The former president of EA challenged game developers, and it was all about monetization

Image source: Module presentation at GDC 2018.

I want to talk about what I said in the interview and in my next tweet. Let me start with an apology. My choice of words was rude. Sorry.

What I can do is provide more information about what I was thinking when I was doing an interview. What would I say if I was more careful.

First of all – I have great respect for game developers. The work they do is amazing. Their creativity can be amazing, whether it’s an AAA console game, a mobile game, or a standalone game designed for millions of players. It can also be a creative project, a game made for pure joy.

Second – one of the things I’ve noticed is that most game developers are incredibly hardworking and want people to play their games, enjoy them and, if possible, interact with them. For the developers I worked with, there was often a concern about whether players would love the game and appreciate all the work and love that went into creating it.

Third – sometimes all a developer wants is for the game to attract a handful of friends. Art for art and art for friends. Others want players to buy the game or items from it so that they can earn a living. Both of these motives are noble.

Fourth – I wanted to say that there are better ways for developers to get a picture of what players think of their game, to learn from their opinions. And if the developer wants it, adjust the game based on those opinions. It is a choice between listening and acting, or just listening. This is an important choice.

If I had better words, that’s what I’d say… We’re working on giving developers the tools to better understand what their players think, and it’s up to them to act or not to act based on that feedback.

That’s it anyway. Many words. And a sentence I never want to say.

I strongly disagree with John Riccitiello. This bastard doesn’t realize that some people just love making games for fun, either to educate or to share an idea, idea or experience.

Are they called “dreaded idiots” just because they don’t withdraw money from players? I’m sick of people in the industry who look down on those who don’t try to take advantage of others.

John Riccitiello thinks I’m an idiot. I, in turn, think he is a greedy capitalist pig who only cares about money. I’m sick of people like him destroying the things I love.

Why pretend we just realized that John Rickettello is the fictitious president? We’ve known this for several decades – this guy was running the EA.

Riccitiello’s record as a member of EA’s board of directors should forever disqualify him from speaking publicly about the game’s development and monetization business. He is an idiot.

John Riccitiello is a parasite in this industry.

First it depletes the value of the EA, then floats Unity to do the same for the company.

Suda51 hates Riccitiello so much that he made him a villain in two games.

Finally, as a curiosity, it is worth noting the attitude of the Japanese designer Suda51 to Riccitiello. The CEO skinned the developer a lot during production Shadows of the DamnedThat the builder had to react to his frustration in future projects.

in Travis strikes again: No more heroes The main villain of the campaign is Utopinia boss Damon Riccitiello. The character also appears in No more heroes 3.