Frank Gibeau, as the president of EA Games, is in a unique position in that he holds sway over what might be the single largest force in the gaming industry. For at least a decade, now, the path of EA has at least nominally dictated the path of the industry. With that power, though, comes tremendous responsibility, and a need to watch what one says lest they sour the gaming public to their brand.
Earlier this week, Mr. Gibeau commented that he was proud of the way EA had evolved alongside its customers, which he said manifested in the fact that he had not green-lit a single title that did not possess an online multiplayer or social component.
He has subsequently backed up to clarify that stance, indicating that he doesn’t intend to shoehorn “deathmatch” into games that it doesn’t fit, but that he believes consumers want to have some level of interconnectivity with their friends, regardless of whether the game in question is functionally single-player or not.
This begs the question, though: if the focus is on providing a “service” instead of a “product,” why are we still being sold on the promise that we’re being charged $50 or $60 for a full experience, when we now know that such only gets us a ticket to enter? Food for thought.