EA: 'We blew it' with Bullfrog, Westwood

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello has admitted that the company "blew it" when it decided to swallow up stellar PC developers Bullfrog and Westwood.

"We at EA blew it, and to a degree I was involved in these things, so I blew it," Riccitiello said at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas. "When I talked to the creators that populated these companies at the time, they felt like they were buried and stifled," he declared.

"The command and conquer model," Riccitiello said, "doesn't work. If you think you're going to buy a developer and put your name on the label... you're making a profound mistake."

EA bought out Peter Molyneux's Bullfrog, creators of Theme Park and Populous in 1995, soon after Molyneux had left. The same fate landed on Command & Conquer developer Westwood Studios.

Riccitiello blames EA's choice to force its management structure on the acquired developer, which he says serious hampered their creative freedom.

It's nice that EA's finally been able to come out and admit botched acquisitions, and for that we give them kudos. It's a shame they couldn't have done it ten years ago, though.

[Source:Wired]

Courtesy of CVG.

Feb 11, 2008