Why does EA still exist?
 

Seriously, how do you fuck up SimCity?

Because sports

Consumers. For-profit interests. Creed. Gamer stupidity. Short-sighted gains. All of that amounts to the SimCity situation.

But that wouldn't kill EA outright.

They do have some pretty rad games under their label, admittedly.

Need For Speed and Battlefield are alright from what I see and play. Don't care for many of their other IPs but they're mostly legit. EA is just retarded when it comes to PR and they should probably ban representatives from speaking publicly. It would also help to assign community managers across each major franchise so they could have an ear 'on the street' as it were, because they do have little idea of 'gamer pulse'.

They make money in spite of their stupidity.

It's almost impossible for them not to, by virtue of how they operate. They just buy out good developers then force them to run their IP to the ground so long as its profitable. I "get" that it's smart business, but it still fucking sucks.

Also, any time a game is released with day-1 DLC a baby kitten masturbates on an angel, or whatever that saying is

They could probably survive off madden alone.

Day-1 DLC sales very successfully. Your issue is not with EA, there.

My issue is entirely with EA there, what the fuck are you talking about? Just because Bioware is retarded doesn't mean EA isn't.

EA exists because people still buy its games. People are too stupid to stand up and say no to all the bullshit.

One reason EA managed to mess up SimCity is because of them being cheapskates when it comes to servers. Either they own just the bare minimum available which is why they have to cancel online for games after 2 years or don't want to spend money on new servers unless a big screw up occurs.

EA's massive size means they can survive a lot of screw ups and problems before seeing any real negative effects.

FIFA is the only game I tend to buy.

It's rather foolish to peg them as stupid. Gamers have demonstrated they will buy day one despite the shit EA pulls. It'd almost be stupid not to do what they do.

As VC said it is in fact a case to take up with consumers. Day-1 DLC sales like hotcakes, better than hotcakes even. So now everybody wants to do it (in some cases need to). So yeah, hollar at your peoples.

And I'm not sure where the fuck Bioware came from, I didn't mention them at all.

I'm largely opposed to the online-only requirement they've imposed on SimCity because they have a history of simply shutting down game servers after the game is no longer profitable. For a game like SimCity where a large portion of the 'hardcore' base spends months on cities, this is a huge detriment to the experience.

Plus the instability issues. In their defense, launches for games are always horrible (D3 anyone?), but it's still a pain in the ass to have to deal with server maintenance bullshit for a game that is largely single-player. I understand their desire to make it a sociable thing, sharing your region with others etc etc. And that's fine. Offer that service and have at it. But forcing it? Especially when SC players have historically been the type to tinker with their own creations and not like when others fuss with them.

Oh yes it's 100% a problem with a retarded consumer base. And it is indeed stupid to fault with EA for making sound business moves, no matter how heartless and dickehaded they are. I just wish the cunts would stop ruining franchises that are actually good. Can't they just be satisfied with releasing a new CoD game every 6 months and leave good developers alone?

Of course they can't, they don't even publish CoD :p

I have no issue with DLC in of itself. It's when a $60 game is shipped and it's blatantly obvious that they're milking it with an additional $20 worth of DLC that in all honesty should have been included in the core game. I mean, compare it to a game like Skyrim where, with no additional fee, can get you 80+ hours out of the box easily. Do you think EA would ever release a game of Skyrim's scope and size with no DLC?

As for Bioware, I was referring to the Mass Effect 3 debacle. But I suppose that still ties into EA being a bunch of money grubbing tools anyway since it was probably their decision.

Oh yeah, I forgot that EA and Activision aren't actually the same company trying to ruin gaming.

Activision is SLIGHTLY better than EA. They don't use online passes, don't kill off game servers a year after a game comes out, and most important, Activision didn't ruin Command & Conquer.

What?

Yes it's very obvious in most cases, we're lock step here.

We're talking two different business models here, adhering to two different kinds of gamers. Then there's the subjectivity of it all based on gamer perspective. For instance; Skyrim is shit ("imo"), and I got well over 80hrs of entertainment on any Battlefield game. Some could say the same phrase and add Need For Speed, Madden, fucking Sims.

I get what you're saying but you're saying it in a vacuum where all games are out to do the same thing and must adhere to some universal standard. It's just not like that.

Since what was their decision? I hear ME3 was alright and their DLC sales embolden them. A better example would be Dead Space 3.

Don't get me wrong; fuck EA, but let's not make a Saturday morning villain out of them. I really hate that response from gamers. Balance that shit.

agreed. Except the CoD bit, which someone already covered. I just mention it specifically because of STD calling them stupid.

And most other publishers do the same shit. People lament THQ going out of business, but they had the same practices.

So while it's dumb to blame EA, it's also dumb to blame them almost exclusively on the publisher end.

Also bear in mind it's not like EA and Activision swallows up these studios in a hostile takeover (not saying it never happens). But like how consumers make their bed, a lot of these guys sign the dotted line with free will.

There was a great episode of Ghost in the Shell that slightly dealt with the risk/reward of being funded for work that is ultimately not yours in the end. It's also why Bungie made the deal it did with Activision, who made a wise move to get on Bungie's good side.

THQ left us with the innovation of the $10 Online Pass. Didn't work out for them but their legacy lives on somewhat.

If only Maxis could go all Walter White on them and blow up half their face, I'd be content.

The CoD thing was supposed to be a somewhat subtle joke, alluding to the fact that they're both essentially the same type of monster

So long as you recognize fellow gamers being a part of the cancer.

And there was no talk of gamers owing something to companies. It's give and take, usually.

I say fuck EA in the same breath I say fuck that 'Gamestop Gamer' who pre-ordered DmC over a slick trailer.

Yeah, and at this point it's not like they don't know what the outcome is.


What I always find amusing is that people didn't seem to bitch much when THQ did it. EA tended to be more honest, too. Saw a lot of THQ games that did not advertise their online pass. Saw a lot of EA games that did.

I guess the moral of the story is...Lie if you want to be the good guy.

EA will cause the great industry crash of "insert year here".

EA will send out T-800s to ATMs to empty our bank accounts.

Actually, what the hell am I talking about, they can already do that with this guy...

They'd better hop to it. Fuckwits have been claiming that for over a decade now, and nothing's happened.

Industry crash my ass.

I wish more people would clarify that the AAA gaming model alone will likely implode leaving a gaping hole for other types of game production to flourish.

The only people calling for an industry wide crash are clowns who think all games are made and sold the exact same way.

this

in addition to their already popular sports franchises, they are now gonna start doing the UFC games due to THQ going bankrupt

At this point, even a "AAA" crash is unlikely.

EA makes the best games im playing crysis 3 and battlefield 3 right now. Also I like Origin more than steam