EA has been holding the spot as the best gaming company in the world ( based on money ) for a long time now, it is time to let other companies take that title. I don´t usually like rating a company without any proofs, however, it is kinda claer now that every company/title having EA as a publisher is being destoryed.
Otherwise, I kinda like Sony, I like their philosophy to be honest.
Unless I missed it...doesn't anyone blame the other company. Why is it always EA? Companies know what EA does.....but still sell out for the almighty dollar. Sure they start out with ideals and principles. Making games that they'd enjoy and listening to customer input. Games ...truly made by gamers for gamers.
Then Cha-ching...EA buys them... not at gunpoint.....and proceeds to maximize profit by piece-mealling every aspect of a game until it is ruined (or nearly ruined). EA does it for money...but the companies like Bioware were also sold for the money. I tend to blame the sell-outs myself. Everyone knows what EA is about these days....if they truly had any integrity..these "smaller" companies would sell for a bit less to a more reputable corporation..If there is one. One that won't mistreat a beloved name
OP point is the studios should be held at least as accountable for whatever degrade is being accused. It is their choice to sell and they know what they are getting into.
Unless I missed it...doesn't anyone blame the other company. Why is it always EA? Companies know what EA does.....but still sell out for the almighty dollar. Sure they start out with ideals and principles. Making games that they'd enjoy and taking cuatomer input. Gameing for the games sake.
Then Cha-ching...EA buys them... not at gunpoint.....and proceeds to maximize profit by piece-mealling every aspect of a game until it is ruined (or nearly ruined). EA does it for money...but the companies like Bioware were also sold for the money. I tend to blame the sell-outs myself. Everyone knows what EA is about these days....if they truly had any integrity..these "smaller" companies would sell for a bit less to a more reputable corporation..If there is one. One that won't mistreat a beloved name
You know, if I came up with an awesome game and EA said "we'll give you a bajillion dollars for your game" I would say...giddy up!
Then I would just go on to make yet another awesome game while EA burned my original one into the ground, and I would feel no guilt. I don't really see how you can blame the dude that sold his company to EA. Once he sells it, that's it...he's absolved of responsibility and EA takes it on. I doubt that anyone on this forum would not sell a company to EA if they offered them a crap-ton of money for it.
I mean, would you hold a gun merchant responsible if some dude bought a 9mm from him and then proceeded to murder 12 people?
Unless I missed it...doesn't anyone blame the other company. Why is it always EA? Companies know what EA does.....but still sell out for the almighty dollar. Sure they start out with ideals and principles. Making games that they'd enjoy and taking cuatomer input. Gameing for the games sake.
Then Cha-ching...EA buys them... not at gunpoint.....and proceeds to maximize profit by piece-mealling every aspect of a game until it is ruined (or nearly ruined). EA does it for money...but the companies like Bioware were also sold for the money. I tend to blame the sell-outs myself. Everyone knows what EA is about these days....if they truly had any integrity..these "smaller" companies would sell for a bit less to a more reputable corporation..If there is one. One that won't mistreat a beloved name
You know, if I came up with an awesome game and EA said "we'll give you a bajillion dollars for your game" I would say...giddy up!
Then I would just go on to make yet another awesome game while EA burned my original one into the ground, and I would feel no guilt. I don't really see how you can blame the dude that sold his company to EA. Once he sells it, that's it...he's absolved of responsibility and EA takes it on. I doubt that anyone on this forum would not sell a company to EA if they offered them a crap-ton of money for it.
I mean, would you hold a gun merchant responsible if some dude bought a 9mm from him and then proceeded to murder 12 people?
I'm fairly sure that EA puts several no-compete clauses in the fine print above the dotted line.
(I can't really see them retaining the people they have otherwise)
The above is my personal opinion. Anyone displaying a view contrary to my opinion is obviously WRONG and should STHU. (neener neener)
Unless I missed it...doesn't anyone blame the other company. Why is it always EA? Companies know what EA does.....but still sell out for the almighty dollar. Sure they start out with ideals and principles. Making games that they'd enjoy and taking cuatomer input. Gameing for the games sake.
Then Cha-ching...EA buys them... not at gunpoint.....and proceeds to maximize profit by piece-mealling every aspect of a game until it is ruined (or nearly ruined). EA does it for money...but the companies like Bioware were also sold for the money. I tend to blame the sell-outs myself. Everyone knows what EA is about these days....if they truly had any integrity..these "smaller" companies would sell for a bit less to a more reputable corporation..If there is one. One that won't mistreat a beloved name
You know, if I came up with an awesome game and EA said "we'll give you a bajillion dollars for your game" I would say...giddy up!
Then I would just go on to make yet another awesome game while EA burned my original one into the ground, and I would feel no guilt. I don't really see how you can blame the dude that sold his company to EA. Once he sells it, that's it...he's absolved of responsibility and EA takes it on. I doubt that anyone on this forum would not sell a company to EA if they offered them a crap-ton of money for it.
I mean, would you hold a gun merchant responsible if some dude bought a 9mm from him and then proceeded to murder 12 people?
Its all for money..that's the point. Sure "Maker X" can talk up a storm about integrity and make great games but if the price is right.... Fuck the gamers. Do I blame them..yes. Do I begrudge them...no.. EA buys companies for the same reason..to make money. Do I wish they'd stop..sure. Either way..the company purchased was gone when the original founders/owners decided the money was more important than the great name they built up over the years..that having "more money than now" over having "more than enough money to live better than most people" was enough to shit on your own creation by leaving it in less capable hands.
The gun merchant comparison doesnt even make much sense to me . I guess if a gun merchant who built a rep of going about his/her sales in a proper way just blindly sold to some joe blow snake-oil sales type who cut corners to gets guns into hands and make big cash. Making it easier for killers to get handguns....I might blame him..likely i'd blame both though only one would be liable were it to come to courtcase. Lets face it though....nothings dying except good video games in this discussion.
Unless I missed it...doesn't anyone blame the other company. Why is it always EA? Companies know what EA does.....but still sell out for the almighty dollar. Sure they start out with ideals and principles. Making games that they'd enjoy and taking cuatomer input. Gameing for the games sake.
Then Cha-ching...EA buys them... not at gunpoint.....and proceeds to maximize profit by piece-mealling every aspect of a game until it is ruined (or nearly ruined). EA does it for money...but the companies like Bioware were also sold for the money. I tend to blame the sell-outs myself. Everyone knows what EA is about these days....if they truly had any integrity..these "smaller" companies would sell for a bit less to a more reputable corporation..If there is one. One that won't mistreat a beloved name
You know, if I came up with an awesome game and EA said "we'll give you a bajillion dollars for your game" I would say...giddy up!
Then I would just go on to make yet another awesome game while EA burned my original one into the ground, and I would feel no guilt. I don't really see how you can blame the dude that sold his company to EA. Once he sells it, that's it...he's absolved of responsibility and EA takes it on. I doubt that anyone on this forum would not sell a company to EA if they offered them a crap-ton of money for it.
I mean, would you hold a gun merchant responsible if some dude bought a 9mm from him and then proceeded to murder 12 people?
I'm impressed. Like, in a financial sense. I for one, could never do this. Maybe because I still see making games as something of an art. I couldn't stomach it if I suspected they'd just ruin the game. I'd feel responsibility to my playerbase.
Also, I would hold both the developers who "sold out" and the gun merchant a little bit responsible. Of course not to the degree of the perpetrator, but still... a little bit. But, yeah, that's me.
On topic, the one that really pisses me off is Westwood. I just loved their games. Blade Runner, Dune games, Earth & Beyond... Pity.
There is nothing wrong in buying other smaller developers.
In case of EA though they have the habit to poke their nose on whatever the new aquired Studio are doing and messing things royally.
Just check EA victims, Westwood, Origin, Maxis, Bullfrog, Mythic, Bioware..................well Bioware is still alive technically but after Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 3 and SWTOR, I am not sure it will survive for long.
All those developers created classics, but as soon as they are bought by EA, they lose the magic touch, almost immediatelly.
Problem is that EA is headed by men in suits not gamers, they can't possibly conceive making any product without the thumbs up of the Marketing Department (who know better......) rather than giving the developers complete freedom.
I don't even know why Riccitello is still at the helm the ship, he should have been fired for what is doing to Bioware, I guess he will be after he kills it completely.
Im not one to defend bioware, they have never made a game I thought was decent, let alone fun. Their gameplay always leaves a lot to be desired, and their stories are on the level of bad fan fiction, but they didnt sell themselves to EA, or allow themselves to be sold to EA, the company that owned them along with pandemic studios (elevation partners) prior to EA sold both to EA. Neither Bioware nor pandemic exactly have a choice in the matter.
I do agree that EA has a horrible track record of buying companies and driving them into the ground, but part of that is because all the good talent leaves. Theres a surprisingly small amount of visionary talent to go around, most developers are b grade, or down right hacks, if EA buys a company, you can expect the A grade talent to move on at some point leaving the b grade and hacks behind to ruin the IPs that gamers have loved for years..
Unless I missed it...doesn't anyone blame the other company. Why is it always EA? Companies know what EA does.....but still sell out for the almighty dollar. Sure they start out with ideals and principles. Making games that they'd enjoy and listening to customer input. Games ...truly made by gamers for gamers.
Then Cha-ching...EA buys them... not at gunpoint.....and proceeds to maximize profit by piece-mealling every aspect of a game until it is ruined (or nearly ruined). EA does it for money...but the companies like Bioware were also sold for the money. I tend to blame the sell-outs myself. Everyone knows what EA is about these days....if they truly had any integrity..these "smaller" companies would sell for a bit less to a more reputable corporation..If there is one. One that won't mistreat a beloved name
I would blame anyone. It is a free world.
To be honest, if EA is paying enough, why wouldn't anyone take the money and run? Particularly if they are paid enough to be financially independence for hte rest of their lives. If they are creative, they can always do something else.
And if you do not like EA games, you don't have to buy/play them.
I'm not defending EA I'm trying to prove a point there's a difference and you moving the goalposts makes you arguement moot.
EA purchased Origin Systems in 1992 and produced multiple Ultima games including the Ultima Sandbox UO in 1997. Also when this arguement rears its head usually Origin are first on the list.
I have my favorite studios but once a publisher has them by the balls, I can't give them my complete support anymore.
With how big the video game industry has gotten it is hard to have much loyalty anymore. Except for some indies since they seem to deserve it and need it more.
I'm not defending EA I'm trying to prove a point there's a difference and you moving the goalposts makes you arguement moot.
EA purchased Origin Systems in 1992 and produced multiple Ultima games including the Ultima Sandbox UO in 1997. Also when this arguement rears its head usually Origin are first on the list.
You are the one moving the goalpost...all the way back to 1992...back when EA was almost exclusively a distributor.
Congrats. You found proof EA does not harm the companies it buys, thats +1 internets for you!
My whole thread is about companies EA has bought over the years and that means since they started aquiring studio's and you stating the last 8 years is moot. Players moan about Origin, Bullfrog, Westwood ect... all purchased in the 90's so I'll go back as far as I need too. And please calm down its only a videogame
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EA is a monolith albatross hanging round the neck of gaming. They epitomise the corporate mentality that has changed gaming from a genre run by enthusiasts and developers to one run by suits. EA was not always like this, it became a corporate concern and has then gone on to eat up nearly every other games studio that could be its rival. Unless you have huge resources behind you like Times-Warner or Sony you are on their hit list.
EA has taken over Bullfrog, Westwood, Lionhead, Origin, Maxis, Mythic, and Bioware to name a few. Do you think we now get from EA a gaming output as good as all those companies put together? So much has been lost to gaming to ensure EA’s next sequel is a best seller. In later years though their buisness stratergy did switch, less acquistion, more pumping out sequels.
EA’s contribution to uninnovative game play formula, dumbing down game play and the lowering of our expectation of good QA at launch is so huge it is hard to estimate.
John Riccitiello is EA’s CEO, he is the perfect example of what has gone wrong with those who lead the gaming industry. He had no gaming background and was parachuted in from a cleaning products company. This was the man who said (quotes from memory) “We will make our games so simple your mom could play them.” The man who crowed over instilling the mentality of an accountent in his lead developers. Making them think about money first, which is an executives job not a developers.
However, I am not saying they can’t make a good game, only that with such a change in company ethos they rarely do given their size and relativly large funding they have.
Below is a list of EA's main titles, they increasingly only do games which can be made into a series of course:
Battlefield series Burnout series Command & Conquer series Crysis series Dead Space series Dragon Age series FIFA series Fight Night series Harry Potter series Madden NFL series Mass Effect series Medal of Honor series NBA Live series NCAA Football series Need for Speed series NHL series Rock Band series SimCity series The Sims series Skate series SSX series
Now, you may think that’s a roll of honour, to me it’s a list of titles that one last gasp is being rung out of each year. With EA's overall score at Metacritic dropping the last few years you can see where a corporate ethos in game design leads you. To dead end titles and trash sequels.
EA killed some of my favorite studios and IPs over the years. They are the bad kind of bullying thug and wannabe monopoly. They buy out the competition, gut their studios, and merge what’s left with a local EA office thus killing what was special. The acquired IPs are locked behind closed doors, thrown away, to prevent competition with titles they have a pre-vested interest in spotlighting no matter the comparative quality. They turn their focus titles into uninspired, formula driven, and cliche ridden, rehashes aimed at making the easiest possible dollar without risk nor originality. Their employees are treated as a consumable resource rather than a renewable commodity. In order to combat public opinion, they actually have paid forum trolls that visit sites like this one and attack those who find their products and methods disagreeable.
EA is the worst company in America. That is not just “my” opinion. However, I wish they would hire me for one of their top tier office jobs. Just so I could throw my weight around too... But i'll not forgive them for gutting Westwood and turning C&C into the bad kind of cliche.
Below is a list of EA's main titles, they increasingly only do games which can be made into a series of course:
Battlefield series Burnout series Command & Conquer series Crysis series Dead Space series Dragon Age series FIFA series Fight Night series Harry Potter series Madden NFL series Mass Effect series Medal of Honor series NBA Live series NCAA Football series Need for Speed series NHL series Rock Band series SimCity series The Sims series Skate series SSX series
Now, you may think that’s a roll of honour, to me it’s a list of titles that one last gasp is being rung out of each year. With EA's overall score at Metacritic dropping the last few years you can see where a corporate ethos in game design leads you. To dead end titles and trash sequels.
What was wrong with the latest SSX? Or FIFA? Or The Sims? Or even BF3?
Didn't Dead Space start from EA?
This post makes zero logical sense but I guess when you are in 'rant mode' you rarely think logically.
Gdemami - Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
You don't give a company that you want to trash $200 million. Or whatever sum it was. People and sites have tossed out everything from 150ish to 500. Fact pretty much is EA wanted Bioware to become their Blizzard. Bioware dropped the ball.
The way Bioware treated their customers during the Mass Effect 3 ending showed that they had completely lost touch with their playerbase. I've probably only ever seen one other instance where any given forum became that active. Three to six pages back there were posts no older than 5 - 10 minutes, depending on what time of day it was. That went on for at least two weeks. I even made comments about it on this site. At a minimum it was three pages every 10 minutes of new threads/ replys. At peaks it was probably much higher than what I stated. Closer to 10 pages every 10 minutes. That was just in the spoilers allowed section of the ME3 boards. All the topics were about the ending!
How did Bioware respond? Entitled brats was the gist of it. It wasn't until much later that they decided to make the extended cut. I wouldn't doubt if EA told them that they had to make it. Casey was of the opinion that "It would blow over." "No problem here!"
Bioware put themselves in this position and it's time for them to pay the piper. EA has bought up studio's just to close them down. However that holds no water with Bioware. They gave Bioware a Blizzard sized budget. Their game has to go F2P to make ends meet only a few months out? Of course EA is going to clean house.
Man.. I sound like a EA fanbot or something and I'm really not. Just silly seeing the mindless rage blaming EA for Biowares screw up.
I don´t think EA did this to any studio on purpose. What they do however is making decisions and often bad decisions that eventually will sink any company,
"What was wrong with the latest SSX? Or FIFA? Or The Sims? Or even BF3?
Didn't Dead Space start from EA?
This post makes zero logical sense but I guess when you are in 'rant mode' you rarely think logically."
Like I said, in my 'EA is Evil' post (that made me smile), they do make some good games. Some of those you mentioned I think are rubbish but Dead Space is a fine game. But look at how much talent they have absorbed, how much money they are putting into their release. And I don't make up the critic reviews at Metacritic, they show a drop in quality.
EA are not evil, they are just ultra corporate and every gaming company is trying to catch up with them. Some of the East European gaming houses are more old school, run by people who love games. But they are getting the corporate ethos much quicker than I thought they would, so no long term hope there.
Mythic/DAoC is still going, but I tend to think it's cause they dug themselves an underground bunker, don't answer phones, eat only MRIs they get through air holes they dug to the surface.
Word is they will come out when someone nukes EA HQ. Only took em 4 years to get the homepage back up, they are cruising now! If they ever figure out how to switch servers without having to log out of the game...egads! the progress that could be had!
I have never complained about EA online before. In fact, I actually invested in them . . . and I really regret doing so. Not just because I've lost a lot of money, but because I didn't realize how fundamentally greedy this company seems to be . . . and least at present under their current leadership.
The thing is, in the old(er) days, the key to a successful company and making lots of money was in making a good product and treating your customers with respect. Those were the days when capitalism seemed the undisputed truth. But now days it seems like companies actually make money -- and in some cases MORE money -- by making their products fail or by making poor products. This phenomena is seen throughout the economy and it is seen in gaming as well. EA -- at least in recent years -- basically buy popular titles that have strong followings and then intentionally cut corners and produce the game cheap because they know they can turn a profit by riding the waves of the given title's reputation. In otherwords, actually trying to make a good product is -- in the short term -- a riskier investment than just making a cheap product that will sell because the title is popular. Of course, in the long term they kill the selling power of that title, but that is the thing . . . in recent years they SEEM primarily only concerned with the short term.
For example, I purchased a game through EA's digital download service, Origins, a few months back. I have an extremely fast internet connection and was looking forward to playing it after a short wait. Then they tell me I have to wait half a day because they selected me for a random security check. That is so incredibly annoying, I could have just gone to the local gamestop and been playing by now. So I contact customer support and asked them to cancel the order. NOOOOO . . . they won't do it. They actually prefered to get that extra cash from me in the short term than retain me as a customer in the long term. Of course, I will never buy any game from their online service again. But this just said so much about the philosophy at EA to me.
Bioware is not the Bioware we knew when Mass Effect 1, Baldurs Gate and Neverwinter Nights 1 were created. Bioware was merged with Mythic and they aquired all those no talent mindbots of EA. SWTOR might have been in development before EA took over. But when EA did take over Mythic devs who worked on WAR moved onto continue work on SWTOR.
Its like how Square-Enix is run now. Everyone loved Square when it was Squaresoft, there games were revolutionary to the RPG market delivering compelling story and character design. When they merged with ENIX, there was a lot of shifting in positions. Founder Miyamoto was no longer majority share holder and ENIX president Fukushima became Chairmain and majority share holder. Sakaguchi whom you all would know as the creator of the Final Fantasy series left Square just before the merger to Square-Enix.
So basically, just because the company still holds the name "Bioware" doesn't mean that is it the Bioware we used to know.
Mass Effect 1 wasn't all that. Go back and play it. Re-used planets. Same with structures. Horrible fps system. That dam buggy bouncing on generic planet number 2 . Chasing down generic satellite number 1 for the 20th time. All ME 1 had was story and that's it. The gameplay is average at best. ME 2 was a good step up with gameplay but still suffered from some other things. Then came ME 3. Pretty much on par with ME 2 until the ending. Bioware pretty much shit on everything we had been told story wise with God Child.
NWN was good. That one does hold up to the test of time. It plays just as good if not better than any of the games of that type currently released. Can't really say much for Baldurs Gate never played it.
Bioware is not the Bioware we knew when Mass Effect 1, Baldurs Gate and Neverwinter Nights 1 were created. Bioware was merged with Mythic and they aquired all those no talent mindbots of EA. SWTOR might have been in development before EA took over. But when EA did take over Mythic devs who worked on WAR moved onto continue work on SWTOR.
Its like how Square-Enix is run now. Everyone loved Square when it was Squaresoft, there games were revolutionary to the RPG market delivering compelling story and character design. When they merged with ENIX, there was a lot of shifting in positions. Founder Miyamoto was no longer majority share holder and ENIX president Fukushima became Chairmain and majority share holder. Sakaguchi whom you all would know as the creator of the Final Fantasy series left Square just before the merger to Square-Enix.
So basically, just because the company still holds the name "Bioware" doesn't mean that is it the Bioware we used to know.
Mass effect 1 wasn't all that. Go back and play it. Re-used planets. Same with structures. Horrible fps system. That dam buggy bouncing on generic planet number 2 . Chasing down generic satelite number 1 for the 20th time. All ME 1 had was story and that's it. The gameplay is average at best. ME 2 was a good step up with gameplay but still suffered from some other things. Then ME 3 pretty much on par with ME 2 until the ending. They pretty much shit on everything we had been told story wise with God Child.
NWN was good. That one does hold up to the test of time. It plays just as good if not better than any of the games of that type currently released. Can't really say much for Baldurs Gate never played it.
I loved NWN as a game, but TBH...I found the story dull. I liked the story in BG more. And the stories in Planescape Torment and the HotU and MotB expansions MUCH more.
Bioware is not the Bioware we knew when Mass Effect 1, Baldurs Gate and Neverwinter Nights 1 were created. Bioware was merged with Mythic and they aquired all those no talent mindbots of EA. SWTOR might have been in development before EA took over. But when EA did take over Mythic devs who worked on WAR moved onto continue work on SWTOR.
Its like how Square-Enix is run now. Everyone loved Square when it was Squaresoft, there games were revolutionary to the RPG market delivering compelling story and character design. When they merged with ENIX, there was a lot of shifting in positions. Founder Miyamoto was no longer majority share holder and ENIX president Fukushima became Chairmain and majority share holder. Sakaguchi whom you all would know as the creator of the Final Fantasy series left Square just before the merger to Square-Enix.
So basically, just because the company still holds the name "Bioware" doesn't mean that is it the Bioware we used to know.
Mass Effect 1 wasn't all that. Go back and play it. Re-used planets. Same with structures. Horrible fps system. That dam buggy bouncing on generic planet number 2 . Chasing down generic satellite number 1 for the 20th time. All ME 1 had was story and that's it. The gameplay is average at best. ME 2 was a good step up with gameplay but still suffered from some other things. Then came ME 3. Pretty much on par with ME 2 until the ending. Bioware pretty much shit on everything we had been told story wise with God Child.
NWN was good. That one does hold up to the test of time. It plays just as good if not better than any of the games of that type currently released. Can't really say much for Baldurs Gate never played it.
I agree to some point as I've always felt Bioware's games were never the most polished products but they always had that certain something that put them above other comapnies games. But your post does higlight the way players build games up in their heads from the actual reality. I'm playing ME1 again and will buy 2 & 3 eventually ( so please guys no spoilers especially for 3) as I didn't really get ME1 the first time and I'm enjoying it second time around but it does have problems that have been glossed over over the years to put it up in the lap of the Gods this has happened with Diablo 2 x10 as well and thus the fallout with Diablo 3.
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Comments
EA has been holding the spot as the best gaming company in the world ( based on money ) for a long time now, it is time to let other companies take that title. I don´t usually like rating a company without any proofs, however, it is kinda claer now that every company/title having EA as a publisher is being destoryed.
Otherwise, I kinda like Sony, I like their philosophy to be honest.
Unless I missed it...doesn't anyone blame the other company. Why is it always EA? Companies know what EA does.....but still sell out for the almighty dollar. Sure they start out with ideals and principles. Making games that they'd enjoy and listening to customer input. Games ...truly made by gamers for gamers.
Then Cha-ching...EA buys them... not at gunpoint.....and proceeds to maximize profit by piece-mealling every aspect of a game until it is ruined (or nearly ruined). EA does it for money...but the companies like Bioware were also sold for the money. I tend to blame the sell-outs myself. Everyone knows what EA is about these days....if they truly had any integrity..these "smaller" companies would sell for a bit less to a more reputable corporation..If there is one. One that won't mistreat a beloved name
You know, if I came up with an awesome game and EA said "we'll give you a bajillion dollars for your game" I would say...giddy up!
Then I would just go on to make yet another awesome game while EA burned my original one into the ground, and I would feel no guilt. I don't really see how you can blame the dude that sold his company to EA. Once he sells it, that's it...he's absolved of responsibility and EA takes it on. I doubt that anyone on this forum would not sell a company to EA if they offered them a crap-ton of money for it.
I mean, would you hold a gun merchant responsible if some dude bought a 9mm from him and then proceeded to murder 12 people?
Are you team Azeroth, team Tyria, or team Jacob?
I'm fairly sure that EA puts several no-compete clauses in the fine print above the dotted line.
(I can't really see them retaining the people they have otherwise)
The above is my personal opinion. Anyone displaying a view contrary to my opinion is obviously WRONG and should STHU. (neener neener)
-The MMO Forum Community
Its all for money..that's the point. Sure "Maker X" can talk up a storm about integrity and make great games but if the price is right.... Fuck the gamers. Do I blame them..yes. Do I begrudge them...no.. EA buys companies for the same reason..to make money. Do I wish they'd stop..sure. Either way..the company purchased was gone when the original founders/owners decided the money was more important than the great name they built up over the years..that having "more money than now" over having "more than enough money to live better than most people" was enough to shit on your own creation by leaving it in less capable hands.
The gun merchant comparison doesnt even make much sense to me . I guess if a gun merchant who built a rep of going about his/her sales in a proper way just blindly sold to some joe blow snake-oil sales type who cut corners to gets guns into hands and make big cash. Making it easier for killers to get handguns....I might blame him..likely i'd blame both though only one would be liable were it to come to courtcase. Lets face it though....nothings dying except good video games in this discussion.
I'm impressed. Like, in a financial sense. I for one, could never do this. Maybe because I still see making games as something of an art. I couldn't stomach it if I suspected they'd just ruin the game. I'd feel responsibility to my playerbase.
Also, I would hold both the developers who "sold out" and the gun merchant a little bit responsible. Of course not to the degree of the perpetrator, but still... a little bit. But, yeah, that's me.
On topic, the one that really pisses me off is Westwood. I just loved their games. Blade Runner, Dune games, Earth & Beyond... Pity.
There is nothing wrong in buying other smaller developers.
In case of EA though they have the habit to poke their nose on whatever the new aquired Studio are doing and messing things royally.
Just check EA victims, Westwood, Origin, Maxis, Bullfrog, Mythic, Bioware..................well Bioware is still alive technically but after Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 3 and SWTOR, I am not sure it will survive for long.
All those developers created classics, but as soon as they are bought by EA, they lose the magic touch, almost immediatelly.
Problem is that EA is headed by men in suits not gamers, they can't possibly conceive making any product without the thumbs up of the Marketing Department (who know better......) rather than giving the developers complete freedom.
I don't even know why Riccitello is still at the helm the ship, he should have been fired for what is doing to Bioware, I guess he will be after he kills it completely.
I do agree that EA has a horrible track record of buying companies and driving them into the ground, but part of that is because all the good talent leaves. Theres a surprisingly small amount of visionary talent to go around, most developers are b grade, or down right hacks, if EA buys a company, you can expect the A grade talent to move on at some point leaving the b grade and hacks behind to ruin the IPs that gamers have loved for years..
I would blame anyone. It is a free world.
To be honest, if EA is paying enough, why wouldn't anyone take the money and run? Particularly if they are paid enough to be financially independence for hte rest of their lives. If they are creative, they can always do something else.
And if you do not like EA games, you don't have to buy/play them.
You are the one moving the goalpost...all the way back to 1992...back when EA was almost exclusively a distributor.
Congrats. You found proof EA does not harm the companies it buys, thats +1 internets for you!
I have my favorite studios but once a publisher has them by the balls, I can't give them my complete support anymore.
With how big the video game industry has gotten it is hard to have much loyalty anymore. Except for some indies since they seem to deserve it and need it more.
My whole thread is about companies EA has bought over the years and that means since they started aquiring studio's and you stating the last 8 years is moot. Players moan about Origin, Bullfrog, Westwood ect... all purchased in the 90's so I'll go back as far as I need too. And please calm down its only a videogame
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EA is a monolith albatross hanging round the neck of gaming. They epitomise the corporate mentality that has changed gaming from a genre run by enthusiasts and developers to one run by suits. EA was not always like this, it became a corporate concern and has then gone on to eat up nearly every other games studio that could be its rival. Unless you have huge resources behind you like Times-Warner or Sony you are on their hit list.
EA has taken over Bullfrog, Westwood, Lionhead, Origin, Maxis, Mythic, and Bioware to name a few. Do you think we now get from EA a gaming output as good as all those companies put together? So much has been lost to gaming to ensure EA’s next sequel is a best seller. In later years though their buisness stratergy did switch, less acquistion, more pumping out sequels.
EA’s contribution to uninnovative game play formula, dumbing down game play and the lowering of our expectation of good QA at launch is so huge it is hard to estimate.
John Riccitiello is EA’s CEO, he is the perfect example of what has gone wrong with those who lead the gaming industry. He had no gaming background and was parachuted in from a cleaning products company. This was the man who said (quotes from memory) “We will make our games so simple your mom could play them.” The man who crowed over instilling the mentality of an accountent in his lead developers. Making them think about money first, which is an executives job not a developers.
However, I am not saying they can’t make a good game, only that with such a change in company ethos they rarely do given their size and relativly large funding they have.
Below is a list of EA's main titles, they increasingly only do games which can be made into a series of course:
Battlefield series
Burnout series
Command & Conquer series
Crysis series
Dead Space series
Dragon Age series
FIFA series
Fight Night series
Harry Potter series
Madden NFL series
Mass Effect series
Medal of Honor series
NBA Live series
NCAA Football series
Need for Speed series
NHL series
Rock Band series
SimCity series
The Sims series
Skate series
SSX series
Now, you may think that’s a roll of honour, to me it’s a list of titles that one last gasp is being rung out of each year. With EA's overall score at Metacritic dropping the last few years you can see where a corporate ethos in game design leads you. To dead end titles and trash sequels.
EA killed some of my favorite studios and IPs over the years. They are the bad kind of bullying thug and wannabe monopoly. They buy out the competition, gut their studios, and merge what’s left with a local EA office thus killing what was special. The acquired IPs are locked behind closed doors, thrown away, to prevent competition with titles they have a pre-vested interest in spotlighting no matter the comparative quality. They turn their focus titles into uninspired, formula driven, and cliche ridden, rehashes aimed at making the easiest possible dollar without risk nor originality. Their employees are treated as a consumable resource rather than a renewable commodity. In order to combat public opinion, they actually have paid forum trolls that visit sites like this one and attack those who find their products and methods disagreeable.
EA is the worst company in America. That is not just “my” opinion. However, I wish they would hire me for one of their top tier office jobs. Just so I could throw my weight around too... But i'll not forgive them for gutting Westwood and turning C&C into the bad kind of cliche.
What was wrong with the latest SSX? Or FIFA? Or The Sims? Or even BF3?
Didn't Dead Space start from EA?
This post makes zero logical sense but I guess when you are in 'rant mode' you rarely think logically.
Gdemami -
Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
I don´t think EA did this to any studio on purpose. What they do however is making decisions and often bad decisions that eventually will sink any company,
Honestly, I think gamers are to blame. NOt EA, not the sellouts.
It's the suckers who buy those shitty games of EA. It's the suckers who buy the 'each year a new game' crap.
And I won't see this trend changing for a very long time as every minute, a sucker is born to replenish the pool of fools.
In a sense, it's almost charity that EA is robbing idiots of money so they can't waste it on other things...
Guess I have to give up my hobby as cash corrupted it.
Mythic/DAoC is still going, but I tend to think it's cause they dug themselves an underground bunker, don't answer phones, eat only MRIs they get through air holes they dug to the surface.
Word is they will come out when someone nukes EA HQ. Only took em 4 years to get the homepage back up, they are cruising now! If they ever figure out how to switch servers without having to log out of the game...egads! the progress that could be had!
I have never complained about EA online before. In fact, I actually invested in them . . . and I really regret doing so. Not just because I've lost a lot of money, but because I didn't realize how fundamentally greedy this company seems to be . . . and least at present under their current leadership.
The thing is, in the old(er) days, the key to a successful company and making lots of money was in making a good product and treating your customers with respect. Those were the days when capitalism seemed the undisputed truth. But now days it seems like companies actually make money -- and in some cases MORE money -- by making their products fail or by making poor products. This phenomena is seen throughout the economy and it is seen in gaming as well. EA -- at least in recent years -- basically buy popular titles that have strong followings and then intentionally cut corners and produce the game cheap because they know they can turn a profit by riding the waves of the given title's reputation. In otherwords, actually trying to make a good product is -- in the short term -- a riskier investment than just making a cheap product that will sell because the title is popular. Of course, in the long term they kill the selling power of that title, but that is the thing . . . in recent years they SEEM primarily only concerned with the short term.
For example, I purchased a game through EA's digital download service, Origins, a few months back. I have an extremely fast internet connection and was looking forward to playing it after a short wait. Then they tell me I have to wait half a day because they selected me for a random security check. That is so incredibly annoying, I could have just gone to the local gamestop and been playing by now. So I contact customer support and asked them to cancel the order. NOOOOO . . . they won't do it. They actually prefered to get that extra cash from me in the short term than retain me as a customer in the long term. Of course, I will never buy any game from their online service again. But this just said so much about the philosophy at EA to me.
"shitty games of EA" .. that is over-generalization.
Dead Space is a good game. It was fun. Crtiics agree. I do not see any reason not to play it, and i enjoy every min of it.
Mass Effect 1 wasn't all that. Go back and play it. Re-used planets. Same with structures. Horrible fps system. That dam buggy bouncing on generic planet number 2 . Chasing down generic satellite number 1 for the 20th time. All ME 1 had was story and that's it. The gameplay is average at best. ME 2 was a good step up with gameplay but still suffered from some other things. Then came ME 3. Pretty much on par with ME 2 until the ending. Bioware pretty much shit on everything we had been told story wise with God Child.
NWN was good. That one does hold up to the test of time. It plays just as good if not better than any of the games of that type currently released. Can't really say much for Baldurs Gate never played it.
I loved NWN as a game, but TBH...I found the story dull. I liked the story in BG more. And the stories in Planescape Torment and the HotU and MotB expansions MUCH more.
Are you team Azeroth, team Tyria, or team Jacob?
I agree to some point as I've always felt Bioware's games were never the most polished products but they always had that certain something that put them above other comapnies games. But your post does higlight the way players build games up in their heads from the actual reality. I'm playing ME1 again and will buy 2 & 3 eventually ( so please guys no spoilers especially for 3) as I didn't really get ME1 the first time and I'm enjoying it second time around but it does have problems that have been glossed over over the years to put it up in the lap of the Gods this has happened with Diablo 2 x10 as well and thus the fallout with Diablo 3.
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