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

CrazyCapnMorgan

Is not insane, just crazy >:)
Jan 5, 2011
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Captain Pirate said:
And wow EA, in the past week I'm pretty sure I saw an article saying how they said they were "On their way back up."

Great start.
You know, I never thought about that. Nice connection! Though, I assume that "on their way back up" was more along the lines of "Our financial gains haven't been as high as our competitors, but rest assured, we'll find some way to get our profits back up there! Even if it's on the backs and wallets of gamers that either blindly adore us, or at the very least put up with our crap to try and enjoy some game we more than likely rushed out to meet our scheduling and marketing standards." kinda statement.

In an odd twist, the statement they made might have been taken out of context. They could've meant to say "We're on our way! Back up." *motions consumer to back up*
 

Bloodstain

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Jun 20, 2009
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So because he said something on a forum, he can't play his games which he paid for? Moreover, what he said was clearly an ironical overstatement with criticism behind it? Wow.

Also, after reading this thread, I've come to the conclusion that you can block anyone's games by clicking the report button often enough. What the hell.
 

Joe Deadman

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CrazyCapnMorgan said:
Captain Pirate said:
And wow EA, in the past week I'm pretty sure I saw an article saying how they said they were "On their way back up."

Great start.
You know, I never thought about that. Nice connection! Though, I assume that "on their way back up" was more along the lines of "Our financial gains haven't been as high as our competitors, but rest assured, we'll find some way to get our profits back up there! Even if it's on the backs and wallets of gamers that either blindly adore us, or at the very least put up with our crap to try and enjoy some game we more than likely rushed out to meet our scheduling and marketing standards." kinda statement.

In an odd twist, the statement they made might have been taken out of context. They could've meant to say "We're on our way! Back up." *motions consumer to back up*
I think i''ll interpret it as on their way back up to the position of #1 evil videogame company, they're just jealous that Activision stole that title from underneath them.

Bah I hate how blurry the legality of this sort of stuff is in the videogame industry, do I own a copy of the game or just a license to a service??? Make up your damn minds already!
 

Mcupobob

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See this is why I don't talk to anyone who holds the power over any of my games. I like how company's run their business like a devil disguised as a tyrant. The guy was lucky enough to only get suspended.
 

soulsabr

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jayman52 said:
soulsabr said:
And they can't figure out why we walk around pirating the games. Sorry, guys, but it AIN'T pirating if you paid for it.
I agree with this statement 100%.
Funny, I do too .... *cough* .... sorry.

Just wanted to take a moment to clarify a bit since this really isn't pirating but companies like EA use this type of crap to bump up the piracy numbers anyhow. Also, this makes me less sympathetic towards companies who cry, "Help, help, the evil pirates have stolen all of our games" when they are doing the same thing in reverse; "Thanks for buying our games but since you said bad things about us YOU CAN'T USE IT!".

I'm beginning to smell a lawsuit brewing here.
Eldarion said:
So now he can't play games that he paid money for because he expressed his opinion? Yhea, that digital distribution is the wave of the future. If you don't mind I'm gonna continue purchasing my disks that I can play no matter what. I guess I'm just stuck in my ways.

In all seriousness I'm glad I never bought into steam. If bioware is pulling shit like this, can we really trust valve?
That's the wrong question, sir and/or madam. Digital distribution is here to stay I'm sorry to say because there aren't enough people out there boycotting companies (I've not bought an EA game since my rant a few years back). So, you encourage the DRM and distribution method which is less (note I didn't use the word not) evil. Would you rather this crap? Ubisoft and their always connected/servers down method? Securom? *shudder* Or Steam which has worked very well and which has given many gifts away because Valve screwed up a time or two?
 

soulsabr

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Zachary Amaranth said:
Wakikifudge said:
This really doesn't seem like Bioware. I bet the order came from EA.
Also, I don't have a lot of sympathy for trolls so I don't really feel bad for the guy. Seriously, follow the rules, don't troll and these things won't happen.

It's Easy.

Edit: but this does seem pretty illegal so I guess he should get his money back. 60 bucks is nothing to go to court over. Hopefully EA reverses this.
He wouldn't win even if he did go to court. Not only is it not worth it, he really lacks any legal recourse over it currently. There's no real protection for us as gamers to have the right to play what we buy.
Actually, if he got a competent lawyer he could nail them on deceptive business practices and false advertising. I'd bet the EULA doesn't mention loss of legally purchased content if you piss them off.
 

subtlefuge

Lord Cromulent
May 21, 2010
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Congratufuckinglations Bioware/EA. You have achieved the Orwellian "worst case scenario" of DRM. Was it worth it? If a game company can't handle a little flak, they should find new careers.

Edit: found this gem, don't know if it's been posted

EA Community TOS said:
1.You may violate the Terms of Service if, as determined by EA in its sole discretion, you:
a. Interfere with the ability of others to enjoy playing an EA Service
b. Disrupt the flow of chat in chat rooms
...
2.EA may also terminate your Account(s) (and access to all related Entitlements) for violation of this Terms of Service.
They force all users to agree to a contract that basically says that they can take back all their games if they don't like you. EA will never receive another cent from me.
 

RowdyRodimus

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Apr 24, 2010
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We should really go through the EULA's of all our games and if the publishers have even done one tiny thing that is against it, sue their asses off. As I've said before, a contract works both ways, it's not just binding to one party.

If it is something that goes against their vague wording (so that they can interpret it however they want) the better.
 

RowdyRodimus

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Vakz said:
Wow, this even makes me feel bad for buying DA2.. last time I buy a Bioware-game <.<

And to think I used to believe Bioware were the good guys, and that EA was starting to get better..
I'm glad I cancelled my preorder a few days before and used that money to get the God of War collection instead.
 

Owyn_Merrilin

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May 22, 2010
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Man, this makes me feel bad for buying that new copy of Battlefield 1942: the Complete Collection last month, instead of going online and getting it used. Not that Bioware isn't to blame here, but EA shares it equally, and I just did business with them. At least it was all of $10, and on a game so old that the DRM consists of a CD key and a disc check.

OT: Yep, this is why DRM is a bad thing. I would love to see EA get the pants sued off of them for this, but I'm afraid the chances of it creating a precedent to outlaw this kind of crap are about as good as it creating a precedent that reinforces it. Nobody complains about activist judges, as long as they're conservative...
 

Owyn_Merrilin

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Sober Thal said:
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/141/index/6465725/48#6483189

Dun Dun Duuuuuuuun!

The plot thickens? Bioware guy says it was a glitch that has been fixed.

Now everyone can say they are liars covering their ass. Cause they care about you when they don't care about you.... what?
Nice find. This is still terrible, though; if a minor glitch was capable of something this bad, what would happen if they did it on purpose? I mean, they may need to claim a different reason to enact the ban, but they apparently have that power built into the system. It's still pretty scary.

Edit: That post was assuming EA was telling the truth. My point was, whether they're lying or not, this is still a terrible situation.
 

Something Amyss

Aswyng and Amyss
Dec 3, 2008
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soulsabr said:
Actually, if he got a competent lawyer he could nail them on deceptive business practices and false advertising. I'd bet the EULA doesn't mention loss of legally purchased content if you piss them off.
EA's been pretty good on mentioning the need for an account, one which he was already registered for and had agreed to the ToU. Since that ToU has been quoted here and does mention loss of functionality, and he was signed up beforehand, the only way I could see a valid argument coming from this is if the box did not label itself as requiring online registration. And, as I said when I opened this paragraph, they've been pretty good about that. I don't, however, have this specific game, so I can't tell you about this specific box.

If bought online, however, the EA Store does have a note for the EULA right at the page for the game. It states you must accept the EULA, and it requires an EA account and registration. Since EA's policies are spelled out in their agreement, it's hard to say this is deceptive.

Utter bull, yes. Bad business, almost certainly. Deceptive? Ehhhh...Probably not.
 

kebab4you

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Jan 3, 2010
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Sober Thal said:
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/141/index/6465725/48#6483189

Dun Dun Duuuuuuuun!

The plot thickens? Bioware guy says it was a glitch that has been fixed.

Now everyone can say they are liars covering their ass. Cause they care about you when they don't care about you.... what?

EDIT: I got the link from 'Knight Templar' in the newsrooms' thread.
Give him a free game or something for causing him this inconvenience? Of course not that would make us a almost smart company that´s trying to have good publicity(to clarify, EA not bioware).
 

GiantRaven

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Dec 5, 2010
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Sober Thal said:
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/141/index/6465725/48#6483189

Dun Dun Duuuuuuuun!

The plot thickens? Bioware guy says it was a glitch that has been fixed.

Now everyone can say they are liars covering their ass. Cause they care about you when they don't care about you.... what?

EDIT: I got the link from 'Knight Templar' in the newsrooms' thread.
Sure. 'glitch'. Does anybody really believe that? Does anybody really think that 'glitch' would have been found if such a fuss hadn't been made?

The world of videogaming is slowly going insane. I wonder when the best time to jump off will be.
 

Vakz

Crafting Stars
Nov 22, 2010
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RowdyRodimus said:
I'm glad I cancelled my preorder a few days before and used that money to get the God of War collection instead.
Ya.. unfortunately (and almost straight out ironic) I had just received my Signature Edition-copy and was already installing it when I went here and found this thread.
 

FlakAttack

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Dec 9, 2007
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Whether the EULA says that or not, legal precedant in the US and Europe shows that a contract is not legal if it gives a consumer less rights than is guaranteed by the law. If this ever happens to you, take it to small claims court for the price of the game plus money for the inconvenience and fees. Simply pull out some of the previous cases (along with proof that your ability to play the games is hindered of course) and you're pretty much set.
 

Zaik

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Jul 20, 2009
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lol this was a bug and was already fixed yesterday, why's this thread still around?
 

soulsabr

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Zachary Amaranth said:
soulsabr said:
Actually, if he got a competent lawyer he could nail them on deceptive business practices and false advertising. I'd bet the EULA doesn't mention loss of legally purchased content if you piss them off.
EA's been pretty good on mentioning the need for an account, one which he was already registered for and had agreed to the ToU. Since that ToU has been quoted here and does mention loss of functionality, and he was signed up beforehand, the only way I could see a valid argument coming from this is if the box did not label itself as requiring online registration. And, as I said when I opened this paragraph, they've been pretty good about that. I don't, however, have this specific game, so I can't tell you about this specific box.

If bought online, however, the EA Store does have a note for the EULA right at the page for the game. It states you must accept the EULA, and it requires an EA account and registration. Since EA's policies are spelled out in their agreement, it's hard to say this is deceptive.

Utter bull, yes. Bad business, almost certainly. Deceptive? Ehhhh...Probably not.
Actually, I'm pleased to tell you that you are incorrect in your assumption (no offense). It used to be that way back in the olden days. People would sell crap or buy property for dirt on the dollar by hiding things in lengthy contracts or just not mentioning that such things COULD happen. It is now unacceptable to do things like this legally instead of just morally and gives the consumer (read victim) legal recourse. So, in translation, they would actually have to spell out the fact that you will lose the ability to play your game if you piss them off and they ban you; even cheaters still own the game they just can't play with anybody else anymore. I know they tell you that you have to have an EA account and I know they tell you that you have to accept the EULA but I also know they don't mention that the ability to play the game is based on the account's status; ergo banned or not. There lies the deception.

Here is the fun part. Even were a company to spell such a thing out in the EULA it could successfully be argued this is unconscionable and could void that part of the EULA. The courts have ruled on things similar to this in the past and have declared the "we can change it at will" clauses invalid. This is just a summary but you can look to credit card companies for a great example.
 

Vargre

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Mar 18, 2011
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There are so many things wrong with this. Just because Bioware/ EA has the authority to ban someone from playing a purchased game because they wrote something Bioware does not agree with does not make Bioware/ EA right. It only makes them wrong with authority. (The gentleman wrote something to the effect that Bioware has sold their soul to the EA gods? Ive read far worse on Bioware's forums. And if Bioware is such a huge Giant one would think they could take a "punch" like that without resorting to such extreme measures. All I see is that if Bioware havent sold their soul, they're on the verge of doing so with this. It makes me even sicker that the thread was closed with Stanley Woo's posting and "end of line." Obviously they care little for their fans if this is indeed the "end of line.")