Electronic Arts and the New Ideas

Electronic Arts' Games president, Frank Gibeau, has been speaking about the new EA under the CEOship of John Riccitiello. It appears that the latter has shaken things up when it comes to moving the company away from being a regurgitator of sports games and licences... and licensed sports games.

According to Gibeau, speaking to Variety, "... the market was reacting to newer properties like Grand Theft Auto and Halo. We were serializing and over-iterating."

So, things obviously had to change. One of those changes, it appears, was not to 'over-iterate' the games but to extend their 'brand IP'. Welcome back John. Says Gibeau, "Culturally, prior to [CEO] John [Riccitiello] coming back, extensions of our IP into vehicles such as film or books or TV was frowned upon.

"Riccitiello flipped that cultural issue on its side and said, 'Look, we’re creating world class IPs here. Our fan base would love to experience or learn more about them in linear forms."

So, now film tie-ins such as an expected Army of Two movie, the Dead Space animation, and EA's signing of a Hollywood agency; a music label and comics.

But what of games, how does Gibeau feel that EA can get original IP rather than over-iteration into the public's mind when it comes to the company? What's the mix now?

"If look at the year Gears of War shipped the first time, it was one of the best sellers. Bad Company has come out and done very well. Army of Two sold very well. We've got sequel ideas planned for those.

"I feel pretty good about that mix right now. Assassin's Creed, while it was Prince of Persia in a different guise and re-imagined, busted into the charts as an original. In any given year we do have sequels. At one point in time those were originals."

Ouch, eh? Assassin's Creed as Prince of Persia 'lite'?


^{Source: Variety}