EA's CEO says Warhammer won't rival World of Warcraft

by Michael Zenke on Jun 18th 2008 3:30PM

World of Warcraft, Business models, Warhammer Online

John Riccitiello has garnered a relatively positive reputation among gamers since ascending to the post of Electronic Arts CEO for his 'hands-off' policy when it comes to newly acquired studios. His new appreciation for individual studio culture endeared him to fearful fans after the BioWare purchase, and keeps Warhammer Online hopefuls in a positive frame of mind.

It's no surprise, then, to hear Riccitiello shooting straight on Warhammer's hopes against World of Warcraft. Says the CEO: "Warhammer Online [will be] a strong entry in the MMORPG space," Riccitiello said at the William Blair & Company's investor meeting Tuesday. "No, I don't think it's going to rival WoW, but no one would ever predict that. But it is a strong game that will ... get our returns for us. We're proud of it."

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Tags: ea-mythic, electronic-arts, john-riccitiello, war, warhammer-online, world-of-warcraft, wow

Reader Comments (1)

The entire context of what he says hinges on the word "rival" and how it applies to the mmorpg market.

Is WAR going to have 10 million subscribers right away? No, of course not and neither did WoW! No game will "rival" that when it enters the market for the first time and no CEO would dare say that.

Is WAR going to be a strong game early and show amazing subscriptions and sales and continue to grow into good competition for WoW? Absolutely, and it can even be said that the two games will rival one another as competitors.

CEO's use $$$'s and think of returns on investments for success. Players use gameplay, mechanics, features, longevity, fun, and so on to measure success.

In some ways WAR will absolutely Rival WoW.