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[Bdthemag]

Hey guys! I went on reddit today and heard about how much EA sucks! They're worse than hitler and the devil combined! I even got a tattoo that say's "EA is worse than Hitler", am I cool yet?

[fenrif]

This entire rumour seems like something that would've ended up on that Game Journalists are Hacks" blog that used to run. Especially since this is posted on Kotaku (though Kotaku.au are meant to be orders of magnitude better than non-aussie Kotaku from what I've heard). Reading the original NYP article it seems like it could just be a company approaching EA with an offer and then people inferring EA is trying to sell from that, though that's just my interpretation.

Is it just me, or does EA get too much hate? Don't get me wrong, I think their bastards as well. I just think that too much hate on one company can take away focus on ones which matter, like Activision with their tendancy to milk series in till they crash and burn, or Zynga, arguably the worst of the lot, whose business policy is literally to rip off other peoples ideas.

Or hell, Valve. What most people don't realize is that they have an almost complete monopoly on the PC gaming market. Steam is effectively a trap. Once you start buying games on it you won't ever leave steam because all of your games are on Steam. Sure, Valve may have a lot of good PR, but its scary to think how easily they can flip that coin, and how little you would be able to stop it.

And wishing for the company to actually dissipate is a horrible horrible thing. You have any idea how many employees EA has? All of those people would have to be fired, leavings thousands jobless.

What I basically saying that you should hate and distrust all corporations equally.

EA does get a lot of hate, and in some cases it's too much... But EA deserves the majority of it. I think part of the reason Activision doesn't get as much is because they haven't been doing shitty things for as long as EA. A lot of older gamers remember Origin, Westwood, Bullfrog, etg very fondly. And over the years EA have just built up and added to their reputation as a completely negative force in gaming overall. Quite a lot of the anti-consumer behaviour that publishers now engage in seem to have, if not started, certainly been made standard practice by EA. They're also known to be extremely negative towards their own staff, with the whole EA Spouse thing that happened a few years ago, and their willingness to just kill of studios that have made some of the best games of all time.

It also seems that recently EAs public relations have been ridiculously bad. The whole ME3 thing was just a fiasco of lies, half truths and condesension. Activison is pretty bad, but they don't come right out and call their customers stupid. Though I guess most of that stuff was more Bioware's fault than EA's. It certinly didn't help that EA decided to rebrand a lot of their studios as "Bioware ___."

And yeah, I'm with you on Valve. They're orders of magnitude less bad than the other publishers mind you. But they're certainly not perfect. I think the main reason they have a huge share of the PC gaming market is because the other publishers, for a long time, didn't think Steam would work. And now it has they're trying to compete with demonstrably inferior products. Steam could easily be toppled from it's perch if the major publishers actually pulled their heads out and put out a digital distro that rivalled it in terms of user/customer friendlyness, selection of games, all-important sales, and usefull features. Instead they'll all try and make their own Steam operating on the basis that if you want their games you'll have to use their service.

[lordcooper]

*snippy snippy* and now funnel my entertainment funds more into indy titles. Such as Planetary Annihilation.

I heard about PA. Seems pretty cool. I can't fund it, though, because I don't have a kickstarter account.

Aye, and you couldn't post on this forum before you had an account either...

[jocan2003]

i want them to BURN no questions asked. Bomb their office, torture their CEO/board suit guy, MAKE THEM learn that fucking player's favorite IP up is NOT to take gently!!!. I just plain hate EA AA machine all pretty with no content.

Friend Computer would like to remind you that your IP address is logged every time you make a post.

Thats what i would like to see, and wants, i also wants milions dollars and a spacecraft to explore space, not because its what i want it what ill do, there is a difference.

Also about that IP being logged i dont care, i will even give me my own adress if they ask me to so i can finaly meet one of their clown, that would make my day .

[jocan2003]

That was about an act that happent and he made a *confession*. Im not claiming anything, im saying my toughts... but i received a warning that i should keep my toughts to myself wich i will do.

[Man of Paper]

Saw a mention of Bullfrog, Origin, and Westwood and just wanted to throw Psygnosis down on the list as well. G-Police and Colony Wars were fantastic. I still have both the first games, and they run on my PS3. Huzzah!

On topic though, EA has become a gaming powerhouse and has manipulated the industry any way they could to get the most money out of it. While I can respect them for their sweet money stealing skills, as a gamer I understand that their crap is getting old and ridiculous fast. That said, I only play roguelikes anymore anyways. It's been a good year or two since I even walked into a GameStop or got anything off of Steam (other than Day of Defeat. I know, late as hell, but what can you do?)

While EA does deserve much hate, the fanatical hatred I've found here has surprised me. I've thought of Bay12 as a place where level-headed mass murderers could dwell, but this is nowhere near level-headed. It's got to be realized that until EA screws up big, they'll be around for a long, long while. We, as actual gamers, can do little to combat that. Those who aren't as serious about gaming as we are (and note, I'm using we as a general term, not saying everyone here) won't realize that EA's slowly murdering the industry, and they'll keep purchasing all their junk. Sadly, there's more of them than us, and EA will keep spoon feeding people until they grow wise.

[jocan2003]

Well if you are referring to me, in public im more cold-headed but i felt i was part of that community much like a family and with my family im totally open. I just learned to be more carefull. Sure i do hate them as gamer because if they would put that much money into gameplay instead of prettyness... we would have awesome games.

But hell, if it wasnt of these big company the indie devloppers community wouldnt be on rise right now and they wouldnt be trying to sell. That is if its not just a rumor.

[Neonivek]

While EA does deserve much hate, the fanatical hatred I've found here has surprised me. I've thought of Bay12 as a place where level-headed mass murderers could dwell, but this is nowhere near level-headed.

Why are you surprised at all? This is an entire forum filled with mostly advid gamers who have played things from the DOS era.

People here have lived through every beloved company, game, and series uttarly destroyed under EA's heel. This is level headed for the sheer amount of uttar trash EA has dragged people through. Some of these games, companies, and series have been of legend often being the bastions of what great gaming was all about whom the destruction of would be a blow to gaming in general. Meaning that EA through its actions have actually managed to hurt gaming.

People are mostly tongue and cheek in here, very few people in here are genuinly raving mad at EA, but rather recognise that it frankly isn't a very good company.

Even the market has spoken when it has come to EA.

[dennislp3]

Also...for those asking why EA is hated so much? What about it getting rated the worst company in the USA...that's not a simple title that a few angry gamers can bestow upon a company. Thats saying a LOT about a company.

EA appears to have a very "Burn and pillage and take everything you can before it collapses" business plan. Perhaps its finally ready to collapse after whoever wanted to make the money they did and now they want to toss it off of their backs before it starts to reverse and suck them dry.

[Criptfeind]

They won that in a online 'popularity' pole. It really has very little with how bad they are, and more to do with how bad they are perceived by the particular demographic that participated in the pole.

IE: No. EA relies on little if any slave labor and mass murdering. It is not by any stretch the 'worst company in the USA'

[RedKing]

While EA does deserve much hate, the fanatical hatred I've found here has surprised me. I've thought of Bay12 as a place where level-headed mass murderers could dwell, but this is nowhere near level-headed.

Why are you surprised at all? This is an entire forum filled with mostly advid gamers who have played things from the DOS era.

Well yeah...which is partly why I can't hate them that badly. Hell, I still remember Mail Order Monsters and Racing Destruction Set and Bard's Tale and Archon and Starflight. For those games alone, they'll always hold a spot in my heart.

It's like the ex-girlfriend who you totally can't stand what she's done to herself, but you still have a soft spot for because you remember those good times together.

[Neonivek]

Don't get me wrong, I know EA has made good games before.

Will Wright set people straight when he said EA were the ones who actually revived The Sims and were all for it.

The Early days of Maxis and EA were nothing but a possitive influence.

But dear goodness... some of the crud that gets pulled time and time again.

[Knight of Fools]

The problem is this: Modern EA is a business first, and a gamer second.

That said, I'm cautious with them, but I'm not going to utterly refuse to buy their products because they've made some horrendously stupid decisions. I rather enjoy a game of The Sims from time to time.

[Aklyon]

This sounds suspicious when compared with the current EA vs Zynga lawsuitery.

[Viken]

I had the same thought, Aklyon.  Al lof this rumormongering could be to scare investors, and force EA's stock to fall to put strain as an overnote when the lawsuit reaches court.  If so, its a big-oh violation for Zynga if they are somehow found in connection with it.  I don't believe that EA would just fold up and sell out like that.