Riccitiello: Consolidation is not the future

John Riccitiello, the CEO of leading global games publisher Electronic Arts, has stated that he believes there will be less consolidation in the games industry in the future, and that new business models such as microtransactions and in-game advertising will be the driving factors in the years to come.

"Is the industry ripe for mergers, or has it already been picked? I would argue that it’s been largely picked," he told Reuters. "That doesn’t mean it’s done. I think there will be more consolidation to come. But let’s just say a lot has already happened.

"There’s a lot of growth in what is the non-traditional arena, so that would be microtransactions, subscriptions revenue, ad revenue, new types of models, casual games.”

It’s not the first time Riccitiello has predicted change in the games industry. In July he claimed that publishers risked boring their audience with endless sequels, and then in November he attacked the current software pricing structure.