Having won the title of “Worst Company in America” two times in a row, EA doesn’t rank highly with gamers, but EVP of strategic growth Matt Bilbey believes his company deserves better. Bilbey recently opened up about his “struggle” with EA’s poor reputation.
“25 years at EA and I still struggle with the external perception that we’re just a bunch of bad guys,” says Matt Bilbey, EVP of strategic growth at EA. “We love making and playing games. Unfortunately, when we make mistakes on games, the world knows about it because it’s of a size and scale.”
Despite negativity stemming from loot boxes to lay offs and the shuttering of classic studios and franchises, Bilbey believes EA cares very much about the industry and the success of its developers. He mentions EA Originals to defend his case, a label that has made quite a number of indie titles possible.
Originals sees EA publish and promote new games from indie studios, and give every penny of profit back to the developer. EA only takes enough money to cover its costs. It’s a deal so good that Jonny Hopper of Glowmade exclaimed on stage that he “couldn’t believe” the contract he had been sent. To these creators EA isn’t some super villain. Quite the opposite.