"We at EA blew it" - CEO On Developer Acquisitions
Bullfrog & Westwood Missed Opportunities
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/02/11/ea_we_blew_it_with_bullfrog_westwood_/1
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CEO of Electronic Arts John Riccitiello spoke about his company's acquisitions as part of his DICE Summit keynote. During his presentation he admitted that his company had failed in successfully integrated many of its earlier acquisitions including Bullfrog Productions and Westwood Studios.
"We at EA blew it, and to a degree I was involved in these things, so I blew it," Riccitiello admitted.
"The command and conquer model doesn't work," Riccitiello told industry experts at the summit. "If you think you're going to buy a developer and put your name on the label... you're making a profound mistake."
EA purchased Bullfrog in 1995 only to have Peter Molyneux leave the company he co-founded in 1997 to start Lionhead Studios, with much of the talent from Bullfrog following him. Bullfrog was eventually absorbed into EA UK in 2004, three years after their final game was published. Just a year after Bullfrog lost much of its original talent EA purchased veteran RTS developer Westwood Studios in August 1998. The brand remained alive despite losing numerous employees until 2003 with the MMORPG Earth & Beyond being their last product.
Both companies believed that their creativity and independence were squashed, causing moral to diminish. Riccitiello agreed stating "when I talked to the creators that populated these companies at the time, they felt like they were buried and stifled." The head of EA also commented that they are keeping the newly acquired BioWare/Pandemic super-developer company culture as untouched as possible.
"We at EA blew it, and to a degree I was involved in these things, so I blew it," Riccitiello admitted.
"The command and conquer model doesn't work," Riccitiello told industry experts at the summit. "If you think you're going to buy a developer and put your name on the label... you're making a profound mistake."
EA purchased Bullfrog in 1995 only to have Peter Molyneux leave the company he co-founded in 1997 to start Lionhead Studios, with much of the talent from Bullfrog following him. Bullfrog was eventually absorbed into EA UK in 2004, three years after their final game was published. Just a year after Bullfrog lost much of its original talent EA purchased veteran RTS developer Westwood Studios in August 1998. The brand remained alive despite losing numerous employees until 2003 with the MMORPG Earth & Beyond being their last product.
Both companies believed that their creativity and independence were squashed, causing moral to diminish. Riccitiello agreed stating "when I talked to the creators that populated these companies at the time, they felt like they were buried and stifled." The head of EA also commented that they are keeping the newly acquired BioWare/Pandemic super-developer company culture as untouched as possible.