A SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE Four 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 9 th January 1909

Should be done by 4 th 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

? (I AM NOT INTERSTED IN USING YOUR ONLINE PAYMENT METHODS)