Whatever your opinion of EA's former CEO John Riccitiello, whether you think he was too slow to embrace emerging markets, think he was too fast and spend-happy with trends or somewhere in between, it's hard to deny that the man gives a good interview. Riccitiello has always been an infinitely quotable executive, which is great fodder for journalists like us. He's always been direct, off-the-cuff and, when needed, can even hit below his competition's belt a little bit, if it means getting some press out of it. We've gone through six years of Gamasutra's archives to dig out some of our favorite John Riccitiello quotes, which are presented here in no particular order. Reading through these, with the slight peppering of context we've provided, is not just entertaining: it also gives a pretty accurate snapshot of Riccitiello's reign as EA's leader, investing heavily in unproven emerging markets, cutting costs by slashing EA's headcount, and admitting (and hopefully learning from) his mistakes along the way.
"People admire game companies that take risks but in retrospect they only seem to admire game companies that take risks when the risks work."
- In an interview shortly after making the tough decision to cancel NBA Elite after the game went gold.
"We don’t hire 100 people in China to avoid hiring 100 people in California; we hire 100 people in China so we can afford to hire 30 people in California."
- On the "uncomfortable" topic of outsourcing during his keynote at the 2009 DICE Summit.
"We did get fat in too many places. It seemed like anyone who could draw a guy with a gun with a crayon could get funded. At least for EA, we got a little too fat, and a little too reliant on where things were."
- Riccitiello explains how declining retail game sales are a "blessing in disguise" for creative games.
"The bulk of video games, like Beatles: Rock Band, are going to pick up in a big way before the next holiday. I want to point out the number one grossing application on iPhone now is Beatles: Rock Band."
- In an interview with Fox Business from November 2009, Riccitiello employs a "wait and see" strategy for what was probably EA's largest investment in what turned out to be a temporary plastic instrument craze. Sales of the game are generally thought to have remained disappointing over the holiday period.
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