[Hazey]

It doesn't say harder, it says 'complicated', in terms of harder to use controls, excessively complicated levels on shoot 'em up games, etc.

They are not stupid - they realise on, for example, EA Rugby that is someone just wants to play casually, they can use one of the lower difficulty settings, that is what they are there for... on almost every game...

 

[SPIDER18]

It doesn't say harder, it says 'complicated', in terms of harder to use controls, excessively complicated levels on shoot 'em up games, etc.

They are not stupid - they realise on, for example, EA Rugby that is someone just wants to play casually, they can use one of the lower difficulty settings, that is what they are there for... on almost every game... [/b]

evenelite mode is easy. re read the first post it says HARDER.

 

[Hazey]

The first line of the quote from the interview clearly sets out that the meaning of the word 'harder' is in terms of being 'complicated', not in terms of difficulty level on the game... that is why there is variable difficulty. Would you like to point out in my posts where I commented on how easy or hard EA Rugby was to play in elite mode? Oh wait, I didn't.