14 DAY TRIAL // Electronic Arts is, apparently, in a tight spot. It has laid off people from both Madden powerhouse EA Tiburon and from the Mythic Entertainment team handling development and maintenance of the MMO Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. And it seems that the company is still short of its restructuring goal of laying off about 10% of the staff it employed before the world wide financial crisis hit the world of videogaming.
But the Chief Executive Officer of Electronic Arts, John Riccitiello, has recently said that there's no inherent conflict between promoting creativity in videogames and making a lot of money from the new intellectual properties under development. The remarks were made as he was speaking to representatives of the website of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
Riccitiello stated that “Some of my greatest beliefs regarding gaming are that our art form is today - or certainly has the potential - to be recognized as the peer of the best of Hollywood movies. I want to help others see that,” before adding that “More than trying to work on my legacy, I want to work to prove both of these points are true and see a day when these ideas are seen as common knowledge.” He also pointed out the fact that as the videogaming industry begins to get more and more complex, it's getting harder and harder to make gamers look at their screen in amazement and surprise at something truly original.
Well, Riccitiello is to be commended for keeping his creativity oriented stance even if new IPs from Electronic Arts like Dead Space and Mirror's Edge have not exactly been runaway successes. But, then again, it seems that established properties, like Need For Speed and Red Alert, didn't have much revenue creating power. So, only time will tell whether Riccitiello is right or wrong on the synergy between profit and creativity.