EA CEO says data-driven social games will 'eventually die'

EA CEO John Riccitiello says his company is a "distant" second in social games, but claims that some social companies are more focused on data mining than crafting fun experiences.

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The social games explosion caught many in the industry off-guard, with many traditional games publishers still trying to crack that nut. EA's efforts, which included the recent purchase of PopCap Games, has secured a number two position for the company. However, while CEO John Riccitiello admits they're still lagging behind the market leader, he also criticizes their data-driven, versus entertainment-driven, focus.

"The companies that are focused exclusively on social games think of themselves as data companies, analytics companies," he said. "They're not really in the entertainment business.

"When it comes to Facebook, we're number two. I'd say we're a distant number two," Riccitiello admitted to NPR. "I mean, the other guys have lapped us three times."

It's not exactly a secret that "the other guys" in this case refers to Zynga, a company that has disrupted the industry. Zynga engineers its games based on the stats it receives, and Riccitiello seems particularly critical of that approach, saying it won't work in the long-run. "I think that will eventually die. Consumers want to be entertained, they don't want to be data managed."

EA itself is investing in more engineers and data management too. The report notes that these efforts are attempting to create predictive AI that can understand what players want next from their games. Riccitiello wants EA to focus more on using these tools to hone experiences, but it does make his company share some traits with the social publishers he criticized.

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  • reply
    May 4, 2012 12:30 PM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, EA CEO says data-driven social games will 'eventually die'.

    EA CEO John Riccitiello says his company is a "distant" second in social games, but claims that some social companies are more focused on data mining than crafting fun experiences.

    • reply
      May 4, 2012 2:05 PM

      As much as I want this guy to be right, I'm not sure that he is.

      We're still in the midst of the first iteration of these "data-driven social games" and I think they'll continue to have as much potential to be successful as any big-budget MMO does (where engineering based on stats is also heavily used - just with more buttons and better graphics).

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        May 4, 2012 2:54 PM

        I am pretty sure EA would be saying something totally different if they had a real mobile presence. It would be lie for them to say they don't use "telemetry" to gather information from players and what they do in games. At the same time they do seem to not understand what the consumer wants and baffled when that fact hits them hard.

        I think the casual mobile games are going to eventually level off but not for the reasons they gave. Think about to the 70-80's and the glut of pong consoles and cheap/unlicensed games that devalued the video game industry. We aren't quite there yet but close. For example, Zynga is pretty shameless about copying other games and then you have 80 million clones of AngryBirds and Farmville.

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          May 4, 2012 7:34 PM

          "I am pretty sure EA would be saying something totally different if they had a real mobile presence."

          This is false, at least for the most profitable mobile platform at the moment (Apple). EA has been the only major publisher to make a large and successful play on mobile platforms. EA has leveraged its franchises (FIFA and Dead Space being stand out examples) and made acquisitions (Popcap most recently) to give it a foothold in the market. If you qualify your statement with "social" mobile games, then sure they have not been nearly as succesful as their competitors and John Riccitiello says as much.

          Also, almost all developers use telemetry at some point, if not in the live product then in the alpha and beta stages. However, the type of data and the use to which it is put is vastly different when comparing traditional game developers and social "game" developers. The Zyngas of the world don't make games; they optimize compulsion loops for metrics like daily average revenue per user.

          The question Riccitiello purports EA is trying to answer is how can we leverage user data to entertain you (so that you pay us more money). Zynga? How do we leverage user data so you pay us more money. I'll be interested to see how it plays out, if for no other reason than I work for EA and would like to continue making entertainment first and foremost.

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      May 4, 2012 3:24 PM

      Well I mean... in EA eyes everything they touch tends to die anyway.. So technically hes correct?

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        May 4, 2012 7:17 PM

        Hehe, what I was thinking.

        Predictive AI eh? Next they will be pumping out games wholly created by robots... hang on, eh. ;)

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      May 4, 2012 5:18 PM

      if i want data managed i'd just play eve online... ... heh

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      May 4, 2012 8:29 PM

      This just in...


      HUMANS EVENTUALLY DIE!!!

      Thus, the social element is removed.

    • reply
      May 5, 2012 7:09 PM

      EA will eventually die.

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