Is Bethesda becoming another EA?

[crazyrabbits]

I swear, EA is the gaming equivalent of Hitler. Not in the sense that they are the worst person you could name, but every negative comparison seems to go to them. there needs to be some sort of Godwin's Law based on them, and I demand it be named after me.

"Oh shit, someone did something bad, it's like EA!"

EA eats sugar. Let's go there.

Unless Bethesda (a developer, not a publisher) holds the honor of destroying several well-respected and successful franchises, they will never be like EA. I agree with your post.

 

[Cyfu]

Ok, before I throw myself into this, I need to clarify something.
Please note that I am talking about Bethesda the publisher, not BGS(bethesda game studios) the developers.

Right, moving on...

So EA is a company known for their ugly business practices and general stupidity. Just recently they publicly announced that Zynga's recent stock troubles was due to not being able to "diversify" their product lineup -which followed the announcement of their eighth Sims 3 expansion.

In the recent days Bethesda appears to be taking some vile pages from EA's 'Big book of appropriate business practices', like the most recent PC release of Dawnguard - for 20 euro(that's 2/3 the price I paid for the full game on launch day). And the lawsuit against Mojang over a single word, which they lost.

I fear that the recent actions made by Bethesda might in fact be influenced EA's general behavior over the years, and if I'm right that means that the piss poor practice of EA is causing some form of cross company peer pressure.

Any thoughts? (examples and counter-examples would be welcomed.)

Off-topic: The captcha for this post was "banana bread", delicious!

Nop, not even close to EA. They aren't even doing anything bad. Releasing Dawnguard for 20 euros isn't something bad. I imagine it's worth a lot more than 20 euros (I don't know though, I'm broke at the moment).
And dude! come on! Didn't you pay any attention to the lawsuit case? THEY HAD TO! if they didn't someone else could call their game The older scroll: Dyrim and they could have used the scroll game as an case against Bethesda if they wanted to sue them.
"well, you didn't sue scrolls"
they could have actually used that in court if they didn't sue!
GOD! do some fucking research before deciding which side your on. I hate the ignorant people who didn't get this in their fucking skulls when this lawsuit was going on.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Fan boys are saying "business is business" but Bethesda are doing exactly what EA do, so why defend Bethesda and ridicule EA for trying to maximise profit?

I don't like EA, in fact I hate them as much as the next person on this website, but saying Bethesda aren't as bad as EA for doing exactly what they do is madness (insert 300 joke here).

I think Bethesda need to treat their customers with a little more respect because these are the people paying their god damn wages.

 

[Right Hook]

Any thoughts? (examples and counter-examples would be welcomed.)

"You see that mountain over there? You can climb it...wait no, that mountain is DLC...I meant that one, you can climb that one. Nope that's just a hill, oh and it's a preorder exclusive hill." - Todd Howard on Elder Scrolls 6.

 

[Bvenged]

I disagree, because the lawsuit wasn't an aggressive move to shutdown Notch's new game, just a precaution because they hadn't actually declared "scrolls" as theirs. They didn't lose the court case because they won the rights to the name "scrolls" to stop anyone else milking off TES by using "scrolls" in their game's title, at the same time Mojang were allowed to use "Scrolls" but don't own the rights to the title.

They didn't do anything like "EA", more-so just covered their arses in this one instance.

Pricing expensive DLC when it was selling well on other platforms... how is that dirty? It's common sense from any business perspective.

Hell, they allowed the Prey 2 developers to work on the game for another year when their development progress was falling behind. That's completely the opposite of what EA would likely do.

EDIT: The one thing I'm against is this shop-exclusive preorder bonuses for Dishonored. What if I want 1 ability but want to buy at Amazon which doesn't offer it? now that is milking a game for money before it's out, by signing these deals with shops. Still nowhere near what EA does.

EDIT 2: EA is a corporation, their entire existence is about making money for it's shareholders and investors. Bethesda Softworks is a company, whose existence is about pleasing its customers enough to buy products, alongside making money.

 

[Bolwing]

I don't like what Bethesda is doing with Dawnguard, but it's a game COMPANY. Companies should make profits. So is EA. But I'm not saying that's good. It's just the sad reality: companies tend to rip off pepole.

 

[Setch Dreskar]

In the recent days Bethesda appears to be taking some vile pages from EA's 'Big book of appropriate business practices', like the most recent PC release of Dawnguard - for 20 euro(that's 2/3 the price I paid for the full game on launch day). And the lawsuit against Mojang over a single word, which they lost.

Im sorry but this whole Dawnguard raging thing is mostly gamer entitlement BS imo,

If you don't know what entitlement means don't use it. Seriously the word is being bastardized to the point of insanity because some PR Rep used it to try and downplay the whole Mass Effect 3 mess, it wasn't used properly there and you certainly haven't used it properly. It is not entitlement to be disappointed that an expansion is pricey, once you buy a product you are entitled to critique and find disapproval of the product you purchased, and you are entitled to a working product as advertised. The negative aspect of entitlement is once you cross the line to demanding things that were never promised in the first place, or wanting something for free. (Yes the reason ME3 wasn't considered entitlement is because it was always advertised as something that was never delivered, but the critiques and general bad press about the whole debacle were labeled entitlement to try and cut credibility.)

The OP never said he wanted or demanded the Expansion Dawnguard to be given to him, he voiced his concerns at the price it was listed which is reasonable because, though it is an expansion 20 euros can be a steep price when you could get other full games for the same or cheaper prices. So in my opinion you need to stop using entitlement as a buzz word for your argument. Personally I would feel more upset that Dawnguard is 20 USD and 20 Euros, the European's are getting a bad deal but that's more to do with odd pricing then general malice.

On topic, no Bethesda is not like EA, it takes allot of hard work... well poor work to build up so much hatred in your customer base that they begin petitioning for the Boards' heads on pikes.

EDIT: Also as was said the lawsuit against Mojang was pursued by Zenimax not Bethesda, and it was only done because of really god awful copyright laws in the US which state if you don't defend your product against all supposed copyright infringing items then you don't get to defend it against any at all.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

Any thoughts? (examples and counter-examples would be welcomed.)

"You see that mountain over there? You can climb it...wait no, that mountain is DLC...I meant that one, you can climb that one. Nope that's just a hill, oh and it's a preorder exclusive hill." - Todd Howard on Elder Scrolls 6.

Yeah, he never said that. Don't post false quotes. If he did ever say anything like that, it was in radically different context than you're putting it.

 

[Laser Priest]

Snip

Personally, I think that's more the result of poor phrasing and word choice than anything. As far as I've gathered, the OP is just saying that Bethesda is becoming like EA (which is ridiculous) rather than blaming EA directly. Either way, I think we can agree that the argument is ridiculous.

 

[Hazy992]

Snip

Personally, I think that's more the result of poor phrasing and word choice than anything. As far as I've gathered, the OP is just saying that Bethesda is becoming like EA (which is ridiculous) rather than blaming EA directly. Either way, I think we can agree that the argument is ridiculous.

Guess we're just interpreting it differently And yeah Bethesda is nothing like EA.

 

[ToastiestZombie]

bethesda only make xbox 360 games these days with half assed ports. which is sad when its the pc modding community that keeps their games being played years after release.

the days of huge quest mods that you saw for oblivion are over

what? Have you not seen how much Bethesda has actually been pushing mods. They put skyrim on the steam workshop, which let's mod makers and kid users easily download massive mods and have them automatically install and update. Skyrim's missing system is exact the same as oblivion, and the skyrim creation kit was released lettin mod makers make those massive quest mods that are "dying out". Skyrim is a really good pc port, it has less bugs than the consoles, has the exact same launcher as oblivion and it has an official texture pack only for pc... for free! Tell me how skyrim is a crappy console port like prototype 2 and modern warfare 3, go on. Also, go search for a mod called moonpath to elswyr, it's a massive quest mod that adds the khajit homeworkd, fully voiced characters, new weapons, some beautiful new environments unlike anything from skyrim and a long, detailed questions with tins of new monsters to fight. Stop being hyperbolic, horse armour was a crappier dlc than dawngaurd, and you had to pay for fucking horse armour! Yet no one made massive hyperbole saying Bethesda is turning into ea. Gamers these days need to learn to stop being so hyperbolic and melodramatic and focus on actual bad publishers an actual games that are killing the missing scene.

 

[Right Hook]

Any thoughts? (examples and counter-examples would be welcomed.)

"You see that mountain over there? You can climb it...wait no, that mountain is DLC...I meant that one, you can climb that one. Nope that's just a hill, oh and it's a preorder exclusive hill." - Todd Howard on Elder Scrolls 6.

Yeah, he never said that. Don't post false quotes. If he did ever say anything like that, it was in radically different context than you're putting it.

You're kidding me, right? I can't believe I live in a world where it isn't completely obvious to everyone that what I posted was a joke. Nobody with a shred of sanity would believe that was a real quote, especially considering that ES6 isn't even announced yet, nor will it be for a very long time. You have made me feel awful, how can you just not get it this hard?

OP(because I'm back in this thread anyway): I don't think Bethesda is anything like EA, they might be a little worse for wear but I still think they are a great company and cannot wait for Fallout 4 to be announced, whenever that finally happens.

 

[Unsilenced]

One does no simply "become" EA by merely doing shitty things.

One must commit oneself fully to sucking ass, go beyond the boundaries of mere greed and ascend to the heights of utter pants-on-head retardation.

Then, and only then, may a company unlock the glory of the golden poo.




But seriously though, doing a shitty thing isn't "making them EA," though I do like the fact that "like EA" has become a synonym for "shitty." Its like a Godwin for video game companies.

"You like DLC, huh? You know who else liked DLC? Hitl-I mean EA."

 

[Terminate421]

Zenimax studios aren't cramming DRM into every title, even then, they tend to be relatively quiet about what they do. Also, when they do DLC, its totally optional for the game.

So Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

 

[Treblaine]

Ok, before I throw myself into this, I need to clarify something.
Please note that I am talking about Bethesda the publisher, not BGS(bethesda game studios) the developers.

But they aren't even top of the pile, Zenimax is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenimax

John Carmack had to go begging to lawyers who work at Zenimax to allow the id-Tech 4 engine's source code to be released, not the bosses of id-software nor the bosses of Bethesda, Zenimax.

Bethesda is a publisher in the purests sense, they "publish" games, print copies and be in charge of marketing and patches and stuff, but Zenimax OWNS everything and ultimately decides what can an cannot happen and what everyone under them will or will not do.

Essentially Bethesda doesn't exist any more. There is Bethesda Games Studio, the talent, then there are the guys above them who pay for everything, take all the money, and decide what everyone should be doing. The buck stops with them.

Yes, Zenimax/bethesda have been kind of dicks... but not EA level of dickery.

They allowed source code of Id Tech 4's release. They are cool with their games being modded even encouraging it.

Yes they fuck up on regional pricing, Dawnguard is $20 in US but 20 Euro is possibly a mistake, it's 14 pounds sterling.
http://www.steamprices.com/uk/dlc/211720/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-dawnguard
But on the other hand they use steam-sales, right now their entire catalogue is 25% off and expect deeper sales for the likes of Skyrim. Hell, New Vegas got 75% off in the winter sales.

 

[Kroxile]

The only difference is that Bethesda hasn't pissed off consumers in such a relentless fashion as EA. Sure, they made one lackluster DLC overpriced. That doesn't make them the equivalent of gaming's Joseph Stalin.

One lackluster DLC? I have 2 words for you: Horse Armor

Though I agree with your points people need to not just forget that this isn't bethesda's first strike.

 

[Brendan Stepladder]

The only difference is that Bethesda hasn't pissed off consumers in such a relentless fashion as EA. Sure, they made one lackluster DLC overpriced. That doesn't make them the equivalent of gaming's Joseph Stalin.

One lackluster DLC? I have 2 words for you: Horse Armor

Though I agree with your points people need to not just forget that this isn't bethesda's first strike.

They still haven't struck as hard when they did, though, Sure, the have a penchant for crap DLC, but you don't see them withholding sections of Elder Scrolls games as day 1 DLC, nor does anybody see "Falllout Premium" becoming a viable option. Bethesda is morally on par with every other average publisher, people just exaggerate anything bad they do due the fact that it contrasts with the amazing games they make.

 

[Khazoth]

All game companies have some level of scumbaggery, but there is only one unholy king of darkness and that remains EA.

 

[Ryotknife]

Yea dawngaurd is overpriced, but still a better deal than any DLC that comes from EA (15 dollars a few hour DLC in mass effect). Not to mention, their DLC will go down in price unlike EA.

EDIT: derped and put COD DLC instead

Here is a wild suggestion.

If you dont think the DLC is worth the money... dont buy it?

I mean are they evil for offering it?

I have a brain in my skull. I can go "Yay" or "Nay" to it. Do you not have that privilege?

I am not buying it. EA is evil if they offer something that is worth significantly less for more money AND give no alternatives. If they want to cash in on the idiots with more money than brains, that is fine.

Even with Dawnguard at 20 dollars, it WILL go on sale just like other bethesda expansions. So even if the price irkes you, there are alternatives other than never buying it. I will probably never buy EA or activision DLC because most of the time they are a blatant ripoff meant to squeeze every ounce of money from their loyal fans with absolutely no regard to their image.

course, by your logic a company can never do anything evil. If a company released a game for full price with over half of its content locked that you have to shell out 60 dollars more....well by golly you can just say nay!

also, i could have easily reported you for implying that i do not have a brain. I wont because it would serve no real purpose. But there are other posters on these forums who would start a crusade against you for such demeaning behavior.

I never implied you didn't have a brain in your skull. I insisted that I would use my mind and free will to determine value and act accordingly. That I wasn't a sheep that needed everything and only bought things I have figured out was worth it. The priviledge I am talking about is choice. But if it offend you by all means report it rather than threaten with it. If I broke the rules then report it, otherwise it is just a childish threat.

But your logic is still flawed.

EA sells overpriced DLC = meant to squeeze every ounce of money from their loyal fans.
Bethesda sells overpriced DLC = They will sell it cheaper later. Therefore ok.

First of all. Both companies are trying to get as much money from you as possible. EA is just less competent at it.
But more importantly aren't you trying to get as much game as possible for your money?
Why does your definition of greed only go one way?
Furthermore where do you have do you have that crystal ball from? You seem to know the future. More importantly EA did lower Prices on their games. Why aren't they getting the same treatment as Bethesda in your equation?

Also no, a company can be evil. Just not by overpricing. That just makes them stupid.

It is a free market, and it is DLC. You talk about it as if it was insulin (if it was insulin yes, then it would be evil). If they are telling you black on white what they are selling then you have the choice to buy it. You always have the choice.

you have a choice, but EA and Activision are the only companies that i know of that take away your OPTIONS. So while i may disagree with dawnguards current worth, it will eventually sink to a value which i consider reasonable. No such thing exists for EA DLC, because they very rarely, if ever, go down in price.

honestly, the DLC thing is a drop in the ocean when it comes to EA evil.

as for my crystal ball....well i see New vegas DLC on sale again on steam for about 1.50. hmm.....so it looks like history proves me right.

your options with EA are shell over way too much money or dont play it ever. There is practically no middle ground.

 

[Absolutionis]

Bethesda can just be silly and incompetent at times.

They were the ones that practically invented pverpriced garage DLC with the horse armor thinking they could nickel-and-dime us. Then they play it off as if it were a joke and release Dawnguard.
They want money, but they're not doing an intentionally malicious effort. They're just prone to slip-ups.

EA on the other hand does this all intentionally, and more.

EA buys companies, milks money out of their franchises by releasing trash, and throws everything away. Bethesday simply bought the Fallout license, pissed off fans by making it nothing like the originals, but at least released something acceptable; they put effort into it.

EA kicks Zynga when they're down. Bethesda apologizes when they're legally obligated to challenge Mojang for a word.

Bethesda charged us for bad DLC and horse armor. EA charges us for overpowered in-game items and Day1 Disc-Locked Content.

EA forces itself into the spotlight by trash-talking competitors (and still makes an inferior product) while Bethesda stays in the limelight by just making good games for their fans.