EA says that Steam Sales cheapen IP. Then give games away for free.

ResonanceSD

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Now, I don't like EA.

Like, at all.

However, you really have to wonder who's in charge of the company, when stuff like this happens.

I think that all companies need to have a six-year old on the advisory board, anything that s/he spots that could be a dumb idea, doesn't get passed.




This weekend, Electronic Arts accidentally gave away thousands of free games thanks to a discount coupon, rewarded to anyone who
filled out their marketing survey, that would take $20 off any purchase of more than $20. Some crafty gamers figured out that they could use the coupon more than once, and they walked away with a whole bunch of free EA-published games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age.

Via Kotaku

http://kotaku.com/5951813/some-gamers-are-really-pissed-at-ea-for-screwing-up-this-weekend?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews


http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-06-06-david-demartini-origin-wants-to-be-the-hub <-- Steam sales cheapen IP link.
 

Aris Khandr

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Actually, that was a really good idea for them. Those $20 titles are generally old and not selling many copies. Giving them away gets people to download and use Origin. And already having the service means that they are more likely to use it in the future.

Yeah, letting the coupon be used multiple times was a mistake, but the idea itself was sound.
 

Zenn3k

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Still don't have Origin installed, still not feeling like I'm missing anything.
 

ResonanceSD

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Zenn3k said:
Still don't have Origin installed, still not feeling like I'm missing anything.
Steam is a better product than Origin, and has a larger number of good games on it. You aren't.


I wouldn't touch Origin with a 10 foot bargepole being held by someone else XD (Thanks to this week's ZP for that line)
 

tippy2k2

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Hi ResonanceSD! I'm good, how are you? : )

As the Escapist's unofficial EA defender, I would have to say:

I agree with you.

I am completely befuddled as to how a company of EA's size could make this mistake and question how it took them so long to figure it out. I don't mind them pulling the codes as long as they replace them for the people who legitimately did the survey and did not yet use their code.
 

L0dest0ne

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You do realize that Kotaku is perhaps the least reliable video game news source on the planet, right?
OT: I'm quite surprised that a company as big as EA could not have seen this bug. Well, someone is out of a job and will probably never get another job in that field.
 

Fr]anc[is

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Clearly they are prepping for another big controversy where they will utilize Origin users computers as spambots to sign another petition.
 

OpticalJunction

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I like Origin as a product and I think it's good that steam has a legitimate rival, however EA's draconian data collection policies make me wary of installing it again.
 

ResonanceSD

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OpticalJunction said:
I like Origin as a product and I think it's good that steam has a legitimate rival, however EA's draconian data collection policies make me wary of installing it again.
it'd be a legitimate rival if it didn't have the data collection policy, the restricted downloads and the moronic ruleset that it comes with.

Oh and if it came with an overlay that is as good as Steam's.
 

lacktheknack

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OpticalJunction said:
I like Origin as a product and I think it's good that steam has a legitimate rival, however EA's draconian data collection policies make me wary of installing it again.
I think Steam's most likely rival right now is gog.com, as they're the only company that offers features that Steam doesn't (absolutely no DRM). So try throwing behind them if you want Steam to have competition.
 

DarkishFriend

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I may actually reinstall Origin if this is still working and DA2 is around $20. Anyone know if the code still works?
 

Snotnarok

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Origin is fine and everything however the problem is just the deals are so good on steam, the connectivity is so much easier and better. As heavy as steam is there's still less than origin.

It's honestly a lot of EA's higher ups who shouldn't have any voice that goes outside the company speak up and their statements are just dumb.
 

ResonanceSD

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DarkishFriend said:
I may actually reinstall Origin if this is still working and DA2 is around $20. Anyone know if the code still works?
of course not, every single game site has reported it now -_- EA aren't THAT stupid.
 

Calcium

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If memory serves me right, in the Escapist podcast they discussed the differences between Origin and Steam. I think the conclusion was along the lines of "one is ambiguous about what it collects but specific in who it shares it with. The other is specific about what it collects but ambiguous with who it shares it with." That was from quite a while ago though, and I'd imagine both EULAs/Privacy Policies have changed since then.

Draech said:
Different words saying essentially the same thing. One gives you an opt in check box, that you probably wouldn't have read and just clicked ok to anyway. The other, the opt in check box is the EULA, which you probably wouldn't have read either, clicked ok to, and wouldn't have known what it said if someone on the internet didn't tell you you should be outraged by it. This is a big deal about nothing brought to you by people who are throwing tantrums because it is EA.
Though I feel slightly bad for cropping such an intelligently constructed post, I feel you pretty much summed up the whole issue of Origin's data collection here.
 

Ed130 The Vanguard

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Sep 10, 2008
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The giving away of free game coupons was a honest mistake, you can't really compare Steam sales against it.

EA's cock-up with leaving up the survey but disabling the coupon code deserves more attention.

ResonanceSD said:
Also OP: EA did this 12 days after saying Steam Sales "Cheapen Intellectual Property"

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/06/18/origin-offering-deep-discounts-on-many-games-er/

 

GoaThief

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Draech said:
Whilst I agree with much of your sentiment (Steam is superior in many other aspects, those arguments alone are "enough"), wasn't the rest debunked in the following thread?

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.353039-For-privacy-Origin-is-the-same-as-Steam-WRONG-Updated?page=1
 

TheSapphireKnight

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Its not really surprising. EA's approach to nearly everything has been the dartboard approach. They flip from one position or policy to the next on a moments notice.

They are the windsock of the gaming industry.