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A SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLEFour Years Building Cutting-Edge Online Games at EA
Ben Cousins, General Manager, Easy (EA)
FOUR LIVE TITLES
ALMOST TEN MILLION REGISTERED USERS
PROFITABLE
THIS YEAR’S NET REVENUE IN EIGHT FIGURES, DOUBLING NEXT YEAR
Kiddy MMOs
Social games
Console games
Free-to
-play
We are here
Core PC Games
Too many externalities
FREE TO PLAY GAMES MAKE GOOD MONEY
DATA AND BENCHMARKS
STRUCTURING A LIVE TEAM
BUILD AN ITEM CATALOGUE
MARKETING AND PR
Ask for forgiveness, not for permission
THREE MASSIVE MISTAKES I MADE
• DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WEB DEVELOPMENT
• OUTSOURCED PLATFORM DEVELOPMENT
• NAÏVE ABOUT SERVICE OPERATIONS
• DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WEB DEVELOPMENT
• OUTSOURCED PLATFORM DEVELOPMENT
• DIDN’T WANT TO BE A WEB DEVELOPER
• DECIDED TO USE A CENTRAL-EA OPTION FROM TOP IT COMPANY
• PROJECT TOO BIG, AMBITIOUS
• DROPPED THE TECH, BUILT OUR OWN
• NAÏVE ABOUT SERVICE OPERATIONS
• HOSTING, CUSTOMER SERVICE, PAYMENT INSTRUMENTS, STORE MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT
• EA STUDIOS USED TO ONLY SPENDING MONEY ON DEVELOPERS
• IN THE END WE HIRED A (TOO SMALL) TEAM AND EXPANDED IT
EA LEARNING TO DO ONLINE
• OVER-EMPHASIZING TECHNOLOGY
• IN PACKAGED-GOODS, DISTRIBUTION, PAYMENTS, MARKETING ARE SOLVED PROBLEMS. TECH GIVES YOU A QUALITY ADVANTAGE
• IN FREE-TO-PLAY, EA NEEDED TO BUILD AN INFRASTRUCTURE BEFORE PUSHING TECH
EA BOSSES
EA STUDIOS
EA INFRASTRUCTURE
Disruptive innovations can hurt successful, well managed companies that are responsive to their customers and have excellent research and development.
Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half
SENIOR PRODUCER
LEAD DESIGNER
ART DIRECTOR
You can’t plan for discovery
I’ll be there on the 9th January 1909
Should be done by 4th of June, 2015
• EXPECT SOME SKEPTICISM…•…EXCEPT FROM THE GUYS WHO HAD THE INITIAL IDEA, WHO WILL REALLY LOVE YOU…•…BE CAREFUL IF YOU COULD BE USED TO MAKE MORE MONEY ELSEWHERE IN THE ORGANIZATION• YOU KNOW NOTHING TO START WITH• BECAUSE YOU KNOW NOTHING, JUST ASSUME EVERYTHING WILL BE VERY HARD AND VERY EXPENSIVE• BE NIMBLE, ROLL YOUR OWN STUFF OR GRAB CHEAP STUFF. DON’T LOOK FOR A MAGIC SOLUTION• THERE ARE NO EXTERNAL EXPERTS• STAY ON TARGET!• YOU CAN’T PLAN FOR DISCOVERY•GET GREAT PEOPLE
