EA CEO Riccitiello doesn't think investors care about quality
When you're playing your favorite MMO, how much thought do you put into the finances of the game? Do you wonder if the game had initial investors, or if they were banking on a big-name publisher? Maybe they're an indie developer out raising their own investment capital? In the case of an MMO, the most-likely scenario is initial investments made by a big-name company, or in the case of Tabula Rasa, a big name dude.
In a recent statement by EA's outspoken CEO John Riccitiello, he says, "I don't think the investors give a sh*t about our quality. They care about our earnings per share. They wait for it to happen. We had three years where we didn't make our expectations. If I were an investor, I would wait and see." As controversial as this statement might be, we get treated to an interesting interpretation over at The Greenskin blog.
If what Mr. Riccitiello is saying is that any investor doesn't give a sh*t about their quality, would that include us gamers? His point is duly noted: as with anyone who invests in a product, they want to see a return on that investment. However, wouldn't the quality of the product directly affect the return on their investment? With the sensitive nature of MMO players these days, and the ease at which we seem to drop a new game if it isn't the holy grail, wouldn't quality be everything?
Check out the Riccitiello interview and Greenskin's post, and let us know what you think.
