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Riccitiello: Mobile devs struggling to build longterm brands

Ex-EA man on titles falling out of the charts too soon

Riccitiello: Mobile devs struggling to build longterm brands
Former EA CEO John Riccitiello has questioned the ability for mobile games to build brands that deliver sustained success, drawing on the inability for many games to hold onto a position at the top of the charts.

Speaking during a fireside chat at Casual Connect USA in San Francisco, Riccitiello said it was "shocking how long titles stay in the top 50", claiming that no publisher has experienced broad long-term success on mobile.

"Most publishers have only one or two titles in the top 50 [and] almost no one has a title with more than a year in the top 50, and there's never been a successful sequel," Riccitiello.

Longevity through branding

Of course, Riccitiello's claim that there has "never been a successful sequel," could be accused of being a touch hyperbolic.

The Angry Birds franchise has seen continued success, while sequels such as Infinity Blade 2 and Temple Run 2 have also performed well.

However, having seemingly identified the problem, Richitiello offered his version of a solution: long-term brands.

"Mobile needs to build brands," he said. "Madden is in its 25th year. So far there's precious little to indicate mobile is building long-term brands."

Gameplay is king

Richitiello also feels that for mobile games to evolve, - and become as broadly successful as their console counterparts - publishers need to create brands that will last multiple years.

He was keen to emphasise that chasing console-level graphics isn't the answer, stating that "many [developers] have told me they want to bring console level graphics to mobile, and that will make them better."

"I tell them investing in better graphics without a better game is a road to ruin," he concluded.

[Source: Gamesindusty.biz]

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