EA responds to Kotick attack

Publisher EA has retaliated in the war of words that was reignited by Activision boss Bobby Kotick yesterday.

Kotick said in an interview yesterday that EA has been struggling for a long time”, adding: The most difficult challenge it faces today is great people don’t really want to work there. It’s like, if you have no other options you might consider them.

Its stock options have no value, its lost its way. And until it has success and hits, and gets it enthusiasm back for the company, its going to have a struggle getting really talented people which is going to translate into less than great games.”

Speaking to Gamasutra, EA corporate communications VP Jeff Brown responded: Kotick’s relationship with studio talent is well-documented in litigation.

His company is based on three game franchises – one [World of Warcraft]is a fantastic persistent world he had nothing to do with; one is in steep decline [Guitar Hero]; and the third [Call of Duty] is in the process of being destroyed by Kotick’s own hubris.”

The litigation Brown refers to, of course, is the ongoing dispute with former Infinity Ward owners Jason West and Vince Zampella, as well as a now settled dispute with another of Koticks’ friends, Tim Schafer.