EA’s CEO challenges industry to provide more innovation

It’s no mystery that this industry needs innovation and that games that provide that do well but hearing that from a high ranking executive is another thing entirely. It just might be what the video game world needs.

In his first public comments since returning to Electronic Arts in April, John Riccitiello lays down an ultimatium. He said that other game makers must change how they present their games and to what audiences or risk losing those potential-gamers to other forms of entertainment. Riccitiello went further by declaring that not only Electronic Arts, but other companies as well, make too many games that lack innovation. There just aren’t enough titles that challenge the norm.

John Riccitiello praised several games for doing what the industry needs. Games like Guitar Hero, World of Warcraft and the upcoming Rock Band that will be expected to hit shelves in November 2007. These games succeed in reaching out to audiences that wouldn’t normally play video games, adding more casual gamers to the flock.

In the end, Riccitiello says it best in an interview:

“For the most part, the industry has been rinse-and-repeat. There’s been lots of product that looked like last year’s product, that looked a lot like the year before.”

Here’s hoping that EA and other companies take heed to his words. Seeing that Electronic Arts posted sales revenues of more than $3 billion last year although its profits went down by three-fourths to only $76 million, even his company needs a fresh start.

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