EA: We Never Want to Be Named Worst U.S. Company Again

[VoidWanderer]

As long as they remember why they got so big in the first place, ie by being consumer first

One second, it's the hottest day in Hell?

Oh...

What about them hiring the Starbucks guy who 'obviously' has lots of gaming industry experience? Oh, that was part of your deal with them too.

Gee, thanks 'Dad', I mean Satan.

Oh, he's running EA now?

That actually makes sense.

 

[Grabehn]

Saying that while having DLC-ims is pretty damn funny though, "we don't want to think we're greedy assholes, but let us release this sims game were even pools are DLC" Yeah no, not going to happen.

 

[Sol_HSA]

I know this list will get buried down in these comments and won't ever be seen by anyone who would make a difference, but we're all here to rant, so who cares.

Let's see. Dear EA. Here's a few suggestions that might help.

- Make a strict non-DRM policy.
- Stop trying to push Origin on people. Put your games on GOG.COM and steam. With no additional logins or whatnot.
- Stop trying to make freemium work.
- Remember additional content packs? That's what DLC is for. Not for letting people pay not to play your game.
- Form a committee on how to handle consumers ethically. I know, I know, committees, but this is a big company we're talking about, that's how they operate. The committee should consist of people who realize WHY freemium and DRM are unethical.
- Ban all overtime. A lot of fields can do their job on time, you'll figure it out.

That would be a start. But that's just about as likely as the Pope deciding that condoms are a good thing.

 

[Saika Renegade]

No one wants to be named 'worst' anything in the public eye, EA, but until such point that you actually do something about the practices that got you the title two years running, you're gonna be the king of the bottom of a very depressing barrel.

 

[Someone Depressing]

Breaking news, EA stops wanting to be utter shite.

Origin was improving, they gave me The Sims 2 for free - which I'm really grateful for because The Sims 2 is a remnant of when EA itself wasn't nearly as awful - and Dragon Age: Inquisition actually looks promising and isn't inciting torches 'n pitchforks reactions from fans like DA2 did, which is a lot for any major publisher.

Then The Sims 4 happened, and all that hard work went for naught.

They're going to make the list. They just are. I hadn't heard much of the blog before EA was named the worst company in the US by them, but they seem pretty set on making a mockery of them.

 

[PatrickXD]

I hope this guy is being honest and that he is going to hit all these targets he's talking about. Unfortunately he's not the first EA suit to say this, so I certainly have my doubts.

 

[Avalanche91]

Communications department: We would really like to tell our customers that we want to better ourselves.

Management: We would really like it if our customers paid double nay, tripple the amount they usually do without us actually having to put in the extra work. Let's cut more content for DLC.

And that is assuming the communications team isn't in on the whole gag. You can keep claiming you want X, how much X means to you and how much you represent X at the core, but if your actions indicate Y you're just missing the bloody point!

 

[Abomination]

EA focuses on innovative MARKETING, not on the games. They look at a game and think "How can we make this make the most money possible?" while ignoring the consumer's enjoyment of the product. Most people have been able to predict exactly how their latest releases will bomb and have been disturbingly accurate with the specific reasoning.

This is a corporation that manufactures video games, it's not a video game manufacturer that is corporate owned. Other companies are out there seeking to design the best possible game and allowing that vehicle to drive sales, whereas EA makes a game and tries all the tricks it can think of to increase revenue. If they put HALF their marketing focus towards the actual quality of the game they would have brilliant products.

 

[ron1n]

Unless they have a time machine and can undo the last 3, 5, 10 or so years of terrible anti-consumer practices, broken releases and terrible public relations, they must be trolling.

I'd actually have more respect for them if they just came out and admitted that this is an accurate representation:

 

[neokiva]

CCP has been a player input mmo company for years. guess what! they have eve online a great game with unique mechanics, a yearly party in Reykjavik so players and devs come together to hear and discuss the future of their games and they are in their second decade of running. to me this speaks of the integrity of the players working with devs to make games. please note EA that does not mean focus test, it means listen to suggestions,complaints that a truthful listen to the hardcore market, but don't forget the casual market. and ffs don't try and criminalize your whole fanbase with retarded drm.

 

[Headbiter]

Is that a thing now? Cause I'm fairly certain I read an eerily similar article on this very site not too long ago. So is that EA's new PR-gag? Releasing a press statement, saying they want to better themselves every few months or so? I mean, yes, I'm the first to agree that modern internet-users have the attention span of a demented fruit fly but come on...

 

[Qage]

Another good idea would be removing a bunch of the "pay to get the better plants" thing in PvZ 2.

As well as generally start treating their customers with respect, rather than lying to them at every turn, and stop absorbing smaller, more popular companies and having them die off a few years down the line.

 

[ExtraDebit]

People just don't get it, EA not being a bad company is a paradox. People that make good games are artist and idealist, people that controls the company are shareholders some of whom doesn't even play games.

It's like in the movie "Chef", the chef wants to cook something new and exciting, the owner wants him to cook the same shit because it works. In the end the owner get what he wants because he owns the place.

That's why Star Citizen MIGHT be the new triple A gaming model if it turn out to be a good game. It's funded by gamers and control by the developer which came up with the original vision of the game, not some shareholder.

 

[Often]

Well you know, if you'd stop shitting on your fanbase, your fanbase would stop complaining that everything you do is shit.

 

[Nazulu]

They've said this a couple of times before. Didn't really go anywhere except for a couple of good things here and there.

Well I would like to believe you EA, but, you know.

 

[AstaresPanda]

lolololol and yet......Sims 4 has just come out...... are they just trololin or are buyin their own bullshit.

 

[Zombie Badger]

It's telling that EA don't say they want to improve, but that they don't want to be *named* worst company again.

 

[cikame]

One thing you could do is reduce the prices of Origin games to be more in line with the rest of the market, in the UK everything seems to be 30%-70% overpriced, or get rid of Origin because it's not very good or useful.

 

[TippiestRook]

Yeah, and I want swimming pools to drown toddlers in The Sims 4.

Riccitiello said the same thing. While Origin is genuinely improving, they haven't improved in any other way. They're still in Golden Poo territory for the BF4 launch, Dungeon Keeper, and the stripped-down Sims 4 release, but I doubt they'll win it again.

EAs reaction after making this statement.
http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view/796467/dr-evil-laugh-o.gif
(No idea how to post a gif here)

Put brackets around "img" and "/img", and then put the image link in the middle of them, no spaces. Quote me to see it at work.

Thank you so much!

 

[circularlogic88]

So they plan to change their name, do they? I wonder what the new company name will be... FU?

In all seriousness, I doubt they have much choice in that. Unless they actually change the way they make games and sell them, I doubt many people will be donning "I <3 EA" shirts anytime soon.

Not unless they wanna unlock bonus content for Call of Duty. The kinect will actually scans and looks for what you as the player are wearing and will give you bonus content in multiplayer matches, but as soon as you take off your I <3 EA shirt, it locks you out of your session.

...

Now that I think about it, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if this wasn't something they were actually thinking up.