EA: MoH/BC2 Can Take FPS Leadership From Activision

EA CEO John Riccitiello believes that Medal of Honor and Bad Company 2 can help EA reclaim the FPS “leadership position” from Activision’s Call of Duty.”I’m not saying it’s going to happen tomorrow, but in the way that Activision sort of alternates sequels of Modern Warfare and Call of Duty and owns the leadership position in FPS, between Medal of Honor and Battlefield, I want it back,” Riccitiello told Kotaku, confidently adding “And we’re going to get there with innovation and quality.”EA’s newly-announced Medal of Honor appears to be a reboot of the franchise, moving the previously World War 2-based series to modern-day Afghanistan in an attempt to compete with the Modern Warfare juggernaut.While Riccitiello was reticent to reveal details on Medal of Honor, the EA boss spent some time talking up Battlefield: Bad Company 2. “The first [Bad Company] did well in its first outing,” he said. “The next one is a heck of a lot better and it looks like a worthy competitor to Modern Warfare.”Surprisingly, Riccitiello believes that multiplayer will be a big advantage for the Bad Company sequel over Modern Warfare 2. “The guys at DICE do [multiplayer] really, really well. Frankly, once you get past, sort of, four people on a map, I think our gameplay is better. That’s a legacy of DICE and where they came from,” Riccitiello explained, adding “The other thing is, I think things like vehicles and destructible environments are a fresh innovation.””I personally think being able to control your vehicle as opposed to riding on one [is good]. And I think there’s something a little bit cool about taking a building out and getting the six guys in it. Personally, I get a silly amount of pleasure out of it.”Still, Riccitiello acknowledges Activision’s products. “I’m a fan of our competitors’ products,” he said. “But if you’ve played Modern Warfare, and you’ve played the first one – and you’ve played the last Call of Duty – it’s sort of starting to feel like they’re making the same game again.”It’s good to see EA with confidence about their upcoming games, although we think Call of Duty will be a tough nut to crack. We’ll reserve judgment until we really see something on Medal of Honor, though.For more on how Bad Company 2 is shaping up, check out our recent interview with game producer Gordon van Dyke.