Those within the games industry need to stop attacking each other and stop treating things like politics where there can only be one winner. That’s the thinking that Activision Publishing COO Eric Hirshberg tried to express to the crowd at Gamescom yesterday. He spoke about, among other things, the war of words that’s gone on between Battlefield and Call of Duty as of late, explaining that he wants everyone to succeed, not just those working for or with Activision.
“There’s one other thing that this intensely competitive landscape has brought into our industry. And that, unfortunately, is an awful lot of mudslinging. Competition is of course a good thing. It keeps us all on our toes and ultimately, it makes the
games better,” he said, according to a transcript (PDF) of his speech, courtesy of One of Swords. “Competition is healthy for this, or any other industry. But it’s one thing to want your game to be successful. It’s another to actively want the games of others to fail.”
Earlier this year, DICE GM Karl-Magnus Troedsson suggested Call of Duty’s developers were “getting lazy.” He said, “They’re using the same engine, the same recipe for building a game. At some point you need to take that leap. I haven’t seen them take that leap since a long time ago.”
