https://twitter.com/gamasutra/status/313743404548882432 I might edit in more details later. He took over in 2007 BTW: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Riccitiello edit: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/..._down_after_what_could_be_a_rough_quarter.php
It did sell 1.1M+ at launch (biggest launch of any SimCity), so if anything, that might have kept him onboard. Though perhaps there was pressure to remove him for a while (well...no "perhaps" about it I think), and the SimCity backlash allows EA to benefit from such a move. It is unclear to me whether his replacement would be any better.
Eh, the size of the city plot and the always online BS is what kept me from buying, and I'm sure a big chunk of other potential customers.
EA has been making questionable decisions for the last couple of years. For example, I still don't understand why they would alienate one of their most loyal customer base by eliminating Madden for the PC. Those PC gamers were loyal to the brand and many are not into console gaming. Yet, they killed a revenue stream. PC Gamers are still visiting forums and creating rosters for Madden 08. You would think EA would be able tap into that revenue stream.
Doesn't EA have that awesome basketball game that... oh wait, that's take 2 productions... what does EA have then that I care about?
Mass Effect could have been a whole lot better had EA not been a part of it. "E..A..Sports... It *****s the game"
When EA bought exclusive NFL rights, I was pretty much done with them. Would buy Sim City, but the always online is not acceptable to me.