EA: "There Is No Feud With Valve"

[Scrustle]

"There is no feud with Valve, we're just dicks. It's what we do." That's what I heard. They're not fooling anyone with this ToS bull crap. They pulled the games because they want all the profits to themselves.

And what the hell does "It's Valve." mean? Valve aren't the ones screwing over consumers just to be possessive, or taking pot shots at competitors like a child in a playground.

Is that any different for any other game that doesn't use Steam?

You really think that Notch isn't putting Minecraft on steam solely for ideological reasons? He didn't have a problem working with Microsoft when it meant opening up more market.

How is it different from Valve insisting that their games were sold with Steam?

Now I like the fact that EA is trying to make their own thing. There is potential in that (like Valve already proven with Steam). If they have 100% control of the netcode it opens up new possibilities for things you can do with your games.

Only problem is EA is wasting that opportunity by going backwards. Why a points system? It is just obnoxious when it is for PC.

When Blizzard started doing with their Battle.net (i know that Blizzard doesn't have a dedicated client, but it might as well be) at least they are trying new things. Even if they stumble on the way they are still moving forward rather than trying to move backwards.

It's not that EA isn't using Steam, it's that it pulled games that were already on Steam because it was launching Origin. They did it to try and make Origin better than Steam, but they were doing it by being anti-competitive and taking away options from the consumer, instead of actually making Origin better. They didn't do anything to make Origin look like a better option, they were attempting to make Steam worse by only allowing consumers to buy their games from their service. That's a dick move.

Maybe Valve has done something similar, I don't know. I'm not going to say they haven't. I don't believe that Valve can do no wrong and Steam is the best thing ever, but EA constantly shows that its goals are focused around nothing but money and they don't give a damn who they screw over to get it. They don't care about making games or pleasing customers, they just want profit.

 

[Ghonzor]

say did they ever say what part of the terms of service they disagreed with? i really cannot remember them ever saying what it was.

Basically Steam terms were updated to say that any DLC must be on Steam in addition to anywhere else. EA wants their DLC to be on their own sites, and nowhere else.

And so... disagreement.

I kind of wish EA would put their DLC on Steam. It's a hell of a lot better than jumping through multiple sites to buy goddamn bioware points to buy goddamn DLC off their goddamn site. They could still have their shitty-ass site purchases, they would just need to put their DLC on Steam as well. But they won't, because then everyone would buy off Steam because doing that is a hell of a lot easier than going to the damn Bioware social site to find the damn DLC to get re-directed to the game's damn website to buy goddamn Bioware points to finally buy the freaking DLC.

Sorry, got a bit carried away there...

EDIT: Do you know what you have to do to download Bring Down the Sky for Mass Effect on the PC? Well to download this free DLC, you have to search for the thing, which will take a while to find. Put in your game's activation code, download it, find out you can't open it because it sends the code to a profile on a site that doesn't exist anymore, contact EA support, and have them email you a replacement code to use.

All this. To download a free DLC. You'd think they would fix this now that they have their own service, you know, put it on Origin for easy downloading. In fact, you'd think they do this with the ME2 and all the Dragon Age DLC. You know, make it easy to find and buy. But NOPE. Because... I don't even fucking know why. It has been like this for goddamn years.

With Steam, you just have to find it and buy it. It'll download and install in its own.

And they're supposed to compete with Steam. Hilarious.

Sorry, got carried away. Again. It's just... they could do their DLC so much better and make buying/installing it so much easier. They are capable of doing so much better.. But they don't and aren't. And I don't know why. And that confuses and infuriates me.

Sorry, got a bit carried away. Again.

I recently tried to download BDtS because I was replaying Mass Effect...and immediately wanted to punch whoever decided that implementing such an asinine system was a good idea. It's still a major problem from what I gathered by scouring the web for answers. Why can't they at least fix it now? You'd think a free DLC could be part of a patch or something at the very least.

 

[ritchards]

Ah, historical revisionism... already in action!

 

[Falterfire]

I actually gave up on trying to get ahold of the Bring Down The Sky DLC. And I have to say that if ALL of the ME2 DLC was on Steam, I probably would have purchased all of it (Yes, even the bonus outfits) instead of just the Kasumi DLC.

I am baffled by this claim that EA is somehow better for the gamer than Steam.

 

[mirage202]

Am I being overly cynical thinking that the timing of this has something to do with the rumour of EA being up for sale? A barely concealed attempt to try lure potential buyers in that are already well aware of EA's actions, and Valve/Steams success?

 

[paketep]

There IS a feud with us, your ex-customers. Idiots.

 

[Xanadu84]

well.. I actually kind of believe them. And actually, I kind of appreciate that they said this. There isn't a fight, all they are concerned about with is making more money, and competition is incidental. It's just that Ea and Origin are universally...worse...then Valve. There no fighting. They just suck while Steam doesn't.

 

[irishda]

Notice no one seemed to point out the big, bad, evil EA published Left 4 Dead and Portal 2...

 

[5t3v0]

Am I the only one who believes them when they say there is no feud? Just a bunch of stupid people (on the EA side) saying stupid things? I thought feuds had to have blood not just dumbshit words... but then again, this IS the internet age after all...

 

[StriderShinryu]

Of course there's no feud. It's business in a very competitive and revenue heavy market. Contrary to popular belief, EA doesn't hate gamers and want to kick their puppies, they are trying to make money and, to do so, they're going to have to compete with Valve being that they basically currently own the digital distribution space. This might mean they make unpopular decisions at times but they need to find out what works and what doesn't.

If all they do is copu Valve to a T then they're always just going to be a poor man's version of Steam. The one area in which they can definitely gain some leverage is in working to make the software at least partially exclusive. Let's just say Origin was the leading DD platform and Valve was the upstart. Does anyone honestly think that Valve would be rushing to put their software totally up on Origin essentially under EA's control? Probably not so much.

Notice no one seemed to point out the big, bad, evil EA published Left 4 Dead and Portal 2...

Hey man, it's hard for people to think clearly when they're concentrating so hard on kissing Valve's rear end.

 

[tautologico]

I kind of wish EA would put their DLC on Steam. It's a hell of a lot better than jumping through multiple sites to buy goddamn bioware points to buy goddamn DLC off their goddamn site. They could still have their shitty-ass site purchases, they would just need to put their DLC on Steam as well. But they won't, because then everyone would buy off Steam because doing that is a hell of a lot easier than going to the damn Bioware social site to find the damn DLC to get re-directed to the game's damn website to buy goddamn Bioware points to finally buy the freaking DLC.

No kidding, I only got Overlord and Shadow Broker for ME2 because I really liked ME2, people were commenting these DLC were good, and I was really looking forward to see Liara again, but damn they made it really hard to get DLC. I downloaded Bring Down the Sky a while ago and didn't have to contact EA support, but even then it was too hard just to find where to download it. And the ME2 DLC with the Bioware points and whatnot... completely braindead, especially considering Steam was doing DLC distribution much better for some time already when ME2 came out.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Not really a feud when one side (Valve) doesn't know they're in a fight.

You mean like my bloodfeud with internationally-renowned figure skater Oksana Baiul?

[small]I'll get even with you one of these days, Baiul. You just wait! *shakes fist ineffectually*[/small]

 

[Frylock72]

You dont hate/love anyone in business. There is an interdependence as well as rivalry. Us trying to look at it as if it is highschool doesn't really help anything.

I mean I kinda find this whole press statement patronizing

It becomes exactly like high school when EA takes potshots at Steam in order to try and puff up their new digital distribution service. EA's in trouble now, the sharks are looming and they're trying to 'make nice' with everyone in order to get people to see them as reasonable and not the utter assholes they've always been.

If their share price weren't in the shitter you can bet this article would be about another remark or ten they'd be making about Steam. EA does not deserve the benefit of the doubt.

 

[praetor_alpha]

EA: "There Is No Feud With Valve"

Despite appearances, EA claims there's no bad blood between it and its biggest competitor.

Then put your products where your mouth is.

Mass Effect 3. Battlefield 3. On Steam.

Problem?

 

[Space Jawa]

"We'd love to have their games on Steam. We think their customers would be happy if their games were on Steam. We tell them that on a regular basis."

And I'm sure EA would love to have Valve's games of Origin, but does anyone really expect that to happen?

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I didn't know Sith could use force suggestion....