Why Do People Hate EA?

[ChAiNz.2da]

I am not one of those free-market fundamentalists who shrugs and says ‘if you don’t like it, don’t buy it’. In my view, brands have a hard-wired moral responsibility towards their fans to behave in a way that is respectful....

 

Unfortunately EA is slightly different, and this is the second reason for the hate. EA is the only company where you can buy Madden. Mass Effect, Battlefield, Need For Speed. Those games all have competitors, but you are invested in these particular games because they have stories and characters and modes that you care about. So the ‘don’t buy it’ mantra makes way less sense. This is a phenomenon that works equally well with, say, George Lucas. If you want a different sort of Star Wars movie, you’re kind of powerless.

 

Source

 

Pretty interesting read. Actually, a darn good one to be honest. Got some lightbulbs fizzling on in my head at least Covers a lot of avenues, including the love-to-be-hated DLC trend.

 

Not a long article, but probably enough for a TL;DR warning if you're REALLY a lazy reader.

[mimartin]

Reason, We don't need no stinking reasons to hate EA.

 

Good read.

 

I hate spell check on the iphone worse

[Achilles]

I think the only EA (dev and published) game I've ever played is The Godfather. The boring, monotonous, ripped-off-from-some-other-franchise gameplay fit nicely with every stereotype I'd ever heard used when discussing EA. ME2 and ME3 were given a pass because ME2 was already mostly done when Bioware was acquired and I couldn't not play ME3. Otherwise, I have enough evidence to support the claim that EA sucks and, as such, avoid their games.

[ChAiNz.2da]

Well, I can definitely be counted as one of those in the "Hate Origin" camp. I don't even use the service (admitted Steam fanboi here).. however just having to deal with them regarding the ToR giveaway we did a few months ago was mind numbing at best. Left a very bad experience in its wake.. so I don't see myself converting to it anytime soon. If I absolutely must buy an EA game (read: a Bioware game.. hehe) it will be a hard copy (PC), or Xbox Live Market

 

I've "worked" a lot of systems before, but nothing like the circles I had to run for Origin. What a nightmare.

 

Dear EA/Origin.. add gifting for pete's sake! Not exactly rocket science. Better yet, offer your games on the estabished, and far superior, Steam platform.

[stoffe]

Dear EA/Origin.. add gifting for pete's sake! Not exactly rocket science. Better yet, offer your games on the estabished, and far superior, Steam platform.

 

I'm not particularly fond of either service since they both push the disturbing trend of late that you need an active internet connection to play offline singleplayer games.

 

But at least Origin lets you choose if you wish to update/patch a game, unlike Steam. That's my #1 pet hate of Steam, that it auto-updates games whether you want to or not with no way to opt out short of permanently running it in offline mode.

[ChAiNz.2da]

But at least Origin lets you choose if you wish to update/patch a game, unlike Steam. That's my #1 pet hate of Steam, that it auto-updates games whether you want to or not with no way to opt out short of permanently running it in offline mode.

You should be able to disable it. I have all of my games to not auto-update (though I admit Skyrim glitched and STILL updated even after telling it not to).

 

If you have a problem with the setting sticking (another Steam problem I agree with you about.. hehe) disable the auto-update then run the game by the .exe itself. Should only have to do it once. The setting should stick after that.

[Alexrd]

I am not one of those free-market fundamentalists who shrugs and says ‘if you don’t like it, don’t buy it’. In my view, brands have a hard-wired moral responsibility towards their fans to behave in a way that is respectful....

 

Unfortunately EA is slightly different, and this is the second reason for the hate. EA is the only company where you can buy Madden. Mass Effect, Battlefield, Need For Speed. Those games all have competitors, but you are invested in these particular games because they have stories and characters and modes that you care about. So the ‘don’t buy it’ mantra makes way less sense. This is a phenomenon that works equally well with, say, George Lucas. If you want a different sort of Star Wars movie, you’re kind of powerless.

 

I completely disagree and don't even know where to begin. EA (or any other company, for that matter) doesn't have any obligation to make games to someone' specific taste. Indeed, it's all about "don't like it? don't buy it". The consumer most powerful weapon is their own wallet. That's what decides what kind of games are released. If people hate a game so much and end up buying it (or pirate), it only proves it has some value to them, and that it's worth something after all.

 

And that comparison with Lucas is pure nonsense. If you don't like the movies that exist, don't buy them. It's as simple as that. George is under no obligation to do anything for anyone.

[mimartin]

You should be able to disable it. I have all of my games to not auto-update (though I admit Skyrim glitched and STILL updated even after telling it not to).

I get that same glitch with Skyrim, with Fallout:NV.... I turn off auto-update, but Steam seems to know better than me and turn it back on with every game.

 

Still I like Steam better than Origin...I'd as soon pull out my eyeballs with my toes as to install or uninstall Origin again.

[Dread Advocate]

I get that same glitch with Skyrim, with Fallout:NV.... I turn off auto-update, but Steam seems to know better than me and turn it back on with every game.

 

Still I like Steam better than Origin...I'd as soon pull out my eyeballs with my toes as to install or uninstall Origin again.

 

I'm guessing it's beyond a Herculean task to remove Origin once you got it?

[Miltiades]

I get that same glitch with Skyrim, with Fallout:NV.... I turn off auto-update, but Steam seems to know better than me and turn it back on with every game.

 

Still I like Steam better than Origin...I'd as soon pull out my eyeballs with my toes as to install or uninstall Origin again.

Steam does that to me as well, sometimes. Really annoying. I also have had the problem of not being able to play a game because I had no internet (Bastion - Don't know why, it doesn't have multiplayer...). But most of the time, Steam does its job, though.

 

The whole discussion concerning user privacy surrounding the announcement of the Origin platform has me scared still. Not that it'd matter, I think it crazy to have two downloadable platforms to manage at once, so I'd rather steer clear of Origin if I have to. I don't really buy EA games anyway (and if I want one, I'm gonna wait for a Steam release or not buy them at all).

 

Not that I think EA alone deserves the "hate". Activision is definitely up there, and Ubi's DRM is atrocious.

[Lynk Former]

I never really hated EA to begin with but I never bought a game developed or published until a few years ago actually...

 

The first EA game I bought was The Godfather: Blackhand Edition for Wii... if I had played the original version I probably wouldn't have liked it, but when you can choke, punch and throw people into oncoming traffic with Wiimote gestures, the game becomes something entirely more awesome.

 

The second was Dead Space... which is awesome. There's a lot of sucky things that come out of EA, sure, but there are also plenty of good things too. If it weren't for EA, Dead Space wouldn't exist and I'm thankful they've powered on through with the entire franchise and given it their full support.

 

As for video game companies have a responsibility to its fans or whatever the hell it is people think. They don't have a responsibility to do anything. All any video game developers/publisher thinks of is profit because without it they can't possibly exist. Even the ones you THINK care about you actually DON'T. You so want them to that you've convinced yourself that they do...

[Alexrd]

As for video game companies have a responsibility to its fans or whatever the hell it is people think. They don't have a responsibility to do anything. All any video game developers/publisher thinks of is profit because without it they can't possibly exist. Even the ones you THINK care about you actually DON'T. You so want them to that you've convinced yourself that they do...

 

Exactly. It's as if they are trying to find an excuse for hating EA and liking their games at the same time. Hipocrisy, that's what it is.

[jawathehutt]

I'm not particularly fond of either service since they both push the disturbing trend of late that you need an active internet connection to play offline singleplayer games.

 

But at least Origin lets you choose if you wish to update/patch a game, unlike Steam. That's my #1 pet hate of Steam, that it auto-updates games whether you want to or not with no way to opt out short of permanently running it in offline mode.

I rarely have issues not being able to play games offline, usually the only times are when games require Games For Windows, and disable the ability to save or load when not connected to their servers *cough* red faction guerrilla *cough*

[Dread Advocate]

I rarely have issues not being able to play games offline, usually the only times are when games require Games For Windows, and disable the ability to save or load when not connected to their servers *cough* red faction guerrilla *cough*

 

Fallout 3 and Halo 2 have the same issue.

[stoffe]

You should be able to disable it. I have all of my games to not auto-update (though I admit Skyrim glitched and STILL updated even after telling it not to).

 

You can't. Unfortunately the mislabeled "Do not auto-update" option really means "do not auto-update until the next time Steam is started", at which point it will do so no matter what (and change the setting back to the default value) unless you're in Offline Mode. It's in the Steam rules that its managed products always should be updated to the latest release version, because Valve knows what is best for you (even if it messes up your game in the process due to mod/patch incompatibilities like in Skyrim, or if it starts a 1 hour download when you had half an hour to spare wanting to play a game).

[Darth Avlectus]

On 1up there was some article about why japan's "breaking up" from western [read: American] audiences. This is from my memory. IIRC there were 2 main reasons.

 

1) Unappreciated or under-appreciated. I suspect largely cultural differences and player predispositions.

 

2) Players have spoken with their money. Among the companies which managed to capture a sizable chunk of the market of recent years, EA was mentioned.

 

If true, then it isn't too far out of the realm to believe that the rival Japanese game media companies would loathe EA. Though I don't see mainstream companies like Capcom leaving Western markets anytime soon, frankly.

 

 

 

Personal history with EA, I have no reason to 'hate' them. They just don't produce the kinds of games I'm into. At least not often enough or I am late to "discover" them.

 

I bought WCW mayhem, and backstage assault...or backstage brawl or something. For PS1, however many years ago that was. Probably at least 10 years. At the time it was on sale and let's face it , there was nothing better at the time than ripping a urinal out of a wall to beat the living crap out of your opponents with it. I try to play it now and it gives me a headache.

 

That was pretty much it for quite awhile. Then I bought KOTOR in either '05 or '06 I think.

 

Then bought SWTOR last year. Discovered Dead Space this year. A friend has been trying to get me to play Dragon Age but I'm not really interested.

 

If the trooper storyline in TOR is good, I might get Mass Effect, though I doubt it. Has about the same appeal to me as SpaceCraft did years ago, and I didn't stick with it.

[Lynk Former]

There is no animosity between the Japanese and western developers (or media companies) and there's no basis to even believe this considering the fact that Japanese and western developer work together quite often.

 

You also have to take into account that games are a lot more complex nowadays than they were back in the sprite and text based era. Localising a game takes a lot more time and money which is why quite a lot of games from Japan simply don't make it outside of the country with only the big name ones having their chance. It's pretty much why Nintendo of America felt that there was no point in releasing Xenoblade Chronicles in North America and the only reason why they did it was cause Nintendo of Europe fronted the bill for the localisation of the game and took the risk (which paid off btw).

 

Heading back to the whole east vs west concept and what I said in previous posts, there is a relationship between developers in Asia and in western based ones, and if there's money to be made cooperating then they'll definitely do it. Just look at Shadows of the Damned which was developed by Suda51's studio, Grasshopper Manufacture and published by EA.

 

FYI, it also costs a lot of money to localise English based games to Japanese which is why a lot of the time they just don't bother... the difference is that they still end up importing the game unlocalised because a lot of folks in Japan still end up knowing enough English to play the game anyway... (better than what most of us can do lol)...

 

 

 

 

Anyway, I've been going through the games that I've bought that are published by EA and most of it is Dead Space and BioWare related... which is fine with me lol, bring on more Dead Space!

[Darth Avlectus]

There is no animosity between the Japanese and western developers (or media companies) and there's no basis to even believe this considering the fact that Japanese and western developer work together quite often.

 

Okay...? I was trying not to TL;DR but it obviously needs clarification.

 

With "loathe" I was speaking less at animosity and more at being seen as a challenge to batten down the hatches and try even harder (or perhaps smarter as you pointed out further down). Sorry for any misunderstanding here. That's what I meant with companies like Capcom not backing away. Just not happening--Period. Japanese are particularly tenacious and gritty. History and personal experience speaking.

 

You also have to take into account that games are a lot more complex nowadays than they were back in the sprite and text based era. Localising a game takes a lot more time and money which is why quite a lot of games from Japan simply don't make it outside of the country with only the big name ones having their chance. It's pretty much why Nintendo of America felt that there was no point in releasing Xenoblade Chronicles in North America and the only reason why they did it was cause Nintendo of Europe fronted the bill for the localisation of the game and took the risk (which paid off btw).

Wasn't really disputing any of that. Though that does explain things better than an article that claims some companies are sick of reaching out to audiences that consistently don't appreciate some aspects of their products. A vague claim but not entirely unreasonable. I'm far from multi-culturally sensitive but some of the crap the west does is kinda disrespectful. Seems like it. Still, part of that just comes with the territory.

 

Heading back to the whole east vs west concept and what I said in previous posts, there is a relationship between developers in Asia and in western based ones, and if there's money to be made cooperating then they'll definitely do it. Just look at Shadows of the Damned which was developed by Suda51's studio, Grasshopper Manufacture and published by EA.

That's the 'working smarter' aspect of it.

 

Guess I'll have a look at those titles in the mean time.

 

FYI, it also costs a lot of money to localise English based games to Japanese which is why a lot of the time they just don't bother... the difference is that they still end up importing the game unlocalised because a lot of folks in Japan still end up knowing enough English to play the game anyway... (better than what most of us can do lol)...

 

The impression I got wasn't that they disliked American games so much because of the language barrier (obviously hardcore game aficionados aren't bothered as you pointed out), as just...they (Japanese) don't like the games because either the games lack substance and polish, or the audience just simply doesn't get it. (Yeah I hear that. I have a game that plays like Zelda but is untranslated so I can't get very far...IIRC I got Link's awakening at that same garage sale.)

 

The 'not getting it' problem seems to be a mutual one. Ah but here I am talking out of my ass from memory or lack thereof.

[Lynk Former]

Firstly: "American games"... *sigh*

 

I guess I just don't see what you're talking about because Australian gamers consistently buy into both western and Asian developed games pretty equally with one never outweighing the other in sales or popularity.

[mimartin]

Firstly: "American games"... *sigh*

Men and women fought and died to give us the right to be the greatest game manufacturer in the world. We are #1 in everything, don't believe it, ask an American.

 

 

Joke - in case you don't know I'm full of it.

 

[Prime]

or if it starts a 1 hour download when you had half an hour to spare wanting to play a game).

That happend with me the first time I played Shogun 2, which was some time after the release. I was going to give it a quick try only to find out I had 1.5 gig of patches to download and it wouldn't let me play without it. Argh!

[Darth Avlectus]

Ah, found it.

 

http://www.1up.com/features/japanese-games-breaking-west

 

Gamer taste in both regions underwent a massive sea change in recent years. While the slow takeover of the AAA console space by former PC heavy-hitting franchises, genres and studios like Fallout, FPS games, and BioWare changed the tastes of the western market in the past decade, other forces have been working on Japan in the same time. The reasons for the shift in Japanese gamer taste are numerous, but there are three that western gamers in the country continuously note -- a peculiar emotion called moe, the Japanese concept of hobbies and adulthood, and a tradition of disparaging foreign games.

 

Okay, looks like I was wrong. It was talking about BioWare, not EA. Still at the time this article was published (9-12-11), EA owned BioWare. Guess that was my bad.

 

The rest of the article goes off into how and why Japan and 'the west' are diverging. It is too long and would derail this thread. If there's enough interest in discussing this whether agreeing with or railing against it, I'm sure another thread could be started. I'll just say I'm glad for the Japanese who have come out of their shells and shared because we might otherwise not have known anything of theirs.

 

@lynk: Maybe a combinaiton of gaming xenophobia paired with its own version of Galapagos syndrome? Just a guess.