Former CEO of Electronic Arts Offers Advice To Sony And Microsoft

Pretty much everyone has their own ideas as to how Sony and Microsoft can win the upcoming console war. You do. I do. We all do.

And so does John Riccitiello. Don't recognize the name? Why, he's only the former CEO of EA. And he recently wrote a guest editorial for Kotaku that's an interesting read to say the least.

Riccitiello starts strong, by basically saying the things that every hardcore gamer not only loves saying, but also loves hearing from others even more so. After stating that he enjoys playing games on his Galaxy S4 and thinks mobile games are awesome, Riccitiello believes that, at the end of the day, consoles are still where it's at:

"The room with the biggest TV is the most important entertainment room in my house. And there, console gaming rules. In the room where the entertainment stakes are the highest, console gaming wins. When I am exploring Columbia, or taking down Necromorphs, solving Portal Puzzles, or running as Faith over building tops (OK, so I still love that game), I am all-in. Fully committed. It is a commitment I am happy to make."

Obviously, bonus points for the Mirror's Edge mention. Riccitiello goes on to say that both smart phone and console gaming can peacefully co-exist, though he fears that both Microsoft and Sony might jeopardize the latter if they're not careful.

Again, it's something we're all secretly afraid of, and the examples he cites are quite astute. Ultimately, much of it is the same stuff that everyone else has been saying, which is far from a bad thing. It's amost the point:

"The first and most obvious of these pitfalls is if Sony or Microsoft forgets who brought them to the dance in the first place. Gamers. I certainly see the temptation to emphasize all sorts of experiences that these boxes might bring to the living room. These new machines can do a lot… The risk is that too many choices and a UI design to appeal to too many audiences, means nothing stands out."

Are those words from the same guy who helmed a company that created Origin and the Sim City fiasco? Sure doesn't. Which is why the following is especially surprising, when addressing the fear that both the Xbox One and PS4 will become mired in their own DRM schemes:

"It needs to be simple, seamless and without a bunch of headaches with multiple registration, identity and pay gates. The walled garden will fall eventually. At launch, Sony and Microsoft must avoid putting up new and alarming DRM schemes, and focus on enabling the cool new game experiences that seamlessly connected consoles allow."

Once more, it's quite ironic that the man who basically helped to make EA one of the most hated companies in America by doing exactly above, would be giving such words of warning? Or is it because Riccitiello knows first hand the perils and pitfalls of the walled garden? Hindsight as they say is always 20/20.