EA CEO John Riccitiello Resigns - UPDATED

FalloutJack

Bah weep grah nah neep ninny bom
Nov 20, 2008
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thebobmaster said:
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

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Mar 17, 2013
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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

Madness to my Methods
Feb 28, 2010
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Wooo! Maybe they'll start producing better games? Or at least not making the worst possible decisions all the time.
 

Tien Shen

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Mar 25, 2010
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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.
 
Mar 9, 2012
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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

Burn, Burn it All!
Aug 8, 2009
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cyvaris said:
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

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Feb 11, 2011
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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.
 

FalloutJack

Bah weep grah nah neep ninny bom
Nov 20, 2008
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Madman123456 said:
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

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Apr 2, 2008
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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

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Jul 25, 2008
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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

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Jul 25, 2008
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debigcheez said:
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

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Dec 25, 2008
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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
 

Defeated Detective

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Sep 30, 2012
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Sir Thomas Sean Connery said:
Absolutely required:

EA's still going to be assholes as soon as the next guy steps up, but just for today, we celebrate.
I honestly think Riccitiello is just the fall guy, but that's just my opinion regarding the issue.
 

Sansha

There's a principle in business
Nov 16, 2008
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Good. One less stock market-watching idiot on the board. Since he attained his position, EA's just come apart. Hopefully now we'll see some improvement. Not like they can possibly win my trust again anyway.

But this is a good sign for EA and their policies. Maybe the rest of management will pull their heads out of their asses now.

Ishal said:
EA CEO being taken offline due to server issues.

My snark for the month.
Please find enclosed in your PM inbox my standard Reward Titties for Post of the Day.
 

Hades

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Mar 8, 2013
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I'm surprised at how big this news is. My newspaper even wrote a small piece about his departer and bad reputation. This wasn't a gaming related paper or section but just the regular news.