Andrew Wilson, the new boss of Electronic Arts, has explained to Kotaku that he really doesn’t want the company to be voted the worst in America for the third year running. Wilson doesn’t believe that Electronic Arts were ever really the worst company, but he says that he realises that consumers who buy their products were ultimately trying to tell them something. Whether the company has changed their ways remains to be seen.
“We started thinking about how we don’t want to be viewed as the worst company in America. I personally don’t think we’ve ever been the worst company in America, but it says something. The consumers out there are telling us something. And we actually took it very seriously. This was before Andrew was the CEO. We and [EA chief operating officer] Peter Moore and a couple of other guys in the executive company got together to try to understand what caused people to say these things. And there were some things out there that…consumers told us they didn’t like. online pass was one thing.”
*cough* DLC *cough*
*cough* day one and expensive so they can sell season pass *cough*
Except almost every company does that now.
That’s not a valid reasoning, that’s the equivalent of saying “Well Timmy jumped to the well, so will i!”
What i’m trying to say is that when group of people or companies do something greedy and stupid, it doesn’t justify everyone else to do the same stupid and greedy thing. PS: Always vote with your wallet.
I don’t buy paid DLC or season passes. I was never for it. I’m just saying that people who use this as an excuse for calling EA the worst company in America (which they never were) need to realize that they’re not the only gaming company who do it.
Sir they do day 1 dlc… alot… what does that mean? Pay extra to finish the game that should have already been done…
DLC what? You want more DLC? Less DLC? I honestly don’t know what you’re trying to say here.
Are you really this out of touch? Do you think people like that content is locked behind paywalls? Do you really think that people want to pay 60 dollars for an incomplete game? No.
If you’re going to rush a development team to finish a game just so you can charge more money for DLC, you deserve your award.
Back off the devs, if they need to push back your precious deadlines, let them. If you want to release DLC, it should be free or non-existent. Microtransactions should have never been a thing in the first place.
Stop altering game developers creative vision because you want a broader audience. Niche games create new genres, whereas the opposite stagnates the market. Try to care about the consumer and I mean through your actions, not your press conferences.
Yet, I often see complaints that Nintendo doesn’t offer much DLC with their games.
Well they mean good DLC that was made after the original game was released, obviously.
The only DLC Nintendo should do would be like new courses on Mario Kart 8 or new characters, or new stages/items/characters on Smash Bros. Nothing else really needs DLC.
I don’t think you understand how these things work because you, like most modern gamers, have a sense of unwarranted self-entitlement. People like to call out games for having paid DLC post release for games and like to call games incomplete. These games are usually very much complete, they just decide to support their games after release with more content.
But one of the main things people seem to understand is that development of these games cost money. They pour millions and millions of dollars into these games. These games also have multiplayer modes and online modes that require online servers that cost more and more money to maintain. They also consistently patch these games to fix bugs and glitches to make your gaming experience as smooth as possible, which cost more development money and man hours, which also have to be paid. When you have a game like Tomb Raider that comes out and costs over 100 million to make, before the marketing they do for the game, there needs to be ways to make money off of the game after the initial sales. Especially in the face of companies like Gamestop and Best Buy offering used games for sale that the developing company sees no part of. These companies are businesses, and breaking even on making a game does not make them successful. They need to make a profit or risk losing investors and such.
These games are fully playable without DLC. They never make you pay for DLC to finish a game. If you want the stuff they added later, then you have to pay, but they are not necessary.
I will try my best not to be a condescending prick here but your reply was exactly what I was expecting to hear. Have you ever considered, I don’t know, wasting less money on marketing, or big name voice actors, or expensive script writers, or other non-essential assets? Seriously, hire some hidden talent for cheap. Get creative with your interview/audition process for voice actors.
Large corporations don’t realize that you can absolutely over market a product. Do you think I need to see your advertisements on literally every commercial break on ESPN? or every pre-video advertisement on the internet? No. It gets to the point where I associate your product with frustration and contempt at being over exposed to the same 30 second drivel every half-hour.
If you really think people don’t understand that it costs money to make a game, you are more out of touch than I thought. But you can’t expect sympathy from the consumer when you shell out millions on advertisements and voice actors alone. Not to mention the over payed writers. Give me a solid development team with a shared passion for their creative vision and a unique game play premise. You can convey the story through text boxes for all I care. We play games for the gameplay, imagine that! Save the cinematic experience for the big screen.
Also, it’s common knowledge that DLCs are notorious for being in the original games files, literally locked behind a paywall, at release. I’m not going to name any names, but I would like to see you deny this or say that it’s a result of the team working non-stop for 3 straight months to produce. You could also save some money by not bribing popular review sites for high scores.
Why is DLC bad? Please explain.
its not that they are bad, its just that they could easily be put on the disc but they want to make more money by removing things in the game and making you pay for it. This would actually be okay for a free to play game but im talking about a 60$ game!
Generally work on DLC starts after the game is finalized actually (note I said finalized, not released, as in the data is being written on to game discs), so no, they aren’t removing things nor could they be placed on the disc. And remember, you don’t need the DLC, you can go to the movies without buying popcorn. If you think the DLC is too expensive for the price you already paid for the game, by all means, don’t buy it.
BF4 Day One DLC is a prime example. It was on the disc but locked. There fore your $60 you paied for the game wasn’t a full game. You had to pay again to unlock the rest of your game.
Nickel and diming consumers to death as well as deliberately leaving content out of games. These days half the DLC for any particular game comes already on the disk you bought, just waiting to be “unlocked.”
Personally I’d make it illegal to charge for any DLC until at least six months from a game’s release date.
I wouldn’t call asking $10-$20 for extra content nickel & diming someone. Now if we’re talking microtransactions, that’s a different story.
Charging ten dollars for DLC that comprises less than 1/6 the content of the original $60 game is nickel and diming someone. To be fair, DLC is about the last thing I care about. That abortion of a “service,” Origin, is much bigger issue.
LoL!
*cough* full price Fifa re-skins *cough*
They’ll still get voted as worst company for the third year running.
What’s frothy, creamy and melts in my mouth?
We dont want to know
No one gives a shit
Mayonnaise?
They kind of deserve it..
No they don’t. Literally every other company nominated was much worse in service, and attitude towards the customer, and most of them offered something far more important to society (and subsequently delivered it in the most pathetic way possible). The only reason EA “won” was because whiny gamers who don’t have any perspective to see why a company who makes something like video games has no place on that list decided to spread the word and essentially send as many people to that poll as they could.
Pretty much this.
People don’t like EA because they take established IP’s and they turn them casual to “broaden their target audience”, and in doing so ruin what made the games fun in the first place. Dead Space 3 is a perfect example: You have a survival horror game that’s well received and sold well (Dead Space 1 and 2 both have scores between 86 and 90 Metacritic, averaging an 88) and Dead Space 3 sits at 78 and 76 points respectively. You might assume that’s because they sold more units after they changed the target demographic, but it would be wrong; Dead Space 3 sold worse than Dead Space 2. So what was the point in broadening the target audience? They sold less units, and people didn’t like the game as much; not to mention the stain it put on the series for the fans. When EA sticks its head into what development companies are doing it causes problems.
When EA released Sim City, they countered the always-online DRM argument that gamers complained about by insisting that the game was developed to require an online connection because the servers actually did calculations for the player, and that without it the game would not be able to function on such a grand scale. After weeks of the game not working for most of the players, Maxis came out and finally admitted that the online-always DRM was just that, and that the server wasn’t doing calculations for the player. They also limited the game to ‘2 km sq.’, which is about 1/4 of the size of the previous titles (at 4 km sq.). Things like this might not be the worst things to ever happen, but after every single release has major issues, or anti-consumer issues (like Online Pass, Microtransactions, and Always-Online DRM) consumers get sick and tired of it.
Just look at the debacle over the Xbox One-Battlefield 4 Promo. A bunch of PC gameplay footage got put into an Xbox One promo video. Not a big deal, until you understand that the Xbox One doesn’t run the game nearly as well as the PC does, and it doesn’t look nearly as good because of it; so of course EA and Microsoft want you to see how good it looks on the console, even if that means not using gameplay footage representative of the title. It’s bad for the industry, and it’s lying to its consumers.
Yearly rehashes are bad for the industry. Removing online from games that came out last year just because you’re releasing a new version this year is bad for the industry. Squashing innovation to broaden the demographic is bad for the industry. Pulling all their big-title releases from the Steam Store, just to push their own online marketplace (Origin) is bad for the industry. EA does nothing to innovate the industry, they only hurt it. They release a ton of mediocre games, and when they find a series they can make money off of, they milk it dry with DLC or yearly releases. They are a stain on the industry and until they can keep their greedy noses out of the development process, they always will be. I would say a company who is quickening the degradation of the industry they are in deserves to be on the list. They won 3 years in a row for lots of reasons, and none of those were “whiny gamers”.
But they’re video games! They don’t matter! Compared to invasions of privacy, and having incredibly adverse affects on people’s ability to communicate, EA is a contender for best company of the year because they aren’t severely screwing up society!
Hello EA employee
EA Fanboy or delusional individual? Sure a lot were worse like people who put oil in the ocean and shit, But lets get real who gives a fuck about the planet anyway. Purhaps their should just be a Worst company in GAMING award every year. EA can keep winning that one.
Nnnno, they really don’t.
Aside from the TONS of non videogame companies that deserve it WAY more, EA weren’t even the worst this gen.
The worst was Capcom, 2nd place only when someone else fucks up more, and Capcom are paying for it because they’re basically dead. They have like $156 million left…Nintendo made that much money in the WiiU’s first 3 months, im DEAD FUCKING SERIOUS.
dont worry, nintendo seems like a good fit!! maybe they will win this time. oh wait….. they just make the worst videogame systems.
Know what else is a good fit? ;)
change your picture to reggie please….. thats his real bitch.
gtfo
Really wii u 15 games 60 fps 1080 p xbone 2 games 60 fps upscale 1080 p free online and gray games that are exclusive to system ur a joke
and worst company of the year award goes to…………… EA for the third year.
Lets see how they buy the developers of plant vs zombies milk their franchises and then they close the company and fire everyone.
they don’t deserve it. at&t does, selling shit service and doing nothing to improve it.
Or you just live in a shitty place. If you don’t like them then cancel your plan and go to verizon
Band Bang
I don’t think EA care in the slightest whether they’re voted worst company of any given country.
Their yearly sports games will always sell, unfortunately. So, they basically have infinite money. They couldn’t care less about anything else.
Well madden and fifa underperformed this year, hopefully people are realizing what EA is pulling each year
well monsanto is worse but they’re so bad they’re not allowed in
What did Monsanto do last year to be placed on the list. I know about the business in the 80’s, but we can’t live in the past. What are they doing now?
I’ve heard a lot of things about Monsanto recently. They’re starting to take over the food industry as we know it. Soon we will all be eating GMOs and not even know it. He refuses to let us label them
how about refitting old titles and selling them as new titles? how about that? and they’re still doing that.. recently too
EA has learned absolutely nothing.. all of this talk ist just PR bullshit
How were the ever doing that?
They had the Mass Effect Trilogy….that was it. One of the most successful games this gen, the first of which wasn’t on the PS3, and it had all the DLC (the good dlc, as well as the extra weapon ect dlc), it was a smart business decision that EVERYONE MAKES!
Oh but it wasn’t on the WiiU, so get butthurt.
Grow up.
FIFA 2013 on the wii
and very recently FIFA manager 2014 (all platforms)
to name 2 examples
Well anyone who buys FIFA is an idiot anyway, because it’s shit. it’s not a game, it that one thing that morons buy every year, will all complain about, then buy it again anyway.
They deserve it, even if it was shady by EA.
Fool you once, shame on them. Fool you twice, three times, four times ect ect, shame on you idiots.
what you’re saying is of zero relevance
EA did it and they’ll do it again.. pissing down their customers backs and telling them it’s raining
and get your facts straight before you insult people
mook
Well EA you poop in one hand then sh!t on us in the second one.. It’s looking like a 3 peat..
Theyve been…ok, but they need to go back to how they were at the start of this gen.
Dead Space 1 and 2 respectively are sooooooooo fucking good, maybe one of my top 10 games this gen. It got called “the true Resident Evil 5”.
Getting your game called a true sequel to RE4, one of those most acclaimed games ever, is a hell of an achievement.
Bringing back Mirror’s Edge is a good start, but they need to diverse their IP’s, and keep ones like Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge from sicking into the “we need to maximise profit” pot.
They brought back battlefront.
RIP Westwood
RIP Origin
RIP Maxis
RIP Bullfrog
RIP Mythic
We will never forget you.
Ea will get what it deserves.
I haven’t heard of any of those companies.
Which is probably a good thing.
Of course you don’t that was before the 2000.
Okay?
Was that at an attempt to insult me?
Ooohhh i was 8, how stupid of me, i should’ve made myself born sooner, by MAGIC. Like, what?
I know older companies, because i’ve played older games, but no-one of those companies even ring a bell. I think Maxis where the SimCity team…that’s it.
Why something correcting someone has to be a insult? I just said that those company’s where from before that time and in this age very few knows this facts.
poor westwood never will there be a company like it again such great games such innovation
Mythic though i dont know if tyou can blame EA for them
“The consumers out there are telling us something”
No Shit Sherlock!
EA have gotten away with murder for years, even during the 16bit era people were complaining about re-hashed EA games.
The thing that irks me though is basically how they want to own gaming, they pretty much have exclusive official rights to nearly every sport and do not like any kind of competition at all, EA having that that much leverage in the industry is not a good thing.
Sony might have to watch their back if the PS4 isn’t an instant success as I can’t imagine that EA would be very happy over the DRM thing, we all know how they like to hold a grudge.
Amen to that
BF4 is not even a fucking finished product !
You can’t play two games without crashes and, if you’re lucky, the game doesn’t crash but will hardly be playable because of all the lags !
And these money bitches sell this joke 60€, or 110€ to some people !
EA don’t deserve to be voted the worst american company, they need their HQ to blow up for what they are doing to video games and developers.
A few bigoted straight white males rigged the voting so EA would win it, it is a hate crime to criticize EA for it’s work promoting gay rights and social justice in gaming
Lets make this simple EA, Singleplayer DLC BAD. Multiplayer DLC GOOD. just that simple, give us a complete game and a decent multiplayer like in Modern Warfare 2 and we won’t complain.
Why is single player DLC bad? I recall Fallout New Vegas, Skyrim, and Bioshock Infinite all having very good single player DLC.
Develop for Wii U, and it might change…..I repeat, MIGHT.
K lemme get something straight. Online passes is downright scummy. And all the dlc… The people at ea are shit eaters… But is that worse then the insurance companies lying to Their customers to scan more money from obamacare confusion? Is that worse then the companies begging for subsidies then paying their employees less??!?!?
Is ea worse then Fox News shoving their elitist right wing bs down our throats?
The simple answer is yes. Online passes are a work of the devil!
Haha jk they’re not that bad, but their still shit
They don’t know what we don’t like??? THAT’S THE PROBLEM.
Luckily you will be Electrons…
here i the list not to ea
1st. do shit in nintendo
2nd no bad dlc
3rd NO MORE ORIGIN
4rd mirror edge 2-3
5th NO MOrE ORIGIN
They’re pretty bad but definitely not the worst.
Well maybe you should, oh I don’t know… START PUTTING YOUR GAMES ON WII U AND STEAM!!
Seriously, this is why EA is hated by so many people because they’ve made some of the worst decisions this and next generation.
I’ll admit that I did not expect to see Monsanto mentioned in this article. It’s ironic since I just found out about the company this year and from what I’ve heard…they probably should win the award. That being said, I never agreed that EA should win it. I rather like that company, the Madden games are fun!
I’m glad you at least understood that, while you’re definitely not the worst company, you needed a good talking-to, and being able to recognize what people were really trying to tell you when you were voted the “worst company in the world” is definitely a good first step.
Reblogged this on TrueSelfGaming and commented:
Will EA still be the worst?
saying stuff like WIIU is crap, even if you think it’s crap, keep that shitty comment to yourself, im sure you bought one for your child, just still not over origin huh
Hahahahahahaha
When EA goes back to making games other than sports games.
From what he’s saying, he’s effectively claiming that it never occured to them that their controversial practices were angering their customers.
Battlefield 4 is a complete failure. I’m glad I dont have this shit on my Wii U. Its just like Aliens Colonial Marins all over again lol.
Kill Origin, Kill Micro-Transactions, Kill Day One DLC, Get over your idiotic selves and support Wii U without making up stupid reasons that even a 2 year old knows is just you making shit up. Quit focusing on money, money, money, money as your # 1 goal. And lastly make games people give a fuck about. Make your Fifa and other sports games every 2 years instead of one and don’t just copy and paste them. And that’s a start. But you will get named worst company in north America for a 3rd year cause you are just fucking sad. you embarrass the whole gaming industry, you guys are a joke.
Damn girl you summed it all up
Caterpie says this is a prime example of why no one takes the Gaming community seriously anymore! You’re all a bunch of butthurt fuckwits!
So they don’t want to be voted? Nobody cares about, it will happen, no matter what they do (well except if they close). EA already fuckd itself down to hell and below.
It does make you feel bad for them though. I could tell that this guy is pretty sincere and he really wants to make a difference. I sense bright things in the future for EA
Better hope a mob of angry Nintendo fans don’t vote *cash in vote* That’s for the “unprecedented relationship and No ME Trilogy and BF3. Need for Speed is ok.
It’s simple, EA. Change your ways!
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This is Why Rockstar is better than EA. They actually care about their customers and release free DLC on top of Microtransactions and paid DLC. They actively review fan feedback and actually take their time on making games rather than focusing on Annual releases.