In an interview with Games Industry, EA's head of mobile games Frank Gibeau declared that the company was "innovating too much" when they were handling the release, marketing, and development of Dungeon Keeper. Recently, EA was found to have engaged in false advertising with Dungeon Keeper by the ruling of an English advertising authority. As a result of the ruling, the company was forced to re-word the advertising for the game in order to make it clear to consumers that money would play a role in their progress throughout the game.
While discussing the game, Gibeau remained evasive about the company's wrongdoing. While admitting EA's failure to properly market the product, Gibeau said, "Dungeon Keeper suffered from a few things. I don't think we did a particularly good job marketing it or talking to fans about their expectations for what Dungeon Keeper was going to be or ultimately should be. Brands ultimately have a certain amount of permission that you can make changes to, and I think we might have innovated too much or tried some different things that people just weren't ready for."
Gibeau also noted that the company would continue to provide service for Dungeon Keeper despite the recent closure of its development studio Mythic. He also explained how the company's move toward freemium games comes out of necessity: "If you look at how Asia operates, premium just doesn't exist as a business model for interactive games, whether it's on PC or mobile devices. If you look at the opportunity set, if you're thinking globally, you want to go freemium so you can capture the widest possible audience in Japan, Korea, China, and so on... With premium games, you just don't get the downloads you do with a free game. It's better to get as many people into your experience and trying it. If they connect with it, that's great, then you can carry them for very long periods of time. With premium, given that there are so many free offerings out there, it's very difficult to break through."
Gibeau's explanations are business-minded and, unsurprisingly, unapologetic. Those who are disappointed in the company's gradual embrace of the freemium model will have to either sever ties with the company or learn to live with the shift taking place.
RELATED: UK Advertising Authority Rules That EA Engaged in False Advertising
RELATED: EA COO Peter Moore on Pay-to-Play and Freemium Games: "I Don't Think Anybody Has to Like It"
