EA's John Riccitiello: "Bullfrog, Origin, and Westwood? My bad!"

DMczaf · (02-09-2008, 06:34 AM)

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6185814...stnews;title;0

Quote:

Ideally, Riccitiello believes, studios within a large publisher should operate like independent studios freed from having to worry about making payroll and strategizing marketing. He said he hoped EA's own internal studios would be like Valve Software or Blizzard Entertainment--self-contained organizations with strong leaders primed for massive growth and creativity.

"The command and conquer model, the command and direct model doesn't work," said Riccitiello. He went on to concede that EA's past post-acquisition tactics backfired badly. Bullfrog, Origin, Westwood--all no longer exist today because something broke. ... and I'll simply state that EA blew it, and to a certain degree, since I was involved, I blew it."

To learn from his mistakes, Riccitiello spoke with unnamed members of the aforementioned dissolved studios. "They told me they were stifled by politics, bureaucracy, and a fact they felt they weren't heard," he said. As a result, he is empowering his studio heads by giving them the corporate equivalent of the Bat-phone. "Large organizations will screw up, and if you have a strong leader at a studio, they'll call me up directly and change the direction of the company."

ManaByte · (02-09-2008, 06:36 AM)

Can anyone please go to some weather site and check the temperature in hell for me? I would but I'm still in shock.

Wollan · (02-09-2008, 06:36 AM)

We have a target.

DesertEasy · (02-09-2008, 06:37 AM)

There has to be a catch or something.

HK-47 · (02-09-2008, 06:37 AM)

I HAVE FURY!

Wario64 · (02-09-2008, 06:38 AM)

Let's kick his ass.

ManaByte · (02-09-2008, 06:39 AM)

ASSEMBLE THE ARMY LORD BRITISH!

Cheeto · (02-09-2008, 06:40 AM)

:(
Bullfrog... I loved Theme Hospital

{Mike} · (02-09-2008, 06:41 AM)

Wow, he's honest

squatingyeti · (02-09-2008, 06:42 AM)

So, how many times do you have to fuck up before you start to learn a lesson?

ManaByte · (02-09-2008, 06:42 AM)

Originally Posted by WhatRuOn:

:(
Bullfrog... I loved Theme Hospital

DUNGEON

KEEPER

Best PC game ever made. Putting the rogue into the torture chamber would probably earn it an AO rating these days and get Jack Thompson all pissed at EA.

onemic · (02-09-2008, 06:43 AM)

An honest CEO? Who knew!

Jamesfrom818 · (02-09-2008, 06:43 AM)

At least he learned. There's still hope for you BioWare.

Meier · (02-09-2008, 06:43 AM)

Now can we get another Syndicate?

DMczaf · (02-09-2008, 06:44 AM)

Originally Posted by Wario64:

Let's kick his ass.

Go ahead and try.

clashfan · (02-09-2008, 06:45 AM)

Losing Origin was bad. The Ultima series should be just as big as Final Fantasy. Bring back Ultima!

davepoobond · (02-09-2008, 06:45 AM)

FIX IT

ManaByte · (02-09-2008, 06:48 AM)

Originally Posted by DMczaf:

Go ahead and try.

No problem.

Elbrain · (02-09-2008, 06:50 AM)

O.K this deserves a "He defiantly needs a fucking Mexican Style ass wooping" Some one fucking bust out with the VCR CORD!

thatbox · (02-09-2008, 06:52 AM)

There will never be forgiveness for killing Westwood >:(

Cheeto · (02-09-2008, 06:53 AM)

Originally Posted by ManaByte:

DUNGEON

KEEPER

Best PC game ever made. Putting the rogue into the torture chamber would probably earn it an AO rating these days and get Jack Thompson all pissed at EA.

That game definitely rocked as well...I just have found memories of Theme Hospital when I was a kid.

Riddick · (02-09-2008, 07:01 AM)

WTH happened to EA? They sound... human.

Narag · (02-09-2008, 07:02 AM)

So this is the bastard that deprived me of Wing Commander.

Blablurn · (02-09-2008, 07:04 AM)

shit happens :/

ManaByte · (02-09-2008, 07:06 AM)

Originally Posted by Riddick:

WTH happened to EA? They sound... human.

Nobody's perfect, Saavik.

Mejilan · (02-09-2008, 07:07 AM)

Too little, too late.

A Black Falcon · (02-09-2008, 07:14 AM)

Woah... amazing. Definitely too late, but amazing that he'd admit it...

Is he trying to calm people who think that now that EA owns Bioware Bioware is doomed?

Night_Trekker · (02-09-2008, 07:15 AM)

Why are so many un-EA statements coming from EA lately?

Salazar · (02-09-2008, 07:22 AM)

Originally Posted by Night_Trekker:

Why are so many un-EA statements coming from EA lately?

Boom Blox and Dead Space are earning them some dignity, and they are showing it off.

epmode · (02-09-2008, 07:22 AM)

Originally Posted by Night_Trekker:

Why are so many un-EA statements coming from EA lately?

For serious. Maybe the competition from Activision is causing them to rethink their strategy. I only hope their upcoming games back up the press.

Haunted · (02-09-2008, 07:37 AM)

OFF WITH HIS HEAD! FORGIVENESS WILL NOT BE GRANTED.

tmaynard · (02-09-2008, 07:45 AM)

Originally Posted by WhatRuOn:

:(
Bullfrog... I loved Theme Hospital

That is exactly what I thought of when I read the topic title.

Slavik81 · (02-09-2008, 07:47 AM)

Originally Posted by thatbox:

There will never be forgiveness for killing Westwood >:(

Go support Petroglyph. Empire At War was pretty good.

BobJustBob · (02-09-2008, 07:48 AM)

Originally Posted by WhatRuOn:

That game definitely rocked as well...I just have found memories of Theme Hospital when I was a kid.

Theme Hospital was released (though possibly not developed) post-EA acquisition.

Magic Carpet is their best game anyway.

LCGeek · (02-09-2008, 07:51 AM)

Wait a minute someone from EA is owning to the fact this company killed mainstreamed gaming for the most part on pc platform just as much MS did with DX and it's failed promises since inception. Damn hell is certainly freezing over today.

Soule · (02-09-2008, 07:52 AM)

Originally Posted by onemic:

An honest CEO? Who knew!

Pretty much my thoughts :\

muckhole · (02-09-2008, 08:04 AM)

If he really wants to impress us, how about utilizing some of those dormant IP's (assuming EA still holds them) instead of just bemoaning how they messed them up in the first place?

TemplaerDude · (02-09-2008, 08:38 AM)

yeah, honest, schmonest, fuck you for killing westwood.

RiZ III · (02-09-2008, 08:39 AM)

Aww all is forgiven.. NOT!

Joe · (02-09-2008, 08:43 AM)

so it's this assholes fault that UO went to shit and UO2 never existed? i'll kill him.

stressboy · (02-09-2008, 08:47 AM)

Originally Posted by Joe:

so it's this assholes fault that UO went to shit and UO2 never existed? i'll kill him.

Wasn't UO2 almost done when it got canned?

TJ Spyke · (02-09-2008, 08:52 AM)

Haven't EA sales been decreasing over the last year or so? I know Madden sold a lot less than it did last year. I would guess this is the reason.

Joe · (02-09-2008, 08:54 AM)

Originally Posted by stressboy:

Wasn't UO2 almost done when it got canned?

if i had to guess i think it was about 50%. the pictures of the staff sitting around a campfire burning the code will forever be burnt into my memory :(

JeremyR · (02-09-2008, 09:10 AM)

He forgot to mention Maxis. I know they have division just doing Sims stuff and they are letting Will Wright take forever with Spore, but it's not the same as when they had Maxis around.