Future EA products, what is your choice?

[JimboUK]

I won't buy EA products any more, gaming is supposed to be fun, it stops being that when you have to put up with crap the likes of EA and Ubisoft throw at you.

[hector530]

EA is giving out the ME3 multiplayer DLC for free. i guess they do want to change their image

 

[Thoreai]

I wonder though if they are doing that because they feel they crossed the line or just so they can start to test the patience of their costumers again, i guess the answer is clear to that.

 

Im pretty sure of one thing though, no games with their trademark are going to see my wallet.

[amycus]

I'm certainly never pre-ordering an EA game again, and I skip games that requires origin with no other alternatives, at least until they remove the requirement, or until they update their ToS to be less intrusive.

 

Didn't buy ME3 because of that, and judging from the rage over the ending, it was apparently a wise decision.

I will just watch a playthough on youtube instead.

[Handofbane]

Over reaction considering that there were plenty of other contenders that deserve that title more than EA. I wonder how many people will realise that the whole Origins thing, is pretty much the same thing that happend with Valve in 2004? Or the fact that there are tons of statistical errors when it come to "Worst Company of the Year"? Which is a popularity contest rather than something that is logiclly sound.

 

Also hasn't anyone noticed why Forbes is been hitting hard while other sites (especially major gaming site) haven't been this hard? Could it be that Forbes is actually using you to stay relevent? Because it surely feels that way, considering that they are a major mainstream site for business. There isn't any balanced approch to this reporting and sticks of popularism, just like the "Worst Company of the Year" awards. EA will sail through this, they are in a good position to. This will go away and enerything will be normal in a few years time.

 

If it feels like I'm defending them, then I'm really sorry that you feel that way because I'm not backing down. If you hate EA, then don't buy their games and move on, I'm sure that there are other publishers out there that can make you happy. Also Thor, a boycot has never worked, look at MW2 and ME3's sales, if a boycot has worked, the numbers would be significantly weaker.

 

If you are asking if I will buy their games, the simple answer is that if their games don't suit me anymore, then I'll move to another publisher.

Well, they may try to sail through this, but it has had a very visible effect beyond just media noise from both sides: take a look at their stocks. If you pay close attention, they went from 16.65 a share before the poll was made official down to about 16.25 a share and have been barely keeping it from sinking lower ever since. I know that may not sound like a big deal, but when you consider the sheer number of shares involved (over 331 million), that means they have taken an incredible loss of almost $130 million dollars in the past couple days. Many investors have lost confidence, and took the poll as the final straw before dumping what stocks they owned, it will take some serious effort and planning for EA to come back from this, especially when you look even further back to their high of over $25 a share back in November (that amusingly enough a major drop came not long after the release of SWTOR in late December/early January).

 

So, yes EA may "sail through" this, and survive the losses... but you need to ask yourself what the real cost will be when they start making more cuts at the expense of their owned developers rather than internally where they are really needed. Still looking for some confirmed links, but I have seen the number tossed around that they spent close to $800 million just on marketing this past year.

 

Edit: math fail

[sendo75]

Thank you all for voting and sharing. It is hopeful to see prudence in gamers despite the evils of commercialism. I respect the peeps that can forego a part of their entertainment to prove a point and I also see wisdom in compromising by waiting for discounted offers. This mini poll may not represent the entire community but it gives a good preview of what other gamers are thinking.

 

I agree with Handofbane, EA can "survive" but from here on, it is up to them to rebuild consumer/shareholder confidence. Admitting their failure at this point will only make it harder for them to answer to shareholders, so they will continue to fake their "success" for as long as they can.

 

This announcement of the limited period free DLC is an indication of how bad it is, yet they still wish to earn money whenever possible after this limited period, I can only pity those who support the ME series after this period. And the verdict on this DLC is still unknown. If it satisfies and quells the rage, great for everyone. If it doesn't, I can only imagine but I am sure at least a good amount of consumers will more critical than ever.

Edited April 7, 2012 by sendo75

[Gracinfields]

Sendo nice to see that someone else believes that some gamers can still stick to their guns when it comes to saying no to game companies. I took part in the BF3 protest against the pre-order DLC that made one gun and a couple attachments and an ammo type exclusive to a couple retailers. I also have been avoiding all Call of Duty games back when CoD 1 came out I saw it as a cheap rip off of the Medal of Honor series. As for boycotting EA that over all is a little difficult due to how wide far they have spread thanks to their indie partnership programs, and they still have DICE and Danger Close (the new holder of the Medal of Honor franchise) neither of which has done anything to tick me off yet. But as I said before if Bioware totaly screws up the extended cut I am done with Bioware even Bioware/Victory Games (C&C franchise holder). However if Bioware pretty much explains the endings that fills the plot holes and continueity issues in ME3s ending then I might buy their products still but not with out very very careful consideration and checking with several sources. Now if it has a game play element like broken steel which does answer the issue I will still be tick but not as bad. But which ever happens either approval options will leave Bioware having to regain my trust before getting anymore day one purchases from me again.

[ub3rman123]

After seeing how they react to this, I'm not going to be buying anything that says EA or any of their subsidiaries on the label. Umm.. Does Neverwinter Nights count?

[amycus]

After seeing how they react to this, I'm not going to be buying anything that says EA or any of their subsidiaries on the label. Umm.. Does Neverwinter Nights count?

Isnt NWN published by Atari?

I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that EA doesnt get any money from the NWN sales.

Edited April 8, 2012 by amycus

[Gracinfields]

Yea that is why Bioware made Dragon Age instead of BG3 as Atari wasn't going to share the Licence to use the D&D combat system.