EA's Riccitiello - social games aren't dying, but "consumers won’t pay for crap"

EA CEO John Riccitiello doesn't believe social gaming is dying despite the hype, and instead thinks it is evolving.

Speaking during a conference attended by All Things D, Riccitiello said pundits are overhyping the bubble burst on social, because things aren't as dire in the scene as the public is being made to believe.

“The companies that are now suffering will have another day,” Riccitiello said, adding that social game makers can learn from the current challenges being faced.

The biggest lesson they need to learn, he feels, is that “consumers won’t pay for crap.”

Good social games come from good entertainment and not viral marketing or begging your friends list on Facebook for roof shingles.

Riccitiello believes there are some "great free-to-play social games out there," such as EA competitor Dragonvale and the firm's own The Simpsons: Tapped Out.

It was announced earlier this week that Zynga's Farmville 2 has nearly 50 million users and is Facebook’s most popular app; while on the other end of the spectrum, a report from Playnomics suggested 85% of players in the US didn’t return to a social game after their first day of play.