Be careful what you wish for.
Yep. A few years from now, the current EA is going to seem saintly in comparison to the EA with a CEO better at exploiting consumers.
Be careful what you wish for.
And given how good the Saturn was with niche games in Japan... it was kind of unfortunate he came on board. :/When Stolar was in charge of SCEA, he was the one to nix any RPGs on the PlayStation 1 until he left to handle the Saturn. He completely misjudged the market considering the success that Final Fantasy VII would later obtain for the PlayStation brand. Bernie Stolar was just plain horrible at judging the market.
I wonder when the Board of Directors asked him to "resign" as opposed to being fired?
Be careful what you wish for.
But to keep up with these big releases, something is going to have to give.
Too bad these CEO firings/resignations don't come in threes like celebrity deaths.
I'd want Ballmer gone next.
"When you are six hours into playing Battlefield and you run out of ammo in your clip, and we ask you for a dollar to reload, you're really not very price sensitive at that point in time."
"A consumer gets engaged in a property, they might spend 10,20,30,50 hours on the game and then when they're deep into the game they're well invested in in. We're not gouging, but we're charging and at that point in time the commitment can be pretty high."
"But it is a great model and I think it represents a substantially better future for the industry."
You're right. It could go either way.Time for a new direction...a chance to really shake things up at EA.
Maybe now EA will finally restore some of the goodwill it has lost over the years. They ALMOST had it early this gen, but they screwed that up royally.
In a way it's kind of sad when a CEO leaves. Riccitiello stepping down really means an end of an era. But on the other hand, it's a chance to see the company evolve and adapt in ways the previous guy couldn't even dream of. Let's hope this pushes EA in the RIGHT direction.
Imagine a new CEO walking in, and his first announcement being that SimCity will have an offline mode. That would be a great start, honestly.
ON THE OTHER HAND, a new guy could COMPLETELY fuck up the things that Riccitiello has done right and push EA into an unprecedented world of milking. A change of leadership could be extremely dangerous if we don't get a guy who protects the interests of the core gamer at heart.
Imagine a new CEO declaring that all future EA games will be online-only + free to play + micro-transaction heavy. Yeah...
CEOs have SO much fucking power in this business. In a way, they are the company.
But must they keep pumping out big releases? Why not several A-level titles rather than ultra-huge AAA showstoppers? If that type of game is not really feasible, scale things down.
I've stopped buying EA games, so he can't be that much worse for me (other than influence).LOL, I agree that the next CEO can be even worse guys, but there is only one thing I can say to a guy who thinks like this:
Good fucking riddance.
Yeah, I figured that he would be out after the whole Pandemic fiasco. Guess it took that, SWTOR, EA Partners, and SimCity for investors to finally lose faith in him.Genuinely surprised it took this long.
I've stopped buying EA games, so he can't be that much worse for me (other than influence).
Good riddance,why did it take so long?
Sim City was that bad aye?
Any replacement is likely to be cut from the same cloth, because their approach provides the best ROI.
As much as GAF kinda shits on him, I have to ask, wasn't it under his watch that we also got Mirror's Edge, Dead Space, as well as some of the more interesting stuff out of the EA partners program?
Riccitiello has made some DUMB moves, some choices that alot of people here aren't the biggest fans of. But is his legacy at that company really so covered in hatred that he can't be credited for some of the better, more interesting stuff EA had done?
I kinda have no reason to believe that a new CEO would be any better.
I do agree that no CEO will be better though.
Well, that COULD be a turn for the better (or at least more likable.)So paging back over EA's events/interviews for the past few years, JR hosted most of them until this fiscal year, when Peter Moore started taking notably more spotlight while Riccitiello himself went mostly silent in terms of public appearances.
Besides the obvious reason (being COO), this would suggest they were considering him as the primary replacement candidate.
Stolar had a lot to do with Sega's demise.
His active attempts to smother the Saturn with a pillow to force Sega of Japan to hurry up with the Dreamcast being the most infamous.
And given how good the Saturn was with niche games in Japan... it was kind of unfortunate he came on board. :/
Though it seems he wasn't as extreme there. But I do worry if his philosophy, even worn down, still kind of exists at SCEA given they seem to be the most trouble getting certain games approved with. Unless it was a Sony philosophy to be that selective and he just got to call the shots then.
Untalkative_Bunny said:If successful.
The beginning of his reign was pretty good, but that's because EA were really really desperate at the beginning of the gen. I do agree that no CEO will be better though.
When the accountants finished their report on the upcoming quarter?
SWTOR did him in. When it bombed, it was only a matter of time.
This is what you get when you betray Iwata, John.
This is what you get when you betray Iwata, John.
Good fucking riddance.
This was taken as a troll given the questionable source but
http://www.abload.de/img/eaisfinishedy6jd0.png
Check the date it was posted.
Can he really be credited for the creation of these games? I mean sure, they needed to make games, they are a games publisher.Under Riccitiello we got:
+ Mass Effect 2 + 3
+ Dead Space 1 + 2 + 3
+ The Sims 3
+ Crysis 2 + 3
+ Dragon Age Origins
+ The Saboteur
+ Mirror's Edge
+ Battlefield: Bad Company 2 + Battlefield 3
+ Rock Band 1 + 2 + 3
+ Skate 1 + 2 + 3
+ Need For Speed Shift + Hot Pursuit + Shift 2
+ Kingdoms of Amalur
+ DeathSpank 1 + 2
+ Bulletstorm
+ Shadows of the Damned
+ Brutal Legend
Etc.
That's pretty darn good, despite all the times Ricitiello fucked up (Spore DRM, online passes, day-one DLC, etc.) goodwill with the consumer.
Source: http://www.ea.com/news/from-larry-probst-ea-leadership-transitionEA said:From Larry Probst: EA Leadership Transition
Today John Riccitiello submitted his resignation to EAs Board of Directors. In a letter to the Board, John outlined that while the company has made enormous progress in improving product quality and transitioning to digital games and services, our financial performance is tracking below the expectations set at the beginning of our fiscal year. This was disclosed in our last earnings call.
Johns final day will be March 30. I will serve as executive chairman and work with John and the management team to ensure a smooth and orderly transition. The Board will immediately initiate a search and both internal and external candidates will be considered for the CEO position.
I hired John in 1997 as our COO and, after leaving to start a private equity firm, he rejoined in 2007 as our CEO. In 12 years of service, he compiled a history of great leadership. Johns tenure at EA has been marked by bold decisions, a big vision for online games, a passion for product quality and an enduring respect for the people who work here.
John made an indelible mark on our culture and shaped many of our most successful leaders. We wish him the very best in whatever he decides to do next.
Looking ahead, EAs strategy and future are rock solid. Our business is built on more than a dozen powerful, globally recognized brands. We are clear leaders in the fastest growing category in games mobile and we are positioned to lead on the next generation of consoles. Most importantly we have deep reserves of talent new faces and industry veterans who form the core of EAs leadership. We have an important year ahead of us and I look forward to working with all of you as we navigate the path to future success!
Their Executive Chairman on their forward going strategy.
EA said:From Larry Probst: EA Leadership Transition
Today John Riccitiello submitted his resignation to EA’s Board of Directors. In a letter to the Board, John outlined that while the company has made enormous progress in improving product quality and transitioning to digital games and services, our financial performance is tracking below the expectations set at the beginning of our fiscal year. This was disclosed in our last earnings call.
John’s final day will be March 30. I will serve as executive chairman and work with John and the management team to ensure a smooth and orderly transition. The Board will immediately initiate a search and both internal and external candidates will be considered for the CEO position.
I hired John in 1997 as our COO and, after leaving to start a private equity firm, he rejoined in 2007 as our CEO. In 12 years of service, he compiled a history of great leadership. John’s tenure at EA has been marked by bold decisions, a big vision for online games, a passion for product quality and an enduring respect for the people who work here.
John made an indelible mark on our culture and shaped many of our most successful leaders. We wish him the very best in whatever he decides to do next.
Looking ahead, EA’s strategy and future are rock solid. Our business is built on more than a dozen powerful, globally recognized brands. We are clear leaders in the fastest growing category in games – mobile – and we are positioned to lead on the next generation of consoles. Most importantly we have deep reserves of talent – new faces and industry veterans who form the core of EA’s leadership. We have an important year ahead of us and I look forward to working with all of you as we navigate the path to future success!
Or as expected... pretty much the same.
While that's true, I wouldn't imagine it would take too much to screw up Eidos' current output outside of what Wada is already doing. And everything else being terrible gets to the point where someone just needs to tell him "hey, stop it."
I'm not saying that it's nearly as bad as John's tenure under EA, but I'm just bitter.
For perspective, Larry Probst was the guy who served as EA CEO from 1991 until April 2007 (when Riccitiello took over). I can't believe he outlasted Riccitiello at the company.
I don't like this renewed focus in mobile titles. :-(
Under Riccitiello we got:
+ Mass Effect 2 + 3
+ Dead Space 1 + 2 + 3
+ The Sims 3
+ Crysis 2 + 3
+ Dragon Age Origins
+ The Saboteur
+ Mirror's Edge
+ Battlefield: Bad Company 2 + Battlefield 3
+ Rock Band 1 + 2 + 3
+ Skate 1 + 2 + 3
+ Need For Speed Shift + Hot Pursuit + Shift 2
+ Kingdoms of Amalur
+ DeathSpank 1 + 2
+ Bulletstorm
+ Shadows of the Damned
+ Brutal Legend
Etc.
That's pretty darn good, despite all the times Ricitiello fucked up (Spore DRM, online passes, day-one DLC, etc.) goodwill with the consumer.