EA Founder: App Stores Are Too Crowded

[Isalan]

Is that Dr Cox from Scrubs having a good day?

OT: Good thing about a centralised download store is that without marketing the playing field is levelled. Word of mouth or recomendations by friends/respected other persons are the main driving force behind sales, as opposed to whos put the biggest, flashiest advert in the middle of Coronation Street.

Of course, once they've become popular then comes the marketing. For further information see the Angry Birds Store.

 

[Something Amyss]

Darn, the captcha was just one letter away from being either super relevant or super inappropriate (and hilarious).

Indeed, though it kinda fits with his complaint anyway. XD

"Hey guys, stop flooding the market. That's our job!"

Exactly. "The App Stores are too crowded! No one is downloading Tetris 2012v238 and the 351st installment of Sims Mobile!!"

It's even better, since I was recently browsing Android apps and they have multiple versions of so many games on there.

Not to mention the timeliness of this complaint, given the recent plans to "Drop" Rock Band IOS.

This isn't EA talking: this is the Founder of EA.

And a current board member of EA, as far as I can tell. So it's kind of relevant here.

I just love how the mention of EA no matter how irreverent causes people to ignore everything in favor of EA bashing.

It's ridiculous to think that the context of this means it can somehow be discussed without EA being brought up. You know, the context of the board member of a publisher who is adding to the discovery problem he's claiming will be solved by publisher programs?

Hell, just the fact that the company he founded is adding to the problem he claims publishers should/could/will solve is issue enough.

 

[Frostbite3789]

Looks like Christian Shephard. How's heaven? Or whatever that was...

EA: You're being Debbie Downers. "Your brand is tired. Your store is crowded. This beer isn't exactly the right temperature."
What I'm getting at is this: You're sooo not invited to my birthday party.

So, I've seen more than few comments in this thread about EA. This has nothing to do with EA, this guy hasn't been with EA for years.

Like, if you want to hate them, that's fine, but lets not try so damn hard to do it, yeah?

 

[Emiscary]

Literally everything these people do irritates me. If it was possible to kill with resentment, I'd know by now.

 

[Worgen]

He is right, the app store is a pain in the butt to navigate, really any sort of navigation aside from the most popular apps or the new ones is rather fruitless.

 

[Baresark]

While he is partially right, I don't think for a second that companies like EA are the answer. It's publishers like them that have stagnated the whole gaming market. It's hard to be noticed in a sea of similar products. Maybe even impossible, but c'mon, you think EA or Activision or any of them are the answer, that is just stupid. I'm not saying I have the answer, but no... just no.

 

[Something Amyss]

While he is partially right, I don't think for a second that companies like EA are the answer. It's publishers like them that have stagnated the whole gaming market. It's hard to be noticed in a sea of similar products. Maybe even impossible, but c'mon, you think EA or Activision or any of them are the answer, that is just stupid. I'm not saying I have the answer, but no... just no.

Publisher stranglehold is one of the reasons people started turning to apps, anyway. Not saying it's the sole reason; everyone wants a slice of that Angry Birds pie, for example, and some games really should be low-cost apps rather than big games.

I think it's easy to forget this context.

 

[Dryk]

As valid as his points are all I can hear is "Nobody cares about your IP, sell it to EA so they can make a quick buck and grind it into the dirt"

 

[BoogieManFL]

Looking through app stores is a nightmare when there are SO DAMN MANY options. They need to enforce and require rich descriptions and screenshots for developers, and overhaul the app stores for users, so you can search without being overwhelmed. That wouldn't require publishers, just more common sense and foresight.

 

[Lunar Templar]

while he's right about the app stores being flooded.

he's wrong about anybody needing a publisher, even the studio's like Bioware(sub Bioware with another that is successful if you so choose), don't need a publisher, they could probably sell they're games directly and be better off for it

 

[unoleian]

This article has generated an interesting blend of reactionary knee-jerk hatred for EA, and calmly measured arguments from people who actually know what they're talking about. It's amusing.

But he's right. The apps market really is crowded and obtuse. I generally don't ever find anything worth taking a risk on or knowing if its worthwhile at all unless a news or blog site highlights it, because the "user" reviews for new app products are often as useless as the method of finding them in the first place. I'm honestly baffled by the App Store on iOS. Either there's a legion of robot reviewers praising everything under the sun, or people are, as a whole, horrifyingly stupid.

 

[Doom972]

With today's social networks, an application can sell itself via word of mouth. Publishers are currently just a middleman who's about to become obsolete.
I never bought a game because some annoying ad or promotional campaign told me to. It was always either that friends told me about it, I watched a review of it, or I stumbled upon it on Steam.

 

[Baresark]

While he is partially right, I don't think for a second that companies like EA are the answer. It's publishers like them that have stagnated the whole gaming market. It's hard to be noticed in a sea of similar products. Maybe even impossible, but c'mon, you think EA or Activision or any of them are the answer, that is just stupid. I'm not saying I have the answer, but no... just no.

Publisher stranglehold is one of the reasons people started turning to apps, anyway. Not saying it's the sole reason; everyone wants a slice of that Angry Birds pie, for example, and some games really should be low-cost apps rather than big games.

I think it's easy to forget this context.

That is an excellent point and you are completely correct. It's because it was the only outlet for creative people who don't get the time of day from people like EA. Also, as you said, the Angry Birds pie is always enticing. Also, this is almost the same argument that Microsoft used when they were pushing their XBLIG (their indie side of publishing). They would offer these devs front page billing for their games if they signed an exclusive contract with them and then wouldn't come through in the end. All I have to say about that is every new release on Steam gets front page billing. Sure there is competition for it in the sense that at times there are a lot of things coming out, but reload the front page and you get new things shuffled your way.

 

[marioandsonic]

"Trip Hawkins reckons developers need publishers to promote their products on digital distribution platforms."

Translation:

"Trip Hawkins wants young and upcoming developers to sell their souls to EA so EA execs can buy more yachts."

 

[Robert Ewing]

And a crowded app store being crowded is bad how? I don't think a absolute wealth of software crowding a very, VERY successful format is particularly a bad thing.

 

[Baresark]

Looks like Christian Shephard. How's heaven? Or whatever that was...

EA: You're being Debbie Downers. "Your brand is tired. Your store is crowded. This beer isn't exactly the right temperature."
What I'm getting at is this: You're sooo not invited to my birthday party.

So, I've seen more than few comments in this thread about EA. This has nothing to do with EA, this guy hasn't been with EA for years.

Like, if you want to hate them, that's fine, but lets not try so damn hard to do it, yeah?

I think that it is more or less this guys stance that publishers such as EA are necessary to "solve the discovery problem" since there is much out there. It doesn't help he was involved in EA though.

 

[jpoon]

Pretty feckin' ironic that EA of all companies would complain about market saturation...

 

[Therumancer]

"Trip Hawkins reckons developers need publishers to promote their products on digital distribution platforms."

Translation:

"Trip Hawkins wants young and upcoming developers to sell their souls to EA so EA execs can buy more yachts."

Incorrect as he doesn't work for EA anymore.

He seems like one of those "motivational speakers" from late night TV who wants you to pay him to tell you how to become a millionaire. Since he left EA he pretty much failed with the 3DO and started his own app company, that "digital chocolate" thing.

Ultimatly he seems to be harping on his past success with EA, to sell himself as knowing what he's talking about, so people will come to him and his current company as a publisher.

The guy targeted by this isn't the user (us) but the vulnerable guy who THINKS he has a good app but can't sell it, who might be lured by this guy being able to sell it for him.

That's how I see it, even if he's not actually saying "let me publish you", he's being more subtle than that. He doesn't seem to be with EA any more, so you have to look at what his angle is. EA is really the only thing he can sell because of his track record since he left.

 

[Saulkar]

This is a double edged sword. Discovery is shwag'en'all buuuuuuuuuutt, the almost exclusivity of over bureaucratic, profit driven mentality of publishers these days tend to fuck things up for the developers for a variety of reasons that are all too familiar to users on the Escapist.

Yes, the profit-driven mentality of publishers is contrasting with the profit-driven mentality of developers, and the "stop making profits please"-driven mentality of the consumers.

You know exactly what I am talking about, on the other hand it is sad if you do not.

 

[userwhoquitthesite]

After leaving Apple back in 1982, Hawkins went on to found Electronic Arts, which you might have heard of. He later left EA to form 3DO, which managed to secrete Escapist editor, Susan Arendt's, "favorite mistake," [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/6.263414-292-My-Favorite-Mistake?page=2 ] and an assortment of truly terrible games before finally going under in 2003. Hawkins then formed Digital Chocolate, which is currently busy churning out casual titles for mobile platforms...

...horse urine...

First Part: So what you're saying is, this man is a font of evil, and mayhaps ought be destroyed for safety's sake?

Second Part: the captcha is "hobby-horse". No real connection, but I thought this was great

On topic: Why is this news? he's just saying things that loads of people have already said many times over. If anything, the comment about platform houses aren't earning their cut of the profit from the content they support is the more interesting thing (although that;s been said too)