Riccitiello: "There will be a Mercenaries 3"

By Robert Purchese Published 31 October, 2008

And even more, if he has his way.

Silvery-maned EA boss John Riccitiello has told investors he plans to make many more Mercenaries games, despite the recent sequel failing to win much critical praise.

"There will be a Mercenaries 3 and, if I have anything to do with it, there will be a Mercenaries 10," Riccitello told investors, as reported by GameSpot.

The reason being that Mercenaries 2 sold over 1.9 million copies around the world, so it's a commercial success on the same level as Tiger Woods PGA Tour '09 and Spore.

But developer Pandemic has been quite open about the possibility of a sequel to the open-world shooter for a while, telling us back in 2007 there were already plenty of ideas for a third Mercenaries game.

Pop over to our Mercenaries 2 review to see what needs to change next time around.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (27) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • DFawkes #1 3 years ago

    As much as I love Mercs 2, there are almost no new ideas at all. Couldn't they have used these "plenty of ideas" to make the second one better?

  • Triggerhappytel #2 3 years ago

    Can they actually re-build it from the ground up this time, and introduce more variety. Mercs 2 was obviously a success on the back of good marketing and a resonable amount of goodwill from the first game, but it's really not a very decent title. I wonder how many of those 1.9 million were traded in?

  • Artemus #3 3 years ago

    EA in "there will be more sequels" shocker

  • muscleblade #4 3 years ago

    I thought Mercs 2 was enjoyable enough but i wouldnt buy Mercs 3 unless they make sure its bug free. Achievement gliches really sucks.

  • Pinewood_Groves #5 3 years ago

    I don't know. Maybe make it work properly next time?

  • asphaltcowboy #6 3 years ago

    As much as I enjoyed Mercs 2, I hope they finish the next one before releasing it! So much potential!

  • DanWhitehead #7 3 years ago

    I'd like to be able to hear "Why can't everything be rocket propelled?" at least a thousand more times, please.

  • 4thVariety #8 3 years ago

    Ricitiello further said in the interview that in order to enhance the experience, all users are required to provide a blood sample upon purchase. The software comes with a special hardware confirming your identity each time it launches. "It's a jungle out there with pirates and if we can't get to them we will sure reign our customers in line." Ricitiello refused any comments on speculations that the Merceneries franchise is headed to be released on "Real Life" a new exciting next generation gaming platform featuring full interactivity. Current rumors speak of future Mercenaries titles being live action MMOs in which players join a rampaging mob, lynching any suspected bootleggers and pirates they can find. The game is said to "make all hockey moms really proud that their sons live up to the heroism of their grand fathers and fight the war on domestic piracy terrorism while still finding the time to engage in all out American consumerism in the EA microtransaction and weapons shop."

  • Penguinzoot #9 3 years ago

    @4thVariety

    Hehehe ;)

  • hiddenranbir #10 3 years ago

    We'll crap out more sequels, like it or not! Quality be damned!


  • Doctor_What #11 3 years ago

    To gamers: We're dedicated to making sure everything we make is up to a high standard.

    To investors: It got very average reviews, but who cares as long as we got a short-term profit!

  • PlugMonkey #12 3 years ago

    I liked Mercenaries 2. It was exactly as much big, dumb fun as Mercenaries 1. If Mercenaries 3 is as much big, dumb fun, I'll most likely buy that as well.

    Not every game needs to completely reinvent the medium. There's room for a healthy amount of 'does exactly what it says on the tin' in my gaming diet as well. I think the only thing that would stop me buying Mercs 3 is if another game came along that let me blow absolutely everything up in a big, dumb fun way even better than Mercs does. I can't think of one off the top of my head though.

  • matrim83 #13 3 years ago

    I love the EA hate in here. Well deserved for making such crap sequels as FIFA 09, Tiger Woods 09, Crysis warhead and Burnout paradise. Also they deserve more ridicule for their crap new original IPs like Dead space, Spore and Mirrors edge. All in less than a year.

    Yay lets go bash the evil EA. For they make the nice elves and hobbits work as slaves in thier dungeons of doom.

    Idiots.
    Edited by 1 at 31/10/08 @ 11:10

  • ChaK #14 3 years ago

    I hated merc 2 wth passion, for that f****g port it was on the computer.

    So ugly and buggy I couldn't even play it.

  • Monkey_Puncher #15 3 years ago

    Mercs 2 was embarassingly bad, so buggy and badly made. I can't believe they had the cheek to charge full price for that piece of shit for a game, the first game was superior in every way. Unless they make a completly new engine and go back to basics and realise what made the first game fun, I'll be giving the series a wide birth in future. The last game I played that was as a buggy as Mercs 2 was Superman 64.

  • electrolite #16 3 years ago

    The future of gaming is secure!

  • timpig #17 3 years ago

    Perhaps this time they can set this one in Sudan or the Congo. Or Iraq even.

    FFS, quit while you're...erm...behind?
    Edited by 1 at 31/10/08 @ 11:58

  • SEVQA #18 3 years ago

    Mercs 2 was and is a disgrace - to announce a new version makes me even angrier at EA! Considering they are sacking more people will mean the quality is going to increase no doubt. GET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER!!!

    The thought of fuel air bombing EA's HQ gives me an erection!!!

  • Oh-Bollox #19 3 years ago

    I thought EA had changed? As always, any old shit will sell.

  • FiZiE #20 3 years ago

    I thought Pandemic were good devs? Havent tried Mercs 2, and at £44.99 at game in-store for some odd reason, im not about to either.

  • muscleblade #21 3 years ago

    [link url=http://www.x box360achievements.org/news/news-1803-Barack-Obama-and-Sarah -Palin-in-Mercenaries-2.html
    ]http://ww w.xbox360achievements.org/news/...[/link]

    This is more interesting Mercenaries news.

  • SEVQA #22 3 years ago

    @muscleblade - LOL you are right that news is by far better! Is that real? I allmost wet myself.

  • TuftyMcTavish #23 3 years ago

    Excellent. I really enjoyed Mercs2 in co-op with a friend, once you turned off your more critical eyes anyway.

  • BillyBrush #24 3 years ago

    It sold because it came after a games drought

    Ricitello should really be looking at the scores and the user reception a little more not just cash in the bank, i think a lot of those 1.9million would steer clear tbh

  • Collymilad #25 3 years ago

    Mercs 2 was ok, but if you strip out the fact you can blow stuff up, it's a turd.

    And simply being able to blow stuff up isn't enough.

  • barnard666 #26 3 years ago

    for me, just blowing stuff up really was enough

  • WJRA3561 #27 3 years ago

    Oh God No!!!! Mercs 2 was Terrible!!!
    Edited by 1 at 02/11/08 @ 19:42