Gamasutra - EA CEO Talks Game Pricing,Creativity

Gamasutra has a short article up examining excerpts from a talk Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello gave at Berkeley, CA's Haas School of Business:

As reported by Fortune's Tech Daily blog, Riccitiello -- who returned to EA this February after a stint at Elevation Partners -- spoke on the company's current shift in thinking as it moves towards a more rounded portfolio of games. This strategy is typified by the recent purchase of BioWare and Pandemic Studios by the company.

One contentious point raised by Riccitiello is the need to embrace change -- with the example of the currently common $59.99 price point for next generation games cited as a place where something will have to give.

He compared the stance of the current game industry as comparable to the historic reticence of the big three TV networks to evolve as a counterpoint to EA's recent moves in the industry. “They were extremely arrogant,” Riccitiello said, according to Fortune. “They viewed the rise of cable as being insignificant."