EA's Riccitiello: 'Executive Meddling' Pursing Review Scores

The boss wants changes

Posted by Staff
John Riccitiello
John Riccitiello
Electronic Arts' CEO, John Riccitiello, has apparently told Reuters pursuing review scores "...frequently leads to too much executive meddling".

Speaking to Wall Street analysts about EA's Metacritic average (which has dropped from 77 to 72 year-on-year), Riccitiello is quoted as saying that he, "...wants to avoid the trap of just pursuing a good Metacritic score, a mindset he said frequently leads to too much executive meddling."

He continued, "The process often gets in the way more than it helps. That sort of circus has unfortunately sort of defined our company for too long. And it's not a good process".

This is a more harsh extension of Riccitiello's line from, July last year when he said, “In a weird sort of way, we’re worshipping the game-review gods as opposed to thinking about the marketplace and people who might want to buy our products.”

While the July line took a swipe at 'game-review gods', his recent comment is a pointed criticism of EA's own internal processes when it comes to influencing review scores given in the gaming media. This is supported by the fact that Riccitiello states, "Our core game titles are accurately measured and summarized by these assessments, and that is a very big deal."

So, could it also herald a clear-out of 'meddling' executives by Riccitiello, who rejoined EA as CEO in April of 2007?

Since regaining his seat (he left in 2004) at the head of the world's biggest video games publisher, Riccitiello, has been refreshingly forthright in his opinions on the way Electronic Arts was performing - not in terms of 'shareholder value' and 'going forward 24/7' - in terms of its behaviour towards its consumers.

One of his most outspoken comments came in July of 2007 when he told The Wall Street Journal, "We're boring people to death and making games that are harder and harder to play”.

Riccitiello's Reuters outing is, however, finished up with a one line quote that confuses the issue somewhat and is contextualised in a discussion regarding review scores given to casual games.

That context sees Metacritic's founder, Marc Doyle, opining that bad review scores for casual games (Mario Party 8 and Carnival are quoted as examples) don't mean poor sales "...like these horrible movies that make millions their first week but critics hate them. Some things are critics-proof but I don't think critics are any less qualified to judge them".

Riccitiello apparently responds with, "You don't cash Metacritic, you cash checks".

Source: Reuters
Companies:
People:

Comments

Captain Chaos 22 Feb 2008 12:17
1/3
yep look at deal or no deal DS - crap game, crap reveiw scores - stellar sales performance
SuperSaiyan4 22 Feb 2008 12:34
2/3
Which games are harder and harder to play? What a load of crap what he meant was 'We are making crappier and crappier games'

NFS Most Wanted on the 360 - poor frame rates, ok story and ok actors.

NFS Carbon - diabolical frame rates, downgraded than previous version, rip off marketplace content, poor story and terrible actors/acting.

NFS ProStreet - Aint got a clue what this game is supposed to be but it aint no NFS seems like its ripping off Forza in some ways.

Overall including many other EA games its gone downhill, gone are the days of the amazing NFS Road Challenge and NFS Underground.
DoctorDee 22 Feb 2008 14:58
3/3
SuperSaiyan4 wrote:
What a load of crap what he meant was 'We are making crappier and crappier games'

I couldn't agree less. After years and years of making lukewarm sequels and sports sims, EA has started recently to produce some of the best games available. Burnout and Skate have both become among my favourite games of al time.

I think what we MAY be seeing here is EA changing it attitudes in a way that will benefit them, and benefit gaming.


Posting of new comments is now locked for this page.