Q&A: Radical chief takes EA jab in stride

What do you do when Electronic Arts, one of the biggest game companies in the world, publicly woos your staff? If you are 12-year industry veteran and Radical Entertainment founder/CEO Ian Wilkinson, you take it in stride. In fact, you use the incident to get some media attention and spin the resulting hoopla into positive PR for your own company.

Here's what Wilkinson had to say about a recently-erected billboard located just 150 feet from the Simpsons: Hit and Run developer's Vancouver studio. The sign carries an ASCII text message which translates into "Now Hiring" above the EA Canada logo. Most observers consider the billboard a blatant attempt on the part of Electronic Arts to not-so-gently nudge Radical's programmers to jump ship.

GameSpot: In spite of the monolithic presence and obvious goal of the billboard, it must make you a little proud that EA has decided to aim such fire power at Radical's roster of coders and programmers. Does it?

Ian Wilkinson: Electronic Arts has been trying to recruit our people for years. It’s no surprise they would get even more aggressive now that Radical has had such fantastic results with our recent titles. I see the billboard as confirmation that we have made huge progress as a company.

GS: What's the reaction been among the Radical staff? Is it a topic of conversation?

IW: We’re getting a lot of great media attention since the sign went up, so yes it has been the topic of conversation. I think having the sign right outside our building has crystallized the difference between the two companies. The thing is that EA has been recruiting for a long time, so this is nothing new. This has been far more aggressive than past attempts, but I have no reason to believe that this will be any more effective.

GS: Would you fault anyone for going over to the EA studios?

IW: EA is a successful company, but I can’t really talk to EA’s value proposition, I can only talk about Radical’s. Radical’s value proposition is that every single person in the building makes a difference. At Radical you are not a cog in the wheel, in fact we don’t even have cogs, we only have wheels. People are here because they want to work for a great company, work on great games and at the end of the day know they had a huge impact on that game. Look, we don’t compete with EA. The primary reason our people want to be here is to make great games.

GS: Has Radical and EA ever partnered on a game product in the past?

IW: EA was the distributor of one of our most successful titles, Simpsons Road Rage, which has just sold through over 2 million units.

GS: How does Radical seek additional staff? Have you ever used outdoor as a means to communicate messages pertaining to staffing/HR?

IW: Rather than using the outdoors, we focus on what's inside. If this company has a strong heart and a good soul and we nourish the company and the people, we will continue to get talented and motivated people coming to us. Naturally, our recent successes have helped as well. With The Hulk surpassing 1 million units, Road Rage surpassing 2 million, and Hit & Run hopefully reaching over a million by Christmas, people are now calling us and want to be part of a great company and the creator of the best selling games in the world.

GS: How is head-count trending at Radical? Are you growing? Prospering?

IW: At 200 people, we are at a pretty decent size, but we are always looking for world-class talent.

GS: What do you see the billboard doing to the overall reputation of EA in Canada, specifically Vancouver?

IW: Well it certainly clarifies that EA is aggressive and will spend lots of money on aggressive recruiting techniques. We focus on our culture and our games and let the success of those drive our recruiting message.

GS: Can you actually see the billboard from the Radical offices?

IW: Not really, it's outside the building next door, facing away from us, but EA has publicly admitted that it is targeted at us directly.

GS: If you could say one thing to, or ask one question of, John Schappert re the billboard, what would it be?

IW: Well, if I was a stockholder, I would ask "How much did you pay for that?"

GS: Radical has much to celebrate this holiday season (Simpson's sales, specifically). Are you throwing a staff party this year? Can you share any details?

IW: Of course, we always have a huge party for the holidays. But truly, we try to celebrate our wins, and generally embrace any opportunity to get everyone together.

GS: Why would working at Radical be a better career choice than working at EA's Vancouver studio?

IW: If you are smart and talented, want to be heard, want to have a huge impact on your game, like a challenge, are entrepreneurial, self directed, and willing to work hard and have fun, Radical is the place to be.