EA is "on a Journey" to Regain PC Gamer Trust

[The Enquirer]

My biggest problem with EA isn't even how they deal with origin and DRM, it's how they market and sell games, Battlefront being the most recent offender. Seriously 120 bucks for the full game is just fucking ridiculous. Even though steam sales aren't as good as they used to be and the platform is surviving on pure momentum for the moment, for that amount of money I could have gotten multiple full games.

That said they say something like this every so often and while they've gone out and done a few things, the return policy and the free games bit, which I will give them credit for, they seem heavily averted to a lot of feedback. They're a massive company and can afford to experiment with new things and be a trend setter. Well a good one as opposed to now I should say.

 

[kekkres]

So, how long have they been on this journey? Three years now?

Who knows, maybe they are being honest this time. Maybe we'll also crack cold fusion this year and get a working Mars program. Not outside the realm of possibility, just incredibly unlikely.

i mean to be fair over the past 3 years they have been significantly less shit than they where before, yes they have their moments, and they arent the best by any streach, but ea being the big bad of gaming is mostly a meme anymore.

 

[thewatergamer]

This is what the third time that EA has announced it's "re-dedication" to PC gamers? yeah I didn't believe it the first time and I'm sure as hell not going to believe it this time, come back to me after you've actually done something

 

[Darth Sea Bass]

Are they trying to one up Microsoft with this announcement?

 

[Dalisclock]

Oh, man. They asked for it.


Yeah, EA. That's what I think of your promises. If EA wants my Trust, it can do a few things.

1.) Stop with the shitty DLC/Transactions/Season Pass bullshit. It's nothing but blatant cash grabs and it's not winning you any respect(but who needs respect when we have moneys!).

2.) Stop EAing all of your IPs. Or to put it more clearly, stop buying IPs from everyone else so you can ruin them and prevent any good ones from ever being made again.

3.) Stop being EA. Or at least, stop being new EA. Go back to being cool EA when you actually gave a shit about what you made, not about how big a pile of money you can make off exploiting your customers.

 

[Elfgore]

...Yes, EA. Stop using your online-DRM, shop thingie mebober. Instead go through another online DRM, shop thingie mebober that takes a cut of your profits for doing something you already have a platform for. Cause you know, that makes sense.

And EA, don't just focus on PC gamers, you've done nothing to screw them over. Just focusing on being better publisher with less shitty business practices.

 

[RyoScar]

We'll believe it when we see it EA

 

[Callate]

Thus far, they haven't managed to regain my trust. They have, however, managed to slightly decrease my trust of Bill Nye by association.

I'll acknowledge that implementing a refund policy was a good move, and DA:Inquisition is by most accounts a solid game, and even that Origin Access might be a pretty good deal. But the fact of the matter is that I either want to buy a game once for $50-$60 for the privilege of never having to deal with the publisher in any way again, or I want a platform as cheap and convenient as Steam that doesn't need to hold the company's own games out of reach in order to entice me. Failing that, I don't want it lurking on my PC's background.

(Cue someone railing on about how awful Steam actually is, cue me rolling my eyes.)

 

[Trunkage]

Also I will say this: for all the crap Origin copped on launch, It's actually turned out to be a superior platform to steam in a number of ways.

I also remember people saying it was terrible and couldn't perform against Steam. Some people have no imagination

EDIT: I did buy Dragon Age Inquisition in hardcopy due to my trust issues. It has been a long time since I bought a CD. And probably irrational

 

[visiblenoise]

I wish some forward-thinking engineer with clout would get all the companies with game distribution platforms together and create some sort of open game library system

 

[geizr]

How to win back into the gaming community's good graces: Make a good game at a good price with no bullshit (intrusive, broken DRM, pay-2-win, time-wasting grind to make a really small game seem bigger, on-disc, day-1 DLC, show-stopping bugs (go back to doing some actual QA testing, FFS)). Also, get away from the idea that every game must be produced at triple-A level. These days, triple-A has no correlation to the quality, enjoyment, or worth of a game; it only means that a lot of money was thrown at production and marketing.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

The developers they executed are still dead and gone.

Their games are still held hostage by Origin.

No thanks, EA. I'll pass.

 

[Zeras]

The final straw - for me - was the 360/PS3 versions of DA: Indigestion; first they say that it'll be coming to all platforms, they release one DLC/expansion, and say "So sorry for all the people that bought a copy for their old console - and full price to boot (I bought the $70 Deluxe Edition)- but we've decided to drop support and further DLC, AND we put this announcment inside a larger one about the multiplayer that shouldn't have been a part of the game in the first place." Multiplayer was NOT the reason why I loved the Dragon Age series! I'm am officially done with Bioware/EA.

*I was also one of the silent ones on the supposed ending debacle of ME 3; I realized that Bioware wrote themselves into a corner with the toughness/invincibility of the Reapers and the leaked script didn't help matters at all. I still think its a good game.

 

[flying_whimsy]

phase 1: make good games
phase 2: release games on steam
phase 3: profit!

or, you know, just show customers respect as actual people instead of walking wallets.

 

[anthony87]

...Yes, EA. Stop using your online-DRM, shop thingie mebober. Instead go through another online DRM, shop thingie mebober that takes a cut of your profits for doing something you already have a platform for. Cause you know, that makes sense.

Oh but don't you know? Origin bad, Steam good because reasons.

 

[Vigormortis]

In EA's defense, the adopt a similar policy [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127004-EA-Offers-Full-Refunds-For-Unsatisfied-Origin-Customers].

Weren't there laws against not offering a return policy in the first place? Or at least wheels in motion towards making some to that effect? If so it still is a positive step for their customers, sure. But to ascribe it solely to the good of EA's metaphorical heart would be beyond my capacity for optimism I fear. Ditto for believing EA's return policy to be anything more than but one factor in Valve's decision. Heck, hasn't Good old Games had one for about as long as Origin?

Yep, to all of the above. But let's not let FACTS get in the way of a baseless claim. After all, we're in Steven Bogos territory. Truthiness is as far as we can go.

 

[Kajin]

If EA wants my trust again they'd do well to stop holding all of their IP hostage. I want a new Dungeon Keeper game, and I want it done right. I'd put up with all their other shit if they'd just give me that.

 

[RJ Dalton]

I got three little words for you EA.

Talk.
Is.
Cheap.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

At this point even Sisyphus is shaking his head and saying "just give it up, guys, it's pointless".