EA Trying Not to Be a Greedy "Beast," CEO Says

Speaking at the B.C. Tech Summit in Canada, Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson acknowledged that the Battlefield and Mass Effect studio is sometimes seen as a monolithic corporation that only wants your money. But the Australian executive explained that EA is hoping to change that perception.

"If you understand the video game business, EA--the branding is this corporate beast that just wants to take money from them while people play our games," Wilson said, as reported by local news site Vancouver 24 Hours.

"That's not actually what we're trying to do."

EA was named the "Worst Company in America" by a consumer affairs blog multiple times. Some voters raised concerns about the company being "greedy" as it relates to microtransactions, among other things.

Since then, Wilson has spoken a great deal about making EA into a "player-first" company. Executives have also discussed its responsibility to be progressive.

Also during his talk this week, Wilson pointed to EA Access as an example of a value-oriented service that the company offers.

"For the longest time in civilization, we would spend money as human beings, then we would spend time where we spent our money. That's reversed now," he said. "You come in, and play a bunch of games, and ultimately you invest after that."

EA/Origin Access is a PC and Xbox One service where people get access to free games (and other benefits, including early access to upcoming games) for $5/month. With more than a dozen games in the EA Access catalog right now, some would say it represents a compelling value.

What do you make of Wilson's comments? Let us know in the comments below!