EA Exec speaks

[Bateluer]

Text

Looks like we've got another foot-in-mouth moment for a high-ranking corporate exec. Sometimes you've just got to wonder how they get their positions.

The latest example is EA CFO Eric Brown. Gamasutra sat in on his presentation at the Wedbush Morgan Securities conference, during which Brown made several interesting comments on the state of the industry. After claiming that Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles were capable of running games at full HD resolutions at 60 frames per second, Brown said: "I myself am not quite sure where we go from here. There's just no broadly-available consumer viewing technology beyond HD. You have to be a PC technophile with an ultra high resolution monitor to get past that."

Okay, let's just assume for a second that Brown doesn't realize that neither console is capable of running games at 1080p resolution at 60 fps (many PS3 ports are known for having frame rate issues), we'll also have to assume that he hasn't picked up a copy of one of his own games like say, Crysis (which sports graphics beyond the capabilities of either console with huge outdoor environments as well), for this statement to be semi-accurate.

It's also pretty obvious that he isn't aware of the growing trend towards 3D, with both NVIDIA and Sony showing off 3D display tech earlier this year at CES.

Brown also discussed Microsoft's bump in sales as a result of last year's price cuts: "We look at the data and what we can see is that that actually had a pretty interesting catalyzing effect on their unit sales," said Brown. "In the first half of calendar 08, there was rough parity between PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Second half of the year, [there is a] 40-plus percent sales advantage to Xbox versus PS3, potentially as a result of that price drop."

"The point here is that we've seen one major price drop thus far in this console cycle; we feel that we have a long ways to go, and a lot more of the unit sales will occur at the lower price points."

Concluded Brown: "History holds more [hardware] units translates, times tie ratio, to more software units and software dollars for third-party publishers. Those are the key takeaways in terms of where we see this console cycle at this point in time."

Unfortunately just like the Reuters story I linked to earlier this week, yet again no one asked Brown about the same effect lower game prices can have on sales. Just ask Valve.

 

[lupi]

lol, yeah...cause there hasn't been a rash of pc titles released recently with problems getting decent (and much lower than 60fps) frame rates in the HD range, but these years old console designs would have no problem, lol.

 

[BassBomb]

Originally posted by: lupi
lol, yeah...cause there hasn't been a rash of pc titles released recently with problems getting decent (and much lower than 60fps) frame rates in the HD range, but these years old console designs would have no problem, lol.

They shouldn't have lied though...

 

[Fingolfin269]

You call it lying and I call it ignorance.

 

[coloumb]

I wouldn't be surprised to read a news report about that clueless EA exec being fined for stock manipulation...

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: Bateluer
Text

Looks like we've got another foot-in-mouth moment for a high-ranking corporate exec. Sometimes you've just got to wonder how they get their positions.

The latest example is EA CFO Eric Brown. Gamasutra sat in on his presentation at the Wedbush Morgan Securities conference, during which Brown made several interesting comments on the state of the industry. After claiming that Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles were capable of running games at full HD resolutions at 60 frames per second, Brown said: "I myself am not quite sure where we go from here. There's just no broadly-available consumer viewing technology beyond HD. You have to be a PC technophile with an ultra high resolution monitor to get past that."

Okay, let's just assume for a second that Brown doesn't realize that neither console is capable of running games at 1080p resolution at 60 fps (many PS3 ports are known for having frame rate issues), we'll also have to assume that he hasn't picked up a copy of one of his own games like say, Crysis (which sports graphics beyond the capabilities of either console with huge outdoor environments as well), for this statement to be semi-accurate.

It's also pretty obvious that he isn't aware of the growing trend towards 3D, with both NVIDIA and Sony showing off 3D display tech earlier this year at CES.

Brown also discussed Microsoft's bump in sales as a result of last year's price cuts: "We look at the data and what we can see is that that actually had a pretty interesting catalyzing effect on their unit sales," said Brown. "In the first half of calendar 08, there was rough parity between PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Second half of the year, [there is a] 40-plus percent sales advantage to Xbox versus PS3, potentially as a result of that price drop."

"The point here is that we've seen one major price drop thus far in this console cycle; we feel that we have a long ways to go, and a lot more of the unit sales will occur at the lower price points."

Concluded Brown: "History holds more [hardware] units translates, times tie ratio, to more software units and software dollars for third-party publishers. Those are the key takeaways in terms of where we see this console cycle at this point in time."

Unfortunately just like the Reuters story I linked to earlier this week, yet again no one asked Brown about the same effect lower game prices can have on sales. Just ask Valve.

Maybe Firingsquad should look at EA game prices rather than trying to be butt-buddies with Valve, and then re-examine their comments about lower game prices.

 

[BladeVenom]

Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
You call it lying and I call it ignorance.

Then he's a tech idiot who doesn't even know or use his own product. Which is probably worse than just being a typical corporate liar, at least as far as his future employment is concerned.

 

[n7]

I call it idiocy.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Originally posted by: BladeVenom

Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
You call it lying and I call it ignorance.

Then he's a tech idiot who doesn't even know or use his own product. Which is probably worse than just being a typical corporate liar, at least as far as his future employment is concerned.

I'd say he knows how to use it just fine but has no idea what he's talking about in terms of visual quality standards. I seriously doubt all auto execs know how much torque their vehicles produce, how much horse power they have, whether or not Navi is available as an option, etc.

His only fault is trying to sound like he knows what he's talking about when apparently he does not.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I fail to find anything wrong here, he is a business guy and is plainly saying its better to have more 360's and PS3's at a lower price to help broaden the market for high end games. I am sure he's correct there is no shame in stating that. Will it cause more console price drops well that's up to sony and MS. Who really cares what their corporate direction is? If this is all that upsetting buy ewer EA games or even better buy some EA stock and vote out the executive board.

 

[Frodolives]

That's fair enough FM, but I think it's understandable for gamers to be irked when people at the top of corporations that affect the industry we rely upon for so much show themselves to be ignorant of things that the average gaming teenager wouldn't overlook.

 

[BenSkywalker]

After claiming that Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles were capable of running games at full HD resolutions at 60 frames per second, Brown said: "I myself am not quite sure where we go from here. There's just no broadly-available consumer viewing technology beyond HD. You have to be a PC technophile with an ultra high resolution monitor to get past that."

What exactly is inaccurate in this statement? Perhaps we have an awful lot of non native English speaking people here? He said capable, that isn't quite the same as saying 'always do'(RidgeRacer7 to throw out a quick example that I know of and own). For display technologies given the context of the speech it seems it was more of a where do we go moving forward comment then anything else(what are the PS4 and X720 going to offer type of remark).

Also for displays- we have plenty of TVs that are 120Hz already, "3D" display technology isn't new or popular(on a realistic basis not worth mentioning).

As far as reduced pricing increasing games sales, people in this thread speak as if EA doesn't drop the prices on their games. $20 new, Meh, I hate being in the position of defending EA, but honestly I'm not seeing what he said that is out of line at all.

 

[lupi]

Originally posted by: BenSkywalker

After claiming that Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles were capable of running games at full HD resolutions at 60 frames per second, Brown said: "I myself am not quite sure where we go from here. There's just no broadly-available consumer viewing technology beyond HD. You have to be a PC technophile with an ultra high resolution monitor to get past that."

What exactly is inaccurate in this statement? Perhaps we have an awful lot of non native English speaking people here? He said capable, that isn't quite the same as saying 'always do'(RidgeRacer7 to throw out a quick example that I know of and own). For display technologies given the context of the speech it seems it was more of a where do we go moving forward comment then anything else(what are the PS4 and X720 going to offer type of remark).

"Technically" he may be correct. Of course there is full HD graphics of the Crysis variety and there is playing Asteroids in full HD.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Fingolfin269

Originally posted by: BladeVenom

Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
You call it lying and I call it ignorance.

Then he's a tech idiot who doesn't even know or use his own product. Which is probably worse than just being a typical corporate liar, at least as far as his future employment is concerned.

I'd say he knows how to use it just fine but has no idea what he's talking about in terms of visual quality standards. I seriously doubt all auto execs know how much torque their vehicles produce, how much horse power they have, whether or not Navi is available as an option, etc.

His only fault is trying to sound like he knows what he's talking about when apparently he does not.

yeah, this is the CFO, not the head programmer or designer or something.

 

[AdamK47]

The problem I see with game publishing executives is that they attempt to reap the most out of everything they do to the point of constantly producing an overly simplified and repetitive malaise of titles. Whenever I hear one of these suites talk about trends, install base, accessibility, price points, and cycles I think of someone who makes the core of their decisions off of graphs. When the game finally gets released it's like a scattershot to the gaming world. They just hope they hit as many people as they can with it. EA has this horrible ability to take talented game studios and reduce them to nothing. I hope they get their act together now that many have been criticizing them over the past few years.

 

[sactoking]

Originally posted by: pontifex

yeah, this is the CFO, not the head programmer or designer or something.

This. How many of you know CFO's who know ANYTHING about the industry they work in?