EA Continues Trash Talking Eric Hirshberg, Says Call of Duty Will Die in 2-3 Years
Posted August 19, 2011 by James Brightman
EA has taken some flak for its comments on Call of Duty, particularly those from EA CEO John Riccitiello who told IndustryGamers that he wants to see Activision's top shooter franchise "rot from the core." During Gamescom, Activision Publishing boss Eric Hirshberg finally took some time to address these comments and noted that EA's verbal attacks are "bad for the industry." That's clearly not stopping EA though.
While Hirshberg believes that it's ok for both Battlefield and Call of Duty to succeed, EA looks at the market in a different light. It's a competitive field and there are only so many entertainment dollars for consumers to spend.
IndustryGamers heard from EA corporate communications man Jeff Brown, who is really taking it to Hirshberg. He said, "Welcome to the big leagues Eric -- I know you're new in the job but someone should have told you this is an competitive industry.
"You've got every reason to be nervous. Last year Activision had a 90 share in the shooter category. This year, Battlefield 3 is going to take you down to 60 or 70. At that rate, you’ll be out of the category in 2-3 years. If you don't believe me, go to the store and try to buy a copy of Guitar Hero or Tony Hawk."
Ouch - some low blows there.
What do you think? Is Activision turning Call of Duty into Guitar Hero? And is this mudslinging approach from EA a good strategy?
Via [IndustryGamers]
It does seem like the series is being milked dry, maybe EAs practice of alternating between Medal of Honor and Battlefield is the better approach.
