EA boss upbeat about recession

Electronic Arts chief executive John Riccitiello has dubbed the recession a "blessing in disguise" for the gaming industry, according to the Gamesutra website.

Speaking at the DICE summit in Las Vegas, the EA boss claimed that the global credit crunch will help filter out the "junk" from retailers' shelves.

"Junk is hard to compete with," said Riccitiello. "We did get fat in too many places. It seemed like anyone who could draw a guy with a gun with a crayon could get funded. At least for EA, we got a little too fat, and a little too reliant on where things were.

"I'm not pro-recession," Riccitiello added, "but to quote Rahm Emanuel, 'never waste a crisis'."