Origin Cheapens IP With Deep-Cutting Sales

[CardinalPiggles]

So when EA does something it's bad but when they decide to make a 180 on the subject (essentially doing what people want) it's still bad?!?

Make up your damn minds people!

No, when EA does something sleazy to some extra money, it's bad. And the article never said that them having a sale was bad, the article states that the sheer hypocrisy is funny.

Oh and it's also giving EA some good publicity in there too, directing people to some great bargains.

 

[Gather]

Specials? When I logged into Origin there were no specials on any title except the Sims 3 Pets.

Must be because I live in Australia.

 

[CaptDom]

For once we in the UK get the better end of the stick...
and,
but,
Origin?!

'hooray' but no hooray

 

[Xman490]

EA executive complains about the $60 or higher standard price ceiling. EA then continues to make big-budget games to make that price point all the more needed.

EA executive complains about big discounts devaluing IP. EA then changes to put big discounts on their IP.

HYPOCRISY MUCH? INCONSISTENCY MUCH?

 

[OManoghue]

EA did something totally fucking retarded? STOP THE FUCKING PRESSES!

 

[swenson]

Uh. What? That... that makes no sense at all. Why does putting something on sale on occasion "cheapen" it? I mean, yes, it literally cheapens it in the sense that it is cheaper, but why would it metaphorically cheapen it? I mean, Valve puts the entire Half-Life series on sale on Steam for like twenty bucks every once in a while. (and regular price is still just $40!) Yet people still think it's a really good series.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting his use of the word "cheapen", but it seems to me that price has precious little to do with what people think of a game. If a brand-new AAA title came out for ten bucks, I might be a little surprised and maybe even concerned, but if it's a special sale, I wouldn't go "ugh, horrible game", I'd go "cool, is cheap this weekend! I'd better snap it up!"

The more I think about it, the more I think I'm really, really missing something here. Can somebody else explain this to me? Do you get what they're trying to say, because the only thing I can see is "we want more money and are trying to pretend we're good people for wanting all of your money."

I mean, sheesh. At least be honest about wanting all of our money...

 

[ResonanceSD]

Leadership and Communication are things that happen to other companies.

 

[yRar_972]

I think instead of calling EA out on this hypocrisy, we should encourage them a bit. If you ignore what EA said in the past, this is a good move. Reducing prices is still a good thing no matter how you look at it. I rather be be paying $40 then $80.

To EA: Good job, here's a biscuit. Now just drop the prices more and make it global then you'll only have to, fix Origin, remove the online pass, reduce spending on AAA titles, remove Dr Evil as your consultant, write a public letter of apology, reduce more spending, be the first to lower the standard AAA title price from $60 to $40 notwithstanding the stuff I've said before and send all your customers a box of chocolates and some flowers.

Baby steps.

 

[Wilcroft]

Wait a minute, I went to the website, and all the games that are supposedly on sale are being marked as full price. Was this a short as hell sale, or did EA suddenly change their minds?

WTF the sale is gone already? All the stuff is back to regular price. ME 3 Deluxe is back up to $80

Pretty much this. For $50 I would've bought ME3. But having a 12-hour sale? That's just stupid and annoying, and will not attract me to Origin.

 

[llamastorm.games]

I would argue that what EA has done here is in no way IP cheapening, as the price that the games have been lowered to for this sale is probably only really a 25% off sale considering how much they should be on sale for normally when compared to steam and even retail sales, and that the only reason the percentage cut is so great is simply because of the inflated price to begin with.


I also agree that those 75%+ steam sales do cheapen IP's, because they do. Although maybe not as much as EA were making out. Nothing wrong with a good steam sale on an old title, but steam sales too early can hurt a franchise. However i don't think it's the price cut which cheapens the IP i think it's the regularity within which everything is on sale, within a year everything is on sale a couple of times once it's been out for a year or so and then again at Christmas.
It's been evident on these very forums a few times when Microsoft has lots of stuff between 33-50% off and everyone is critical because it isn't as much as Steam. I believe that people expecting something to be 75% off at some point has cheapened IP's because everyone holds off until then. For the same reason iPhone's have cheapened handheld gaming.


Also it'd be nice if we could get back to more unbiased articles. EA is stupid, no question, but it is the role of the reader to surmise that for themselves not to be told so in the article.

 

[llamastorm.games]

Uh. What? That... that makes no sense at all. Why does putting something on sale on occasion "cheapen" it? I mean, yes, it literally cheapens it in the sense that it is cheaper, but why would it metaphorically cheapen it? I mean, Valve puts the entire Half-Life series on sale on Steam for like twenty bucks every once in a while. (and regular price is still just $40!) Yet people still think it's a really good series.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting his use of the word "cheapen", but it seems to me that price has precious little to do with what people think of a game. If a brand-new AAA title came out for ten bucks, I might be a little surprised and maybe even concerned, but if it's a special sale, I wouldn't go "ugh, horrible game", I'd go "cool, is cheap this weekend! I'd better snap it up!"

The more I think about it, the more I think I'm really, really missing something here. Can somebody else explain this to me? Do you get what they're trying to say, because the only thing I can see is "we want more money and are trying to pretend we're good people for wanting all of your money."

I mean, sheesh. At least be honest about wanting all of our money...

EA came out and said they wouldn't have any of their games on steep discounts on Origin akin to Steam because such a large discount "cheapens" an IP, in that it's cheapens the customers perceived value/view of that product. They said that a 25%/33%/50% sale is fine but the typical Steam sale of 75% was too much, and basically they have done what they said they wouldn't.

 

[RoBi3.0]

Not that I have any love to EA cause I don't, I would however like to point out that David DeMartin never said that there would never be any sales ever.

What he said was "occasionally there will be things that are on sale you could look for a discount, just don't look for 75 percent off going-out-of-business sales"

I suppose that you could argue that the DA:O sale constitutes more then a 75% of sale but lets face it that game is 300 gaming years old and wasn't that great to begin with.


I guess what I am saying is that this isn't any where near EA doing a 180, and don't expect Origins to be shitting deals anytime soon.

 

[Evil Smurf]

still won't buy it. I have not bought an EA game since tetris on the app store

 

[Necabo]

I don't really see why everyone is complaining about this.

One, the sales weren't for the same amount that Steam annually does.

Two, How is having a good sale a BAD thing?

It is hardly about having a good sale, which is a good thing that might work to attract people to origin.

But it is their hypocrisy; Saying that steam sales are a bad thing and then putting big games on sale yourself. And apparently having an only twelve hour long sale from what I can read here, which made it so that even IF I wanted to buy anything I could not from where I live (Singapore).

 

[Aeonknight]

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At no point did I say to ignore the hypocrisy. yes it's pretty blatant in this case. You and every other person in the thread has pointed it out. What you fail to point out is that in this case this is a good thing for the consumer. But of course, continue overlooking that fact so as to not weaken your arguement, which may I remind you consists of a half assed "GOTCHA!" that a 4 year old could spot.

If EA being a hyprocrite results in lower prices for buying games, I'm all for it. Bring on the hypocrisy.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

Hypocrisy they name is Electronic Arts.

 

[bafrali]

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At no point did I say to ignore the hypocrisy. yes it's pretty blatant in this case. You and every other person in the thread has pointed it out. What you fail to point out is that in this case this is a good thing for the consumer. But of course, continue overlooking that fact so as to not weaken your arguement, which may I remind you consists of a half assed "GOTCHA!" that a 4 year old could spot.

If EA being a hyprocrite results in lower prices for buying games, I'm all for it. Bring on the hypocrisy.

Well good for you. I for one like a more straight-forward approach. If you are an ass, don't smile to sugarcoat it as it is waste of everybody's time. If marketing has the morale of a pedophile Stalin or memory of common fish, they deserve to be called out on that, even by 4 years old. If you can stomach blatant lying... well more power to you. Just don't expect other people to do so.

 

[Neocavo]

to anyone who said australia isnt getting this...we had it E3 week and everything was 50-75% off lol

 

[Aeonknight]

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At no point did I say to ignore the hypocrisy. yes it's pretty blatant in this case. You and every other person in the thread has pointed it out. What you fail to point out is that in this case this is a good thing for the consumer. But of course, continue overlooking that fact so as to not weaken your arguement, which may I remind you consists of a half assed "GOTCHA!" that a 4 year old could spot.

If EA being a hyprocrite results in lower prices for buying games, I'm all for it. Bring on the hypocrisy.

Well good for you. I for one like a more straight-forward approach. If you are an ass, don't smile to sugarcoat it as it is waste of everybody's time. If marketing has the morale of a pedophile Stalin or memory of common fish, they deserve to be called out on that, even by 4 years old. If you can stomach blatant lying... well more power to you. Just don't expect other people to do so.

Coming from the guy with a Mega Man avatar. Do I even need to bring up Legends 3 and Capcom in this case? Or are you overlooking that as well?

Or maybe you're doing... exactly what I'm doing, and taking the bad with the good. I'm not saying there's anything right/wrong with it, every company has some shady shit they've done in their time (even Valve.) Doesn't make a game any less fun to play. just my two cents of course.