14 DAY TRIAL // John Riccitiello, who is the chief executive officer of Electronic Arts, has said that the traditional development cycle for video games delivered on home console has now disappeared and that developers need to move quicker in order to adapt to the digital age.
[ADMARk=1]Speaking to investors in Electronic Arts just after the company announced its first fiscal quarter results, the CEO has stated, “The industry has radically changed and the pace of change has accelerated dramatically. Gone forever is the 4-to-5 year console cadence that gave developers ample time to invest and retool for the next big wave.”
Riccitiello believes that one of the main drivers of a quicker cycle is the mobile sector, adding, “Consider that just 18 months ago there was no iPad, Google was experimenting with Android, and most big games were limited to a single revenue opportunity at launch. Consider that each of the major consoles now has a controller that encourages users to get off the couch and get into the action.”
The CEO has said that there are three main strategies that EA relies on for the future: maintaining the strength of around 12 fundamental franchises, turning Electronic Arts from a publisher into a platform that has closer relations with developers and retailers and attracting the top talent in the industry in order to work on the biggest games.
The strategy for the future will be linked to deriving more revenue from digital services and from smaller games while also pushing the Origin digital distribution platform as an alternative to the existing options, like Steam and Impulse.
Electronic Arts had a tough period in the last few years and its management pledged to focus on more quality titles rather than on launching as many games as possible during the year.
The company is also focusing on core franchises like FIFA, Maddden, Battlefield, Medal of Honor and The Old Republic.