Hang on tight, because if you don’t this one could knock you for a loop. Electronic Arts, yes, as in EA, the ruthless mega corporation we’ve seen slowly take over videogame companies over the past few console generations, has said that the industry should be careful because mergers and consolidation is threatening creativity in the industry.
Whoa, that’s messed up. Three years ago that’s exactly what Bizarro EA would have been saying. To hear them actually uttering the words is strangely unsettling to me. You know, you think you’ve got a handle on who plays what role in this industry and then this kind of thing happens.
I don’t know whether to pat them on the back and congratulate their wise insight on the industry or throw mud in their collective face and yell, "HYPOCRITE!!"
"In way too many cases, [consolidation] is leading to creative failure … That’s not a good thing," said EA CEO John Riccitiello.
I’m still kind of in shock, and yet I remain wary that this isn’t just some subversive marketing campaign by EA to get back on the good side of the gaming enthusiast crowd. Only time will tell.
I simply find it odd that EA suddenly has this revelation that conglomeration is bad mere months after they swallowed up Bioware/Pandemic.
But maybe that’s just me.
[via Next-gen.biz]
