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EA learns lesson on value from rap mogul, says they don't want to be the most hated company in the states

by rawmeatcowboy
02 November 2013
GN Version 4.0
Coming from a Kotaku interview with EA's Andrew Wilson...

"[Russel Simmons] said, listen, human beings have an inherent need to steal, built into our DNA. I thought, 'Well that's profound, but I actually don't feel like I have that need. [Simmons] said, 'Well, listen, there are different ways you can fulfill that need. The way we try to satisfy that is that if we sell you something for $20, we give you $25 in value. And by doing so, we have satisfied your inherent need to steal in a positive way. And when people do that, they tell their friends.' 'But,' [Simmons] said, 'If you give me $20 but I only give you $15, you leave thinking I stole from you. And that's the thing human beings hate the most: to be stolen from. It's really simple.'"

This helped EA to look at game value from a different perspective. They also started getting a bit upset that they were viewed as the worst company in America.

"We started thinking about how we don't want to be viewed as the worst company in America. I personally don't think we've ever been the worst company in America, but it says something. The consumers out there are telling us something. And we actually took it very seriously. This was before Andrew was the CEO. We and [EA chief operating officer] Peter Moore and a couple of other guys in the executive company got together to try to understand what caused people to say these things. And there were some things out there that...consumers told us they didn't like. online pass was one thing."

Full interview here