????視頻游戲發(fā)行商美國藝電（Electronic Arts，簡稱EA）近日宣布，公司CEO約翰?里奇蒂洛將于3月30日離職。

????藝電在發(fā)布給媒體的聲明中稱，公司將任命拉里?普羅布斯特?fù)?dān)任執(zhí)行董事長，同時(shí)尋找一位新領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者。普羅布斯特曾在1991年至2007年擔(dān)任這家總部位于加州雷德伍德城的公司CEO，2007年由里奇蒂洛接任。普羅布斯特從1994年至今一直擔(dān)任著藝電公司的董事長。

????藝電還表示，公司收入和每股收益將處于1月份發(fā)布的指導(dǎo)值區(qū)間低端或更低。該公司公布的2012年最后三個(gè)月的收入低于上年同期。藝電的動(dòng)作恐怖游戲《死亡空間3》（Dead Space 3)登上了2月份最熱銷視頻游戲榜首。但美國新視頻游戲的零售額已連續(xù)15個(gè)月同比下滑。市場調(diào)研公司NPD Group的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，2月份美國新視頻游戲的硬件、軟件和附屬產(chǎn)品銷售額較上年同期下降25%至8.10億美元。

????藝電公司當(dāng)前股價(jià)為18.71美元，遠(yuǎn)低于2007年里奇蒂洛接任CEO時(shí)的61.40美元。藝電將于5月7日發(fā)布2013年度財(cái)務(wù)報(bào)告。

????隨著科技改變消費(fèi)者玩的方式，視頻游戲開發(fā)商和發(fā)行商進(jìn)入了一個(gè)充滿不確定性的時(shí)期。蘋果（Apple）、谷歌（Google）等公司制造的設(shè)備日益侵蝕著任天堂（Nintendo）、索尼（Sony）等傳統(tǒng)游戲機(jī)制造商的利潤。同時(shí)，藝電、動(dòng)視暴雪（Activision Blizzard）等游戲發(fā)行商在努力適應(yīng)市場的過程中也開始力不從心。另外，數(shù)字銷售也開始威脅到曾經(jīng)穩(wěn)定的零售業(yè)務(wù)。

????“我們感謝約翰為藝電所做出的貢獻(xiàn)，”普羅布斯特在一份實(shí)現(xiàn)準(zhǔn)備好的聲明中稱。“約翰努力領(lǐng)導(dǎo)公司走出我們行業(yè)所面臨的轉(zhuǎn)變挑戰(zhàn)，同時(shí)在推動(dòng)數(shù)字收入顯著增長方面發(fā)揮了重要作用。”這一決定被描述為是雙方共同協(xié)商的結(jié)果。

????在里奇蒂洛發(fā)給普羅布斯特的一份備忘錄中，這位即將離職的CEO特別強(qiáng)調(diào)了公司不斷增長的數(shù)字業(yè)務(wù)。在他的引領(lǐng)下，藝電打造了一個(gè)在線游戲平臺Origin，通過互聯(lián)網(wǎng)發(fā)布游戲。這家公司擁有《模擬人生》（The Sims）、《瘋狂橄欖球》（Madden NFL）、《FIFA足球》（FIFA Soccer）和《極品飛車》（Need for Speed）等利潤豐厚的特許收入，如今正在努力從手頭的知識產(chǎn)權(quán)中獲取更多收益。里奇蒂洛還主導(dǎo)了對熱銷游戲《寶石迷陣》（Bejeweled）開發(fā)商PopCap的收購。

????但藝電向更以數(shù)字業(yè)務(wù)為主導(dǎo)的轉(zhuǎn)型進(jìn)行得并不順利。18日早間，這家公司宣布，PC游戲《模擬城市》（Sim City）開售兩周內(nèi)銷量已超過110萬。約54%的銷售是通過Origin平臺下載的數(shù)字版。

????但這款游戲由于嚴(yán)重的技術(shù)問題，在游戲評論界備受批評。有好幾天，玩家在下載這款游戲時(shí)都出現(xiàn)了問題，因?yàn)樾枨蟠蟠蟪隽怂囯姺?wù)器的承受能力。這些技術(shù)問題至今沒有完全解決，導(dǎo)致一些游戲評論家更改了最初的評價(jià)，調(diào)低了曾經(jīng)推助銷售的高評分。藝電宣布，公司將為注冊用戶提供一款免費(fèi)游戲，作為補(bǔ)償。

????2007年，里奇蒂洛接任CEO時(shí)，他的任務(wù)是要想辦法降低開發(fā)主流游戲的巨額費(fèi)用。藝電公司像《戰(zhàn)地3》（Battlefield 3）這樣的熱門游戲所占的預(yù)算螺旋上升，動(dòng)輒就能達(dá)到數(shù)億美元。他也曾發(fā)誓要在動(dòng)畫、電視、電影和玩具等領(lǐng)域?qū)ふ倚碌氖杖雭碓础?/p>

????雖然也有一些成功案例，但里奇蒂洛并沒有什么特別重大的成就。NPD的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，動(dòng)視暴雪Skylanders游戲的特許收入自2011年上市以來，僅在美國就創(chuàng)造了超過6億美元的收入；這款游戲?qū)Φ妄g兒童很有吸引力。動(dòng)視暴雪先前宣布，這款游戲的全球特許收入已超過了10億美元。據(jù)藝電內(nèi)部估算，2012年，《小龍斯派羅：巨人》（Skylanders Giants）和《小龍斯派羅的大冒險(xiǎn)》（Skylanders Spyro's Adventure）玩具在美國和歐洲的總銷售額超過了《戰(zhàn)斗陀螺》（Beyblades）、《星球大戰(zhàn)》（Star Wars）和《變形金剛》中的動(dòng)作明星玩具。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello will step down on March 30, the video game publisher announced today.

????In a statement to the press, EA (EA) said it was naming Larry Probst as executive chairman while it searches for a new leader. Probst was the Redwood City, California-based firm's CEO from 1991 to 2007, when Riccitiello took over. Probst has served as EA's chairman since 1994.

????EA also said its revenue and earnings-per-share will be at the low end or below its January guidance. The company reported lower revenue for the last three months of 2012 than it did for the same period a year earlier. EA had the top-selling video game in February with its action-horror title Dead Space 3. But U.S. retail sales of new video games fell for the fifteenth straight month, year over year. Sales of new video game hardware, software and accessories fell 25% from a year earlier to $810 million in February, the NPD Group reported.

????The publisher's stock is trading at $18.71, down from a $61.40 in 2007 when Riccitiello took over as CEO. EA will announce results for fiscal 2013 on May 7.

????Video game makers and publishers are entering a period of uncertainty as technology alters the way consumers play. Increasingly, gadgets made by the likes of Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) are eating into the profits of traditional console manufacturers like Nintendo (NTDOY) and Sony (SNE). Game publishers EA and rival Activision Blizzard (ATVI), in turn, have had mixed results trying to adapt. In addition, digital sales have begun threatening the once-steady retail business.

????"We thank John for his contributions to EA," said Probst in a prepared statement. "John has worked hard to lead the company through challenging transitions in our industry, and was instrumental in driving our very significant growth in digital revenues." The decision was described as a mutual.

????In a memo sent by Riccitiello to Probst, the outgoing chief highlighted the company's growing digital business. At his direction, EA created an online games platform dubbed Origin to distribute titles over the Internet. The company, which controls lucrative franchises such as The Sims, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed, has tried to find ways to make more of the considerable intellectual property it owns. Riccitiello also oversaw the acquisition of PopCap, a mobile games maker that created the popular Bejeweled.

????But EA's transition to a more digitally oriented business hasn't gone smoothly. Earlier today, it announced that it had sold more than 1.1 million copies of its city-building PC game Sim City in the first two weeks it was available. About 54% of those sales were digital versions, downloaded via Origin.

????But the launch was widely derided in the games press for severe technical difficulties. For days, players had trouble downloading the game because demand overwhelmed EA's servers. The technical issues, which have not yet been entirely resolved, caused some reviewers to revisit their initial assessment, lowering high scores that can drive sales. EA announced it would give registered users a free title to make up for the problems.

????In 2007, Riccitiello's incoming mandate was to find ways to pare down the sometimes massive costs associated with developing mainstream titles. Budgets for high-profile games like EA'sBattlefield 3 can easily spiral into the hundreds of millions of dollars. He also vowed to find new revenue streams in comics, television, films and toys.

????Despite a few successes, Riccitiello had yet to score an outsized hit. Activision's Skylanders franchise, which appeals to younger children, generated more than $600 million in the U.S. alone since its October 2011 launch, according to NPD. Activision previously announced that the franchise had surpassed the $1 billion in global sales. In 2012, the combined sales of Skylanders Giants and Skylanders Spyro's Adventure toys out-sold the top action figure lines in the U.S. and Europe, including Beyblades, Star Wars and Transformers, according to the company's internal estimates.