You are Electronic Arts' new CEO. What do you do?

[Angel Whispers]

Improve the diversity of genres, including reviving dormant IPs such as Theme Park, Command & Conquer, and Sim City.

Stop making the pale, male and able demographic the front and centre target of all of their products.

Be serious and sincere about supporting the Switch. Put all of the non-exclusives there, and make it the lead platform, even.

Create more low to mid-budget tier titles. Not every IP needs to have $60 + DLC/Microtransactions price models.

 

[Hexa]

-Focus more heavily on more long term GaaS games rather than yearly releases. For example, rather than releasing a new BF every year, create a multiyear platform that evolves over time with new maps added continuously.
-Ride the microtransaction train to the ground with sports titles. There's more money to be made killing this golden goose here.
-Continue investing in Origin and open it up more. Throw a bit of money around to get some darling indie exclusives and some more third party games.
-Release some sort of microconsole and handheld designed for use with the streaming service.
-Invest in an online Asian games publisher. Major untapped market. See if I can outbid whoever is trying to get Nexon.
-See if there's a way to sell out of the Star Wars exclusivity deal while keeping Battlefront.
-Create a small division that is dedicated to producing middle grade titles that won't generate much profit but will boost the companies image. Throw all games from this division on Origin Access Premiere Day One.
-'Remaster' a bunch of games and also throw them on Origin Access Premiere immediately.

 

[VorpalNonsense]

I'd make a fuckin Star Wars game.

 

[Descendant]

Mass Effect 1-3 Remake/Remastered in 4K 60fps, all DLC and fixed ending included. Have a secret epilogue at the end confirming Mass Effect 4 or a legitimate Mass Effect sequel that will be in the works.

 

[Sheepinator]

Assuming we are still aiming for an EA with industry presence like now, i.e. about $5BN revenue and over $1BN operating income, then:

+ Support DICE a lot better. Seems to me they are struggling to meet an annual release schedule, and there is competition for developer talent in the area. Battlefield has to succeed. If that means more staff, more stock grants, then so be it, but Battlefield has to do well. A delayed launch with missing content, bugs, no battle royale, and rapid 50% discounting isn't good enough from the company's perspective.

+ Focus on Frostbite, making it a better engine for other teams, especially with respect to open world games.

+ Focus on open world games, where EA has been a total disaster for a decade and completely missed the boat dominated by Ubi and Rockstar. They obviously realize this, and are trying, but they aren't succeeding. Whether that's the core tech, or the team, or the game directors or producers, I don't know.

+ Lose the mentality of, "If it's not likely to do an insane FUT level profit, don't bother." That doesn't mean more indie games which don't move the needle for a company the size of EA, but sure do some more Unravel type games anyway. It doesn't mean more AA games which EA has too much overhead to be competitive in. It does mean green-lighting more games, so they aren't in the position they are in now where it's basically FIFA, BF and Anthem.

 

[ThisIsBlitz21]

Improve the diversity of genres, including reviving dormant IPs such as Theme Park, Command & Conquer, and Sim City.

Stop making the pale, male and able demographic the front and centre target of all of their products.

Be serious and sincere about supporting the Switch. Put all of the non-exclusives there, and make it the lead platform, even.

Create more low to mid-budget tier titles. Not every IP needs to have $60 + DLC/Microtransactions price models.

Click to shrink...

If their's one thing you cant fault EA for, its this. Mirrors Edge Catalyst and SWBFII had Female protagonists. The cover of the last two battlefield games had a black man and a woman with a prosthetic arm. NBA Live just introduced WNBA last year, something 2K doesnt have.

 

[Deleted member 39479]

Make a true sequel to SSX 3/Tricky. There, EA is saved. 😎

Spoiler

Real answer: I don't know how to run a company, but investing the future of EA into what is increasingly being ruled as illegal gambling sounds like a bad idea. Lay low on the Ultimate Team and lootbox stuff for a while at the very least?

 

[Goose Se7en]

I'd try to win some goodwill back with gamers by putting out some wanted remasters like a Mass Effect and Dead Space Trilogies on PS4/Xbox One/PC/Switch.

 

[Detail]

1. Bring out a new dead space game and remaster the originals.

2. Bring out a new Def Jam game and remaster the originals.

3.Bring out a new Command and Conquer game and remaster the originals.

4.Bring out a new Bad Company game OR just remaster Bad Company 2 and bring it out on the new engine.

5. Bring out a new Dungeon Keeper game and remaster originals.

6. Make sure all the sports titles no longer suck and squash the ultimate team stuff once and for all, also, make a new fight night game that is the best in the series, also a golf game that actually represents the sport and isn't some arcade bs.

7. New sims game that looks like a Pixar movie with the best graphics the series has ever seen and have free DLC for the lifetime of the product and make it better than any Sims game before it.

8. Bring out a new Need For Speed game that doesn't completely suck ass or just remake Need for speed underground.

9. New Skate game, New SSX game.

10. Make brand new IPs that are original and innovative, focus on single player narrative experiences and have great multiplayer games as well, make sure the Star Wars licence gets used properly and make some damn games that aren't Battlefront.

Can't think of anything else but probably a lot more lol.

 

[Gray clouds]

Go all in on Origin Premier.

• Develop and maintain a handful of GaaS games (Anthem, sports, etc).
• Focus development on diverse, smaller games that can be released faster, using both old and new IP.
• Example: Turn Bioware's IP (Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Jade Empire) into small annual seasons, like a Netflix show.
• Partner with high quality indie developers, getting either exclusive indies or timed exclusives.
• Using a combination of 1st party games and indie games, release both new games and updates to games every month, keeping people subscribed.
• Mobile teams create companion apps for games and small games to promote AAA titles (like a Fallout Shelter deal).

 

[Xeontech]

Make a fcking story driven AAA Star Wars game in the Frostbite engine

And not cancel it

 

[Detail]

These seems pretty crucial as well. It's all well and good to want to use your own engine. But if it doesn't work well with certain genres of games, maybe...build a new engine for those games? Or improve the engine so that it does? Seems like otherwise you'll just get more expensive projects failing because devs can't make things work when using the wrong tools for the job.

Click to shrink...

I think frostbite is a great engine but I have to say the quality of the games that aren't FPS games have suffered because of it, especially the sports games imo.

 

[SuperRaddy]

Dear development teams, make the games you want to make.

 

[Lady Gaia]

Listen to the people who have a history of actually building respected games within my company. Give people with a track record time to pitch concepts, pair them with competent people managers, and scale promising prototypes into AAA investments. Whatever I did, I wouldn't let the market, my investors, or professional managers like my fellow executives make creative decisions for my teams.

 

[InsanerBrainer]

Sell the company and retire in my mansion.

 

[Mega1X]

First and Foremost,

1. Make ALL MTX Transparent. Show that You can get ANYTHING by just playing the game. No extra purchase required. Give them better options than just spending money. Only a very select few games will have MTX.

2. Enough with games as a service, be a transparent company. Tell fans the truth. A game will need time to be worked on and made perfect. Give them weekly videos and show the game coming along, and what challenges are being faced by the developers.

3. When the game is released, send out youtube videos of all the issues players are currently facing, asking players to take videos and send it and we will show the glitches on the youtube channel with steps to avoid it and steps to fix it. Show the players that the bugs are being fixed and give them updates on the game in terms of DLC/bug fixes.

4. DLC made with hours of extra content, A LA Witcher 3 style. Worth it for the consumer, and worth the money to charge. Enough with Preorder alternate skins and weapons and stuff like that. The only thing preordering will do is let u play the game a few days early. One edition. Standard and anyone who preorders a standard game for like 60$ heck even 30$ can play early. That's it.

5. Betas and Demos for EVERYONE. No preorder beta or alpha or garbage like that. You want a game to work as a developer, you do not want to only open it to preorders or even exclusively to preorders for the first 5 days and the last two for everyone.

6. For Loot Boxes Which you cannot pay real money at all, you play the game you get rewarded. Example a FIFA Card pack, but gives you a guaranteed player, and if the player you want isn't there you can ask the game to notify you when that item is available in the shop for currency that u can only receive by playing the game. Basically, MTX will never exist with REAL MONEY PURCHASES. If you want something or someone from a Loot Box, the game will tell u when u ask to notify. Reward the player, never punish them. If you do not manage to get Gold Packs you will be matched up with people similar to what you have. So the player never feels like he will be outmatched by a person that plays more than him. Equal and fair, and rewarding.

7. Offer a good budget for Developers to produce quality and finished games. Sit with the developers and see what they need if there are challenges and offer other studios to help if necessary.

8. Ask fans what they like to see, and what ideas they have. Show them a work in progress video and see what they like and don't like. Get the developers to engage their fans more, offer weekly live streams and show what they are working on, how they do it. involve the player base as a secondary consultant to the game

These are just some of my ideas.

 

[BossAttack]

1. Have my lawyers and accountants take a good hard look at the STAR WARS-Disney deal and what exactly it entails. Mainly:

• How much profit sharing is their with Disney?
• Are we allowed to continue adding post-launch content to games we developed after the deal expires?
• How is the revenue generated from such post-launch/post-deal content split?
• What is the amount of restrictions placed on the property and how quickly is the approval time between EA and Disney?

Based on the answers to these questions I either let the Disney deal finish out without putting too much more money into developing new games OR start pumping out more games, especially ones that I can add MTX/DLC too after the deal ends.

2. Pump more money into BioWare, have them focus on next-gen Dragon Age. Polish the game to a mirror sheen so it can rival Bethesda games in terms of scope and hopefully sales. DA4 includes MP component to supplement core SP experience. A type of dungeon crawl MP separate from the SP game re-using assets from SP game. Allow players to build their own characters and charge money for cosmetic items which can also be earned through in-game points.

3. Find another internal studio to Re-Master the ME trilogy to build back up good-will and player base for the franchise.

4. Pump the same resources into a new Mass Effect after Dragon Age is released. Evolve Mass Effect's MP with next entry, still outside SP campaign but fun and challenging for friends. Charge for lootboxes and cosmetic upgrades.

5. Depending on the success of Anthem, open a new BioWare support studio to continue adding content to the game for as long as possible.

6. Invest further into Mobile games. Look into developing own original card game with support on mobile and PC with a later port to consoles.

7. Keep investing in Origin, subsidize attracting new subscribers to Origin Access/Premier with better free games. Attract the support of independent third parties to publish on Origin as well as Steam.

That's all I got from the top of my head.

 

[sandboxgod]

I personally abhor loot boxes so I would not be a good fit for this role. But let's say they lost their minds and hired me anyways:

- I would abolish loot boxes from all 'paid' games. I also hate loot boxes in f2p games but I'd probably leave the mobile games be for awhile. But eventually, I'd get rid of the loot boxes from those too.
- I'd get the single player Star wars games happening
- Bring back BF2142
- Cancel all the WW2 games probably

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

I fund a AAA VR lightsaber game.

 

[Sheepinator]

6. For Loot Boxes Which you cannot pay real money at all, you play the game you get rewarded. Example a FIFA Card pack, but gives you a guaranteed player, and if the player you want isn't there you can ask the game to notify you when that item is available in the shop for currency that u can only receive by playing the game. Basically, MTX will never exist with REAL MONEY PURCHASES. If you want something or someone from a Loot Box, the game will tell u when u ask to notify. Reward the player, never punish them. If you do not manage to get Gold Packs you will be matched up with people similar to what you have. So the player never feels like he will be outmatched by a person that plays more than him. Equal and fair, and rewarding.

Click to shrink...

Sorry to pick on just one idea there, but that would collapse the stock price and probably result in a huge loss of talent. EA gets a huge % of their total income from Ultimate Team, way over 50%.

 

[Deleted member 2699]

Intentionally run the company into the ground and collect my golden parachute.

 

[Deleted member 5535]

I won't do anything that people say here because I don't want to fuck with the shareholders.

 

[khamakazee]

1. Remaster a bunch of old games and put them on Switch, PC, PS4 and Xbox One
2. Get Bioware to make a Superman title
3. Turn sports games into GaaS titles and stop the annual release

 

[Budi]

Release two Fifas in a year.

 

[Tokio Blues]

- Bad Company 3
- Kotor 3
- Star Wars 1313
- remake on entire new engine mass effec trilogy. And make mass effect 4 where you are lost in the wild of a planet, have to make a new ship and travel the cosmos looking for the last survivors.

 

[Brandon]

Make new AAA Skate and Burnout games.

Partner with more indie developers.

Rest the Need for Speed and Battlefield series.

 

[Acquiescence]

I greenlight Fifa '20 as soon as possible. The past few entries have sold really well.

 

[Tokio Blues]

- Ryse son of rome 2
- Medal of honor allied assault on entire new engine

 

[violent]

Bring back Bullfrog.

 

[Tokio Blues]

- Command and conquer Renegade remake on cryengine

 

[sandboxgod]

Improve the diversity of genres, including reviving dormant IPs such as Theme Park, Command & Conquer, and Sim City.

Stop making the pale, male and able demographic the front and centre target of all of their products.

Be serious and sincere about supporting the Switch. Put all of the non-exclusives there, and make it the lead platform, even.

Create more low to mid-budget tier titles. Not every IP needs to have $60 + DLC/Microtransactions price models.

Click to shrink...

To their credit, I feel they got diverse with the Battlefield games (BF1 & BFV). Too bad I dont like WWII setting at all

 

[Tokio Blues]

- Buy syphon filter's rights to whoever has it.

 

[ket]

Drive to my house and then dab 100 times while standing on my Lamborghini

 

[Deleted member 48201]

Apologize, remove all MTX and then remaster BFBC2 and make a new skate.

 

[Deleted member 7450]

 

[Saikar]

They need to focus on monetization models that don't infuriate their customers. DLC, done right, is excellent - most people are very willing to pay more for more of a game they're enjoying. Just off the top of my head, Mario Kart 8, Hyrule Warriors (Wii U), and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 all had DLC / season passes that underpromised and over-delivered. Fan reaction to these was overwhelmingly positive. I myself recommended every one of these as an obvious, no brainer-buy for anyone that likes those games. At that point, the fans do the advertising for it. And since the margins on DLC are way better (they already have the game's engine, mechanics, UI, and everything; they're just adding more content for it) the company makes a solid profit. Everyone wins.

 

[Raider34]

Round up all my studio heads ask them what game do they want to make take all hands off wait the 3-5 years depending on game type and drop critical acclaimed master pieces back to back to back like Sony

 

[AdversaryOne]

End the NFL monopoly and move the person responsible's office to the third stall from the left.

 

[Hanbei]

Click to shrink...

This is the only acceptable answer.

 

[Nateo]

Keep all sports games the way they are because thats where money comes from

Set up a 4 year Shooter title Cycle.
Battlefield Year 1 > Titanfall Year 2 > Medal of Honor Year 3 > Flavour of the generation shooter Year 4. Go back to 1.
Each title is made by its own studio no overlap.
Each title will deploy Rainbow Six style Yearly Season passes. With cosmetic only MTX.

Invest heavily in communities in each games with custom server support etc.

Invest heavily in to esports across the leading titles.

Reboot Dead Space.

 

[Yang Xiao Long]

-Fund multiple AA level projects that don't need insane sales to break even. Open the floor to in-house development teams for pitches and see what the various studios are excited to produce. Encourage usage of old IP, but don't discourage creation of new IP
-Churn out some remasters, since people love'em. Dead Space Saga with all DLC and Extraction included, Burnout, Dragon Age, Bad Company 1 & 2 remasters (with no tinkering, please). Use these to test the water and get people excited to possibly see new entries in these franchises
-Compilations! Think along the lines of the Sega Genesis Collection and SNK 40th anniversary compilations. EA dabbled in this with EA Replay way back when on the PSP. Compile 16-bit classics like Syndicate, Wing Commander, Road Rash. Get these up a la carte on Origin and Mobile, too.
-Look into testing out various sports licenses in a GaaS format, wherever possible. Maybe purposely create more arcadey NBA JAM / NFL Blitz style spinoffs for this if licensors bristle? Allow players to update rosters, bring in classic players, jersey styles, etc.
- The Star Wars license...actually release titles. Adhere to the AA concept above and encourage stylized art above realism. Pick a character - like say, Ashoka Tano- and make them the focus of a game (like how Jango Fett got a game during the release of Attack of the Clones). Again take the pulse of all teams and see who gives the best pitch
-1 or 2 AAA tent pole releases per year. Rotate the franchises used (maybe one title is Dead Space 4, while the other is a new IP).

It's almost kinda an emulation of how Capcom is carrying itself at the moment, now that I think of it. My thinking is to lower the use of Microtransactions by:

1: Maximizing usage already created content people want to replay (Remasters, compilations) and make them available across all formats
2. Evolve the delivery of annual sports titles in an intelligent way (the idea of buying a sports game and heavily upgrading it throughout the generation is one that has long been sought after)
3. Anchor the above with both a meaningful use of the Star Wars license and fewer but more exciting AAA titles people want to see and that in-house developers are energized to make.

Sorry if some of this has been said already, I got intrigued after reading the OP.

 

[More Butter]

Even though it's been hard days for EA there's still franchises like Assassins Creed which is the best it's been in years, Rainbov 6 is great, and even though it's not very critically acclaimed I think Just Cause is a pretty solid title as well. I never play them but I've heard Far Cry is pretty good too. EA still has a chance.

 

[DetectiveKenobi]

Dead Space and Burnout relaunches. Not reboots. Just relaunch the games.

 

[Truly Gargantuan]

Keep that gravy train Rollin baby. I'm talking more mobile games, more BRs, more blatant cash grabs. Lemme make a few mil before I eventually get fired or forced to resign.

 

[Mington]

I would sell the company to one of the big tech firms be it MS, Apple, Amazon

 

[Proc]

I'd reliinquish all of the acquisitions they've squandered over the years back to the original devs for peanuts. Cut them a cheap publishing deal and support a successful passion project re-launch on a small scale.

Have dice develop a new IP. I'd lower the buy in or even consider F2P for the annualized sports titles that aren't Fifa.

 

[Rodney McKay]

Short term: Re-release Mass Effect and Dead Space trilogy for Switch.

Longer term: Full remake of Mass Effect 1 for next gen, or at least something like the Yakuza Kiwami releases (updated graphics, added content). And do the same for 2 and 3.

New Dead Space or a REmake style upgrade of DS1.

New Burnout, if it's open world at least give the world a big, fun variety of tracks (snowy volcano with lava flows, industrial districts with chemical plants or whatever, downtown area with lots of alternate routes, etc). Has to have a classic Burnout 2-Revenge style crash mode.

Un-fuckup Sim City. They had a good base with the last one they did, but the online stuff really seemed to kill it. And make a real mobile version that isn't just a typical F2P timer based mobile game. Pocket City showed that it's perfectly possible to do it. It could even be F2P, just make the micro transactions cosmetic or something that doesn't hurt the gameplay.

That's pretty much all I'd want them to do. Anthem seems to be perfectly solid game from Bioware which will hopefully somewhat redeem them after their ME: Andromeda fuckup.

I'm not a big Sims fan but they seem to be doing right by that series for pm what I hear from Giant bomb.

 

[bigstef71]

keeping MTX at a distance would crater the company. like it or not, it's teh source of a lot of their revenue

Click to shrink...

I doubt it. They profited just fine before mtxs. They would be fine

 

[Prolepro]

I make a good Star Wars game.

 

[Prolepro]

Medal of honor allied assault on entire new engin

Click to shrink...

As much as Id like that, how do you justify this in a post BF V world? As a follow up to BF1, it mightve been a slam dunk so as to let Battlefield go back to something like Bad Company 3 instead, but it makes no sense now.