Jimquisition: EA Access ... Denied

[strumbore]

Another excellent analysis by Jim, I would have put more emphasis on the carving-up of content though (I know Jim talks about it a lot, but that's the name of the scheme, after all). Minimizing production (content) and maximizing pre-emptive cash flow (pre-orders and subscriptions) is the Holy Grail for media companies.

What a wonderful thing it would be for developers to vaguely offer "a big-name game" for $60, the "special edition" (i.e. full-but-not-really version) for $80, the "season pass" for an additional $30, and "online-mode" through its subscription service for $40 per month...effectively trickling-out a full experience shrewdly hinted at through vague PR's advertisements over the course of a year for $150 and minimal commitment to quality or content.

Oh wait, they've been doing this for years . Imagine how great it will be once we do away with retail altogether and just have subscriptions!

 

[Thanatos2k]

I don't see the logic in refusing a pretty good deal on the grounds that it will cause water to run down hill, bears to defecate in the woods and the pope to convert to catholicism.

Being an inveterate critic of the status quo and an unthinking conservative makes no sense.

You're pissing in the moat because it's convenient and a pretty good deal. But eventually you have to drink the water, and if everyone starts doing it...

 

[DragonDai]

You're pissing in the moat because it's convenient and a pretty good deal. But eventually you have to drink the water, and if everyone starts doing it...

Best way to describe this I've ever seen...

 

[disgruntledgamer]

EA Access ... Denied

Welcome to an incoming age of subscriptions, subscriptions everywhere!

Watch Video

You were right EA is already locking crap out unless you subscribe and EA Access isn't even out of the starting game yet., like the ability to see if their Games are total crap.



Madden NFL 15 won't be playable early unless you pay for EA Access (update)

Update: While EA initially declined to comment on the reasons for the lack of a Madden 15 demo, an EA representative reached out to Polygon after the publication of this story with the following statement to provide some additional context: "The difficult decision not to do a demo for Madden was strictly a result of the team's commitment to deliver the highest-quality game possible. We chose to put 100 percent of our development resources toward the full game."


http://www.polygon.com/2014/8/11/5991063/madden-nfl-15-no-demo-ea-access

 

[Canadamus Prime]

EA lost me when you basically said "subscription service on top of a subscription service." Well actually if I'm being honest, EA lost me as soon as I heard "EA," but subscription service on top of a subscription service? Fuck that.

 

[jpoon]

Spot on once again, thank you kind sir and fuck you EA, I have no need for your garbage pail services.

 

[Baresark]

EA doesn't offer enough to me for this to even seem attractive. If you don't play modern FPS games, it's a waste. If EA puts out a game I'm interested in, I buy it only when I know it's worth my money, and you don't tend to get any DLC money out of me. It's not even a trust thing with EA for me, it's a lack of good games that keeps me away. They may release one game a year I'm interested in, if that.

 

[DoctorObviously]

I would love to play games with Jim.

He seems pretty kewl, actually *winkwink*.

 

[gamegod25]

Even since EA lobotomized Mythic Entertainment (the creators of Dark Age of Camelot amungst other things), I've lead a very happy EA free life and I recommend everyone else do the same. It's quite liberating. Granted they've locked in some proper nouns, such as NFL and Star Wars, but as far as gameplay goes you can get pretty much everything they offer elsewhere, only better.

Never forget....

[http://s1237.photobucket.com/user/Lloyd250/media/victims-of-ea.png.html]

 

[Shayman]

I put my heart and soul into Jim Sterling - thank god for Jim Sterling.

 

[truckspond]

I find it funny that the only ongoing AAA series that has not had content cut out of the offline single player to sell off as DLC is the one constantly criticised for stagnating - CoD.

Seriously, name one instance where content was cut out of the offline single player for any CoD game and held to ransom behind a paywall,

While other publishers keep on cutting stuff out of the single player for DLC, CoD keeps delivering you a complete, non-bug-infested single player experience at launch if you only buy the bare minimum standard edition with no DLC whatsoever. That is how games should be. None of this online multiplayer campaign bollocks because Brink is unplayable and Titanfall is quickly dying out because once people get bored of the multiplayer the campaign stops working. None of this bollocks about cutting content out of the offline single player so the publisher can extort more money from the consumer. Just one complete base game with no DLC needed for the complete single player experience

 

[ace_of_something]

I already hate it when I have to log in to their system (like uplay) to play online as it is. I really don't like the idea of paying for that too.

I suggest Bug Princess could be a playable character in Hyrule Warriors - a few months later they announce Bug Princess as playable.

I make a joke that Capcom has been dropping the ball by not remaking Resident Evil for the new consoles like it always does - two days later, Capcom announces it's remaking Resident Evil for new consoles.

I make a Jimquisition about how EA Access will soon see EA gating off content it used to provide as standard - 47 MINUTES LATER, Electronic Arts announces it's gating off content it used to provide as standard.

I genuinely, truly, believe I am some sort of Holy Being.

soooo.... what're your lucky numbers?

 

[RandV80]

Even if it is a good deal one must remember that EA and their likes being a large publicly held corporation is after one thing only: making money and maximizing profits.

So how can this 'subscription service' be a good thing for customers and make EA money? Well, pre-order bullshit aside the big publishers have always put the focus for making all their money on the first few months of a games release. They send out that big first batch, rake in their millions, then start pushing/hyping the next release. Making money after that period is under utilized, and for consoles if someones grabbing an older game they're likely buying it used from Gamestop or wherever and the publisher makes no money. So it makes a lot of sense for them to create an annual revenue stream for themselves and provide these older games which they're not making money off of anyways free of charge, and it is a good deal for the customer.

That takes care of the 'making money' part, the problem comes from the latter end of the equation 'maximizing profits'. Once the model is in place they're going to do everything they can get away with to squeeze ever last bit of value out of it, and if that means taking away stuff that used to come for free to encourage us to 'subscribe' then that's what they're going to do. And it's what they're already doing with the Madden news brought up here.

Someone else already posted the update from news article but here it is again:

Update: While EA initially declined to comment on the reasons for the lack of a Madden 15 demo, an EA representative reached out to Polygon after the publication of this story with the following statement to provide some additional context: "The difficult decision not to do a demo for Madden was strictly a result of the team's commitment to deliver the highest-quality game possible. We chose to put 100 percent of our development resources toward the full game."

I mean wow seriously can you get anymore sleezy than that? It could make a little sense if they scrapped the demo entirely, since it does take some resources to piece it together, but isn't there going to be one for the Xbox One EA subscribers?

Now I haven't bought a game from EA/Activision/Ubisoft for years, thank Steam for that, so it's not really going to effect me. But the sad thing is all they need is like 500k or so people to sign up for it to call it an 'outstanding success' and 'what the consumer wants', then we'll see all the other monkeys follow along making their own subscription services.

 

[MrBrightside919]

So, not only will we need an xbox live subscription, but now there is ANOTHER subscription we can have. How long before everyone company has a subscription service?

Not sure if anyone made this joke yet but...

Subscriptions inside of subscriptions inside of subscriptions...

Subsception!

 

[lordloss217]

So, not only will we need an xbox live subscription, but now there is ANOTHER subscription we can have. How long before everyone company has a subscription service?

Not sure if anyone made this joke yet but...

Subscriptions inside of subscriptions inside of subscriptions...

Subsception!

Imagine a subsception within a subsception: SUBSCEPTIONSCEPTION!!!!

 

[chazwicked82]

I know exactly what will happen when the industry does that.. It's called Nintendo Wins!!

 

[MrBrightside919]

So, not only will we need an xbox live subscription, but now there is ANOTHER subscription we can have. How long before everyone company has a subscription service?

Not sure if anyone made this joke yet but...

Subscriptions inside of subscriptions inside of subscriptions...

Subsception!

Imagine a subsception within a subsception: SUBSCEPTIONSCEPTION!!!!

Dear god in heaven!

I'm calling Leo as we speak...

 

[sXeth]

Yeah, this is kind of what went on with cable.

First the platforms/providers charged for their premium service. Then the basic service was degraded almost to irrelevance. Then the content providers started running their own services ontop, making it so if you wanted to view the programming, you end up paying ludicrous amounts to multiple companies for the service.

 

[Signa]

I suggest Bug Princess could be a playable character in Hyrule Warriors - a few months later they announce Bug Princess as playable.

I make a joke that Capcom has been dropping the ball by not remaking Resident Evil for the new consoles like it always does - two days later, Capcom announces it's remaking Resident Evil for new consoles.

I make a Jimquisition about how EA Access will soon see EA gating off content it used to provide as standard - 47 MINUTES LATER, Electronic Arts announces it's gating off content it used to provide as standard.

I genuinely, truly, believe I am some sort of Holy Being.

What if, instead of you predicting the future, you're causing it to happen instead?

 

[demoman_chaos]

Aaaaaaand Electronic Arts proves Jimquisition's point within forty-seven minutes!

http://www.polygon.com/2014/8/11/5991063/madden-nfl-15-no-demo-ea-access

In the words of Timon...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuhgHzuPYiI

I have two comments, one to each link.
The update says EA was putting all the effort towards the full-game. BULL FUCKING SHIT YOU WANKER CUNTS! The simple fact that there is A demo for XB1 PROVES you are LYING DICKHEADS! I need to go to the swear jar, I think I might have some more good ones stuffed in there I have been saving up for special occasions.

As for the 2nd one, I FACKING LOVE THAT GAME!