Riccitiello: EA quality up "sharply"
"We've turned the corner on that issue."
John Riccitiello believes the fruits of his reappointment as EA boss are beginning to show and has noted a "sharp" rise in the quality of the publisher's games.
"A lot of people in our industry get stuck thinking that their job is to manage a lot of business process, and somehow the games happen down in the trenches. I'm trying to actually get it shifted, so people understand that the most important thing in our company is where the programming, the art direction, the game design and production takes place," Riccitiello told the Mercury News.
"Ultimately, if we do that, we'll make the best games. If we make the best games, they'll sell really well, and we'll be really profitable.
"Our game quality and level of innovation is up sharply when you look at recently released titles and then you look at what's on the roadmap. We've turned the corner on that issue, and I'm very proud of that," he said.
Riccitiello, looking back, feels he made the "wrong call" by presuming Xbox 360 and PS3 would be market leaders before the current generation got into gear. But he is confident the "increased emphasis" on Wii and DS development will pay off this year and in 2009.
However, the Xbox 360 and PS3 will not be forgotten, as Riccitiello points to an unusually "meaningful" battle for second and third place between the two consoles.