EA: Dungeon Keeper Failed by "Innovating Too Much"

[OldNewNewOld]

I don't know about you guys, but they EA innovates all the times. All those new ways of killing studios, franchises and pissing off customers... innovation in the purest sense of the word.

 

[Evonisia]

Was it also integral and immersive, EA?

At least it's not a half hearted apology.

 

[Balimaar]

And in BF5 they will charge you $5 to reload your gun and $1 to record a kill to your stats. EA innovation ftw!

 

[FalloutJack]

WAIT!

Wait wait wait wait wait...

I got it.

They don't mean they were 'innovating' too much. They meant they were enervating too much!


But seriously folks, you've been a beautiful audience. Remember to tip your waiters with the money you're not giving EA.

 

[LosButcher]

That message wasn't for the gamers. It was for their shareholders, that know nothing about games. They know about money and Dungeon Keeper is somewhat "innovative" in that regard

 

[Living Contradiction]

This was the disturbing thing about what Moore said too; never once did he mention game mechanics, story, or any kind of game related aspect. All he talked about was MARKETING. So, to EA, the actual content of a game in incidental. The metrics by which they judge innovation are actually just "Different business approach". That is something very far removed from "Game innovation". Ultimately the merits of a game don't matter to them, they are seemingly lost the ability to know what actually makes a 'good game' and not just a 'beneficial business model for them'.

If you replace the word "Innovation" with "Changed the business model" and see if these comments make more sense. In freemium games the business model invades the game, it defines the game. Everything becomes about money. To EA the game is incidental; it is merely a barrier between them and your money.

Bravo. You are the first person who caught this and for that, you deserve a cookie.

Folks, Frank Gibeau is the head of the mobile gaming division of EA and the head of Origin. Think about that for a minute. He got those posts [a href=http://www.polygon.com/2013/9/24/4766418/ea-executives-sports-games-labels-patrick-soderlund-frank-gibeau]last year after running the show for PC and console labels for EA[/a]. This isn't a talking head or a suit with a smile from PR; this is a guy who was at the top of the food chain for every single solitary studio (kinda puts what EA has been doing to its acquisitions in perspective, doesn't it?) and he has said, right up front, that the day of the premium game is over. For all platforms.

There will be no more paying up front and enjoying yourself with a piece of content; you'll be expected to pay as you go, with every new aspect of your content costing a fee. Why did this fail so spectacularly with Dungeon Keeper? Because it was sold wrong. Not because it was greedy, not because of broken mechanics, not because it wasn't a game. This program did exactly what it was intended to do and the only drawback, according to Gibeau, is that they took too many liberties with the brand.

EA is actually convinced that if it had packaged the game the right way, if it had used the right catchphrase or the correct media tactic, this game would have been a commercial success.

This is what the future holds for us from Electronic Arts from their perspective. Make of that what you will.

For me? From this point on, if I see "EA" stamped on a game and I am convinced that it isn't complete and utter crap, I'll wait until that game hits a resale vendor because this corporation isn't seeing one more dime of my money.

 

[BloodSquirrel]

I love how the most creatively bankrupt bunch of people in the industry keep accusing gamers of not being able to handle their awesome levels of innovation.

 

[Trishbot]

Wow. Just... wow.

I don't even know how they can claim that with a straight face. That's either the biggest lie they've ever said, or they literally live in a fantasy world where logic and common sense are the enemy.

Take it away, laughing Gif.

 

[Dragonlayer]

EA, I love the games you publish (Dead Space, Mass Effect, Battlefield), but you really must stop saying stupid shit like this.

 

[an874]

I never knew having to sit through a 24 hour lockout in order to do anything was considered innovative. Plainly we have been looking at this the wrong way the whole time.

Spoiler: What i actually think.

And the subject of next weeks Jimqusition is...

He sort of already covered it this week, or at least the trend which this is a part of: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/9516-EA-Ubisoft-A-Cycle-of-Perpetration-and-Apology?utm_source=latest&utm_medium=index_carousel&utm_campaign=all

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Owwwwwwwwwwwwwww! My sides are seriously splitting! This has got to be a joke, right? ...Right??
I believe a moment of silence is required for Mythic.


...


...


...followed by the -never more deserved- Fuck you, EA!!

 

[mjharper]

"I think we might have innovated too much or tried some different things that people just weren't ready for"

In other words, EA plans to keep doing this stuff until we suck it up as inevitable reality.

Screw. You. EA.

 

[Kuro Serpentina]

There's not enough minutes in a year to explain all the ways that this is bullshit

 

[Racecarlock]

I think this is a good reminder to all of us that winners don't do drugs.

 

[unstabLized]

AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
*breathes*
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Oh god, EA, you're too good. *wipes away tear*

Phew.. That brightened up my day.

 

[MonkeyPunch]

OMG what a load of bullshit! Literally all he said was a load of steaming poo.
EA really does believe it's customers are completely stupid...

Also it's not Dungeon Keeper which killed Mythic, it's the payment model which did. It's either EA's or Mythic's heads who killed them (who ever made the selfish, greedy and most of all moronic choice to make the game adhere to that insulting payment model). Not the game.

 

[Boris Goodenough]

I am sorry, but nothing EA does phases me anymore, they have earned their title as worst company in the US on several occasions for a reason (although they aren't actually the WORST company, or even close but they are they ones that get cought saying the most retarded stuff).

I think this is a good reminder to all of us that winners don't do drugs.

Except Michael Phelps...

 

[Chris Slime]

You know what the sad thing is? The saddest head shaking thing of F2P is? DK is one of the better ones by a long shot. For one it actually is possible to get the premium currency in game, the free currency actually is used for something, and things you buy actually do something compared to other games where you spend in game money to buy something that does nothing but get you more money, and that is the entire game. Also DK has way fewer premium currency only purchases than most games. By all means shit on it, but some perspective can go a long way.

 

[Monsterfurby]

What we are seeing here is a massive difference in philosophy between the new CEO and the head of mobile - the latter representing exactly the mindset the former seemingly sees as the key weakness of his company.

I wouldn't be surprised if one of the two will soon have to look for work elsewhere.

 

[Jofe]

Oh EA, Why is always one step forward and then two steps back?