EA CEO John Riccitiello Resigns - UPDATED

[Murais]

that was unexpected and good news, his policies have basically alienated gamers and come close to destroying EA

Yeeeaaaah not really. Or at least not exclusively, not even remotely even. Don't forget about the huge team around him and the stockholders he answers to.

Honestly I blame stockholders for a bigger part of the issues than these CEO's. Most of the investors care fuck-all about videogames. They just want profit. No wonder you get a CEO who makes sure that happens. Hence why I wouldn't be surprised if EA gets a CEO now that isn't all that different.

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.

I am le happy! But deep down, I know it won't really chance anything. C'est tres tragique!

... word count word count word count...

 

[MammothBlade]

Oh well. The blame lies not with the CEO but the board, mostly. I bet his replacement will be a jackass who treats customers with even more contempt, pushing for maximum profits over service quality. I won't hold my breath.

 

[ProtoChimp]

AAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. This is just ONE step we need to steer the entire game industry in the right direction. Yes there are still a lot of scumbags in EA, hell there might even be some worse than Johnny boy here, but this man is just such an arrogant, up his own arse prick that I think every single person in the world here can agree that this is a good thing.

 

[AlotFirst]

I hope the next CEO's name will be easier to remember and to type down.

 

[tangoprime]

Riccitiello's decision to fall on his sword

...and by "fall on his sword" we of course mean his ass falling into the plush leather seat of his Ferrari to drive to his helicopter which he'll take to his retirement estate manor. What a self sacrifice, atoning for his mistakes and whatnot. *rolls eyes*

You left out the part where EA is paying him two years' salary in severance plus benefits, and last year he was paid $9.5 million including a $1.5 million BONUS which was even higher than the "target bonus" of 1.3mil. So apparently, you can drive a company's stock down 66%, earn a $1,500,000 bonus that year, collect a 9 million dollar paycheck for the year, then resign because of your terrible performance and get 2 years' insane salary to do so. That is a real thing.

John Riccitiello: The man who turned trading EA stock into micro-transactions!

That's some internet gold right there, fabulously done.

Also, for further reading:
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2013/03/18/john-riccitiello-quits-as-electronic.html

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

Good news about EA? We must find a way to twist it around and slam EA!

Seriously, when did optimism die out? Can't we at least wait for evidence that the new CEO is going to be as bad? Or, for that matter, wait for news about who the new CEO even is?

 

[kebab4you]

Good news about EA? We must find a way to twist it around and slam EA!

Seriously, when did optimism die out? Can't we at least wait for evidence that the new CEO is going to be as bad? Or, for that matter, wait for news about who the new CEO even is?

Does it really matter who the new CEO is if (s)he is elected by the same people that elected the old one?

 

[FalloutJack]

Good news about EA? We must find a way to twist it around and slam EA!

Seriously, when did optimism die out? Can't we at least wait for evidence that the new CEO is going to be as bad? Or, for that matter, wait for news about who the new CEO even is?

It takes more than one man to get your company to be called 'the worst' by a careful study. It takes more than one man to do all of the things that people hate on this board. One man alone does not take out the developers, make all the exactly-wrong decisions, shovel out their incredibly BAD public relations, and so on.

Right now, I think we're taking a lesson from home gardening: Find a weed, pull it out. Then, look around and find some more. They're there, so keep those gloves handy.

 

[indelibleStain]

Whilst this is a grand move by the EA board, I fear it will not result in the change that many gamers wish to see at EA. Riti has pursued an aggressive monetisation strategy that has seen the introduction of always online DRM, day one DLC and microtransactions across most (and shortly all) of EAs major franchises and releases. This aggressive strategy has resulted in relative prosperity for EA over the last half-decade, and it's unlikely that the board or senior executives are going to blame this strategy for the failure of the company to maintain or grow its number 2 (now number 3) spot in the industry.

Instead, I think it is likely that EAs board and senior management will blame the companies current failures on the development teams at DICE, Bioware and other major studios. It seems that EA believe their failures are based purely on these studios and their inability to compete with their "mirror" teams at Activision Blizzard and other large publishing studios such as Take Two and Bethesda. It's likely that we will see the alienation and replacement of senior and well known figures at studios such as Maxis, Bioware and DICE continue well into fiscal 2014.

In short, whatever this means for EA it is undoubtedly not good for gamers. EA will continue to aggressively monetise gaming in an attempt to shore up their poor financial prospects. Personally I find it hard to believe that EA will be around in its current form in a year's time; it is prime merger material for other larger publishers looking to get in on the A game. Pun intended.

 

[EHKOS]

Wooo! Maybe they'll start producing better games? Or at least not making the worst possible decisions all the time.

 

[Tien Shen]

The only way the new boss could fix things would be too:
1. Reverse the predecessor's requirement for all future games to have a multiplayer component
2. Stop reviving old IPs as shooters just to cash in (hint: Syndicate)
3. Get rid of always-on DRM and other other sort of invasive DRM that does jack in stopping piracy but does a very good job of inconveniencing legitimate customers.
4. Give their studios time to release quality titles instead of pushing to get games out in under 2 years.
5. Greenlight new IPs instead of constantly trying to steal COD's thunder with another brown-military shooter, we know you can't and your track record shows it. (MOH:Warfighter)
6. Spend less or marketing and more on the actual game development
7. Do away with day-1 DLCs.
8. Stop buying out independent studios for their IPs and closing them down and laying off staff later when your executive meddling ruined them in the first place.
9. Stop setting unrealistic sales figures that defy logic and reason. Eg, Deadspace 3 which you wanted to sell 5 million copies when DS1 and DS2 only sold 2 million combined *head on desk*.
10. Stop being douches.

 

[Blachman201_v1legacy]

Good riddance! I only hope he takes that empty suit Frank Gibeau with him. If the support for the stupid idea that every game needs a online is completely exorcised from EA, the company might actually have a shot at improving.

 

[Roxas1359]

NOOOOOO!!

Now who will Jim make fun of?!

He can go back to the old company we used to all hate: Activision.

OT: Oh joyous of news for this, perhaps now EA can get their act together and work to rebuild the trust of it's consumers...a person can dream.

 

[Madman123456]

I can't help but remember this Story of the Hydra from greek Mythology; you know, the big snake monster where you cut a Head off and then two Asses will grow there instead? Something like that.

 

[DoomyMcDoom]

As long as the new guy is better, maybe this'll give me a reason to start buying their games again...

 

[FalloutJack]

I can't help but remember this Story of the Hydra from greek Mythology; you know, the big snake monster where you cut a Head off and then two Asses will grow there instead? Something like that.

According to mythology, if you burn the stump where you cut off the head, it can't grow back. So...we got those torches and pitchforks still handy?

 

[TheMadDoctorsCat]

Here's the thing. Some of my all-time favorite games (Sim City 2000, Jungle Strike) have been made by EA or its subsidiaries.

I don't want EA to cease to exist. I want them to listen to their own consumers and become the kind of company that I don't feel bad giving money to because it occasionally, apparently accidentally, comes out with good product. I think a "good" EA is better than "no" EA. I just hope that we see them acknowledge some of their poor decisions and try and turn themselves around from now on.

 

[Treblaine]

How I see this


Gandalf is Internetz

Theoden is EA

Rohan is Developers

Sauron is Riccitiello.


PS: this is as much an opportunity for positive change... as it is a possibility things could get much much worse. All this really means is that the path EA is currently on is less likely to continue. Which direction? Who can honestly say they know?

 

[Treblaine]

A lot of people may welcome EA's death but personally i am not one of those people, EA holds a lot of franchises that i know and love and i'd hate to see them die with EA.

Hopefully EA will have an auction -when- they get bankrupt.

THQ is an example of how a major publisher dying doesn't destroy the developers it owns, they are freed.

If anything, EA is an example of how appeasing a Publisher's insane demands will only lead to them eventually cannibalising developers later. They shut down the developers of Star Wars Battlefront 3 just as it was reaching development peak.

"Pop quiz Hot Shot! A crazy Publisher is holding developers hostage, what do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO!!?!"

 

[duchaked]

as much as Activision is trying to out-evil everyone, at least they're doing it in a way that makes people buy their stuff
EA thus far...less so. just pissing people off lol