Bioware blocks user from playing his store-bought copy of DA2, for bad-mouthing EA?

[psychosiszz]

Well I've been done with EA for a long time now. Knew this type of crap would happen when Bioware sold out. Dragon age 2 looks terrible which is a prelude of things to come from Bioware. Did they not see what happened to Westwood studios!?

EA ruins anything they touch, there like Death.

 

[Metachronic]

love how people are commenting that he should take legal action, i mean hes only banned for 72 hours is it worth it?... also i believe from what was said by the bioware mod is that if he was suspended by EA or bioware because they took offence he would only be suspended on the forum, but it seems people on the forum / trolls "took offence" and hit the report button and therefor he was suspended from gameplay aswell.

Really i think this has been throw WAY out of proportion. The only part im sorry for him for is that 72 hours as the game is AWESOME!

 

[taciturnCandid]

This topic needs to die.. right now. Complaining about it here will do nothing to change the situation. Send your hate mail to bioware and move on.

 

[starkiller212]

Wow. I am shocked at how shitty EA and Bioware are acting. I was looking forward to DA2 and Crysis 2 (even thought they didn't look like they'd live up to my expectations), but now I will not buy anything from them until they get their act together. I just hope the asshole responsible for this idea is fired over this.

 

[Headbiter]

but now I will not buy anything from them until they get their act together.

How long do you expect to live?
Honestly, I hate to give the "pattern-recognition"-speech from Yahtzee in the context of Bioware, but truth be told, I just counted the days until something like this happened. Prophecy right here? It won't be the last and probably not even the worst.
We all loved Bioware for what they did in the past and for the stories they told, even though with time it mattered less and less if you're a Jedi, the chosen one, a spectre or a grey warden, since the general pattern was quite similar.
You saw the "idealistic" Bioware dying in Dragon Age already, through the DLC. Oh, not because of the DLC per se, but the way it was handled, published and implemented (your internet's down? Well, too bad you already started some DLC-Questlines in your campaigns, sucker.)

So, yeah, I could probably keep on ranting on all those big and little details on why Bioware is by now a full-fledged EA-company only waiting to bleed out, but at the time that would probably sound like a doomsday-preacher to most. However, I wouldn't hold my breath for Bioware returning to their "glorious days".

 

[Sartan0]

They're probably going to gain more negative press than it's worth for keeping that guy out of his games.

My thoughts exactly. If they had just ignored him (Or just suspended him on the forums) no one would be talking about this now. I have not yet bought this game so I have the option of not buying it now.

 

[GiglameshSoulEater]

I love how so many people must not have read the reply by the mod.
No, it wasn't bioware that blocked him.

It was EA.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Pretty sure that's theft on Bioware/EA's part?

Just because they currently dislike that user doesn't give them the right to remove his ability to play games on that account - that prevents him from accessing save files and DLC in previous Bioware games too. (obviously a new account could be made for DA2)

How well does playing offline work? Would that let him access his (non-DA2) games again?

http://tos.ea.com/legalapp/WEBTERMS/US/en/PC/#section9
Look at 9 and 11. They could effectively cut him off. Sounds like what they did.

'Terms of service' and such don't justify such things.
If they do, then software companies have officially crossed the line into territory that should be fought against.

The company that created my TV can't come into my house and break it because I say something bad about them...
That wouldn't go down well at all in a court of law.

Yet, we put up with that here?

For that matter, we put up with all kinds of things from computer games/software that no other industry could even dream of getting away with...

And why exactly?

 

[JoshGod]

Insinuation against bioware/EA. Bioware/EA blocks you. Insinuation more believable. Reminds me of when people swear at you in an argument because they are wrong. Or like when brian says how very catholic believe what I say or I will hurt you.

 

[bojac6]

What they did is illegal. It's that simple. It's his opinion and his right to free speech.

Look at the ToS. It is perfectly legal. Are they being massive dicks? Yes. But it is legal.

He's from the EU where EULAs like this are most definately illegal.
It's just that noone will mount an international law-suit over what amounts to 500? at best.
Hence why so many companies get away with this.

There are places where the EULA isn't considered a binding contract? Damn, wish I could get in on that.

A EULA should never have started being considered a binding contract. The fact that it is gives companies way too much power and the ability to absolutely obliterate the US constitution.

What does the Constitution have to do with anything? The Constitution only applies to limit government action. Basic US government 101: the government makes laws that apply to individuals and corporations, and they are obligated to follow those laws. The Constitution is a list of rules the determines what laws the government can and cannot make. Notice, it does not affect individuals. If you and I are doing business and I say something offensive to you, you have every right to call off the deal and I can't make a Constitutional argument that you have to do business with me. Hell, it doesn't even have to be offensive. You could decide to call off the deal because I used a pronoun.
Is EA or Bioware a government agency? If not, the constitution has nothing to do with this.

 

[RollForInitiative]

We don't discuss what we do to people when they breach the Rules of Conduct in public. Breaching them tends to result in at least a temporary removal of your ability to post, at the very least. Sounds like EA bans are a bit different though. Just don't expect to get any details from one of our representatives; like I said, it's a rule that we don't discuss in public what moderation actions are taken.

 

[kebab4you]

Great, now I refuse to buy games from both EA and Activision. Dicks T.T"

 

[Camembert]

Things like this make me so happy the second hand market exists. Now I can happily boycott BioWare while still playing their games. Win-win.

 

[lacktheknack]

Apparently, it was done by a machine because a bunch of people clicked the "report" button.

Strange, that reminds me of something but I can't quite put my finger on it...

Well, our mods have stated that they've given harsher-than-deserved punishments because an unusually large number of people reported the post... is that it?

 

[AngelOfBlueRoses]

I absolutely LOVE the kneejerks in this thread. Did you not read the original thread? Did you not click the link? So, he got banned for 72 hours - three days - for not following the terms of service. EA banned him, not BioWare. There is no problem with Freedom of Speech since Freedom of Speech PERTAINS TO THE GOVERNMENT NOT RESTRICTING A CITIZEN'S SPEECH. Keyword? GOVERNMENT. The government cannot restrict free speech. EA is a private entity and has every right to do this. Is it a dick move? Yeah, it is. Is it still their right? Yeah, it is. However, the kid got grounded for three days for saying something stupid? Who gives a crap? In two days, he'll be able to play his game and nobody will give a rat's ass anymore.

 

[l0rD ChUcKl3s]

But the question is, do they have the RIGHT to do anything about it?

Of course they do. It is their service and their forum and they have a right to do what the will with it. And if we don't like it then we have a right not to buy their products or participate.

think of it like this. its like walking into McDonalds, buying a burger then saying it tastes like processed crap so they take your burger from you.