News Room Contributor Posts: 4421 Joined: 12 Nov 2002 | Activision CEO Says Electronic Arts Takes the Souls of Studios
In a new interview with Portfolio.com, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick talks about his company's merger with Vivendi, his plans for the future and how Electronic Arts takes the souls of the studios it acquires.
Confirming that interest in Blizzard's World of Warcraft MMOG was the impetus behind Activision's entry into the Vivendi deal, Kotick said, "We started hearing rumors of how profitable that was. My guys kept telling me about the business, and I didn't believe it. But we realized that this is not just a game. It's a social network with a lot of elements, and people rely on the game for a lot more than just entertainment. It wasn't the kind of thing that something else would come along and displace."
The Vivendi merger also comes up in conjunction with Activision's hit Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock. The deal will give the company open access to the Universal Music Group library, owned by Vivendi, which Kotick referred to as a "big benefit." "Guitar Hero takes an artist to a whole different place in the popular culture right now," he said. "Downloads on iTunes take off. The artist's relevance and importance to 17-year-olds change in a way that you could never get in any other medium."
"The age appeal is something we've never seen before," he continued. "Seven-year-olds who have no idea who Aerosmith is are playing the band's music on Guitar Hero. So are 45-year-olds who spent a good portion of their lives following the band around." He also promised the game would expand to include other instruments, saying, "It's not just about guitars," as well as the inclusion of local bands and content to help the game grow internationally.
Discussing Activision's growth into one of the industry's dominant behemoths, Kotick said, "It's really about being considerate of the culture in the game studios that Activision buys. That's the biggest difference between us and any of our competitors. We built a model that celebrates entrepreneurial, opportunistic, independent values. It's almost the opposite of Electronic Arts, which has commoditized development. It did a very good job of taking the soul out of a lot of the studios it acquired."
Portfolio.com's full interview with Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is available here.
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Press Junketeer Posts: 439 Joined: 20 Sep 2007 | If they're so concerned about the soul of a studio then why haven't Star Control 3 been greenlighted? : P |
Paperboy Posts: 22 Joined: 6 Apr 2008 | And where's Freespace 3? Nevermind, they'll probably screw it up anyways. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1093 Joined: 9 Dec 2007 | I guess mudslinging is never going to go out of fashion; even between two corporate powerhouses. |
Paperboy Posts: 11 Joined: 24 Apr 2008 | i'm guessing porfolio.com should be portfolio.com |
Infamous Scribbler Posts: 586 Joined: 6 Dec 2007 | Dectilon:
If they're so concerned about the soul of a studio then why haven't Star Control 3 been greenlighted? : P
Um...Star Control 3 was released 12 years ago.
It sucked. And has nothing to do with this article.
Star Craft 3, on the other hand... |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 2570 Joined: 21 Jan 2008 | You think EA could ever make the video game industry into a monopoly?
- A procrastinator |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 3576 Joined: 13 Feb 2008 | We are EA. Lower your prices. Your licences and code will be added to our own. Resistance is futile. |
Pulitzer Laureate Posts: 863 Joined: 8 Apr 2008 | Certainly not the point of the article, but..
"He also promised the game would expand to include other instruments, saying, "It's not just about guitars,""!?
Well then why the hell is it called GUITAR Hero!? Look, yes, everyone just LOVES Rock Band... doesn't mean Guitar Hero has to turn into it -_-
Not that I'm a fan of either game series, I just hate when a company changes the formula for a series that's doing well, just because of another series that's doing better. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1120 Joined: 13 Jan 2007 | EA Soul Drain
Cost: $50,000,000
Take full control of targeted studio. Put 24 "month" tokens on it.
At the beginning of each turn, remove a "month" token from targeted studio.
If there are no more "month" tokens on targeted studio, bury said studio.
"It's almost the opposite of Electronic Arts, which has commoditized development.
It did a very good job of taking the soul out of a lot of the studios it acquired."
- Activision C.E.O. Bobby Kotick |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1809 Joined: 14 Nov 2007 | Just out of interest, where's that piccy in the article from? |
News Room Contributor Posts: 4421 Joined: 12 Nov 2002 | |
Beat Writer Posts: 197 Joined: 2 Apr 2008 | Wasn't Activision the company that made budget games like "Ghostbusters 2" for the early systems (C64, Master System etc) that everyone despised? I thought they'd gone bust long ago! Judging on the quality of most of their output back then, they probably should have.
And they're complaining about EA, makers of "Jungle Strike" and "Fifa International Soccer" (although to be fair, also makers of "Sword of Sodan")? Hmmmmmmm... something VERY wrong somewhere. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1120 Joined: 13 Jan 2007 | j-e-f-f-e-r-s:
Just out of interest, where's that piccy in the article from?
Wouldn't that be Evil Dead 3? |
Activision CEO Says Electronic Arts Takes the Souls of Studios
In a new interview with Portfolio.com, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick talks about his company's merger with Vivendi, his plans for the future and how Electronic Arts takes the souls of the studios it acquires.
Confirming that interest in Blizzard's World of Warcraft MMOG was the impetus behind Activision's entry into the Vivendi deal, Kotick said, "We started hearing rumors of how profitable that was. My guys kept telling me about the business, and I didn't believe it. But we realized that this is not just a game. It's a social network with a lot of elements, and people rely on the game for a lot more than just entertainment. It wasn't the kind of thing that something else would come along and displace."
The Vivendi merger also comes up in conjunction with Activision's hit Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock. The deal will give the company open access to the Universal Music Group library, owned by Vivendi, which Kotick referred to as a "big benefit." "Guitar Hero takes an artist to a whole different place in the popular culture right now," he said. "Downloads on iTunes take off. The artist's relevance and importance to 17-year-olds change in a way that you could never get in any other medium."
"The age appeal is something we've never seen before," he continued. "Seven-year-olds who have no idea who Aerosmith is are playing the band's music on Guitar Hero. So are 45-year-olds who spent a good portion of their lives following the band around." He also promised the game would expand to include other instruments, saying, "It's not just about guitars," as well as the inclusion of local bands and content to help the game grow internationally.
Discussing Activision's growth into one of the industry's dominant behemoths, Kotick said, "It's really about being considerate of the culture in the game studios that Activision buys. That's the biggest difference between us and any of our competitors. We built a model that celebrates entrepreneurial, opportunistic, independent values. It's almost the opposite of Electronic Arts, which has commoditized development. It did a very good job of taking the soul out of a lot of the studios it acquired."
Portfolio.com's full interview with Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is available here.
Permalink