EA CEO John Riccitiello has revealed his belief that videogames have the potential to stand tall against comparable entertainment mediums.

“Some of my greatest beliefs regarding gaming are that our art form is today – or certainly has the potential – to be recognized as the peer of the best of Hollywood movies. I want to help others see that,” he said.

As part of his interview with The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, Riccitiello also returned to the subject of EA’s priorities on compelling and innovative games.

“This is a business and much of our success will be measured with a calculator – sales, revenue, profit and improving shareholder value,” he said. “There is also a qualitative aspect of our industry. Making games we can be proud of. Pushing boundaries. I believe the quantitative and the qualitative measures go well together.”

Many believe that such a balance between the two has not shown itself to be EA’s strength. The publisher gained a reputation through the latter half of the nineties and early noughties of releasing hugely successful titles that were at odds with the critics’ derision of them. But in recent times EA has performed the opposite; releasing original and largely acclaimed IP – Boom Blox, Spore, Dead Space, etcetera – while failing to receive projected sales returns on many of those titles. Early in December EA announced it would be shedding 1,000 jobs to recover losses.

Yet Riccitiello believes that a balance between profit and praise can be sought. “I believe that there is no inherent conflict between great creativity and achieving strong profitability; I believe they go hand in hand. I want to work to prove both of these points are true and see a day when these ideas are seen as common knowledge,” he added.