Origin Cheapens IP With Deep-Cutting Sales

[Bobic]

I suppose they've decided to put dead space 2 on sale to drum up some interest to reach their frankly ludicrous 'worthwhile' target of 5 million copies of Dead Space 3.

For reference, Dead Space 2 sold 2 million copies. So they'll hopefully sell 3 million copies in this sale. And all those people will like it enough to buy the sequel. And none of those people like it enough to be annoyed about the change to a more actiony shooter to broaden its appeal.

Good luck EA. You gibbering morons.

 

[Baresark]

I think a more appropriate analogy would be the horses head not talking to it's ass. And I'll let people decide which side of the issue is the ass... Though we all know who the ass is.

 

[CosmicCommander]

As pointed out, hypocrisy and idiocy on EA's part, blah blah. Nothing new under the sun.

Did EA really think the 3 year old mess that is DA;Origins was stil worth £40? Really?

Wait, Dragon Age: Origins was a mess? I mean, due to time, it should be cheaper... but I think a great deal of Escapists are in the firm belief that Origins was one of the greatest games to come out in the past few years.

 

[Aeonknight]

Oh hey, moar EA hate.

But for people who are too busy pointing out the Vice president's hypocrisy, read what the article actually says.

Lowered prices, akin to steam.

This was probably someone in sales going "look mr vice president, that may be your stance on steam sales but it makes them money hand over fist."
"enough said, I'll put my foot in my mouth. make it happen."

Even if Origin turns into a carbon copy of steam some day, is that really a bad thing?

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Know what else devalues Intellectual Property?

Flooding the market with constant releases so that we lose the ability to discern between entries, and stop wanting to pay more and more for the same thing. There's a reason no one plays Rock Band anymore, EA.

 

[Frostbite3789]

As pointed out, hypocrisy and idiocy on EA's part, blah blah. Nothing new under the sun.

Did EA really think the 3 year old mess that is DA;Origins was stil worth £40? Really?

Wait, Dragon Age: Origins was a mess? I mean, due to time, it should be cheaper... but I think a great deal of Escapists are in the firm belief that Origins was one of the greatest games to come out in the past few years.

Didn't you know? Hating EA retroactively makes things bad now too.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

You mean EA cheapens IP by making dead space for dummies....

 

[samsonguy920]

and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 2142 can be had for $29.99 and $8.99 respectively (instead of $49.99 and $14.99).

I had to do a double-take there, considering I bought B:BC2 for less on Steam. Just checked the store page on Steam and yep: $19.99, not on sale. One reason why you always shop around.
Here's the webpage link: http://store.steampowered.com/app/24960/

Origin: cheapening their IP by still overpricing their IP, even by doing a sale.

 

[samsonguy920]

Know what else devalues Intellectual Property?

Flooding the market with constant releases so that we lose the ability to discern between entries, and stop wanting to pay more and more for the same thing. There's a reason no one plays Rock Band anymore, EA.

That's a poor example, when you consider Rock Band hasn't been leeched as much as Guitar Hero was. Probably a good reason people don't play Rock Band is because it wasn't all that good to begin with.

 

[John Funk]

and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 2142 can be had for $29.99 and $8.99 respectively (instead of $49.99 and $14.99).

I had to do a double-take there, considering I bought B:BC2 for less on Steam. Just checked the store page on Steam and yep: $19.99, not on sale. One reason why you always shop around.
Here's the webpage link: http://store.steampowered.com/app/24960/

Origin: cheapening their IP by still overpricing their IP, even by doing a sale.

Sorry, it should have been more clear in that paragraph that this is the special/deluxe editions of the games, not the basic versions. Updated for clarity.

 

[cidbahamut]

Wait, people still buy games from EA?

ahahahahahahahaha

 

[lacktheknack]

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/9582/2135371-give_me_a_spit_take_skit.jpg

Butbut but butbutbutbut but but

You know you've dun goofed when the gaming press can't even keep the references out of the article titles.

 

[NiPah]

Oh hey, moar EA hate.

But for people who are too busy pointing out the Vice president's hypocrisy, read what the article actually says.

Lowered prices, akin to steam.

This was probably someone in sales going "look mr vice president, that may be your stance on steam sales but it makes them money hand over fist."
"enough said, I'll put my foot in my mouth. make it happen."

Even if Origin turns into a carbon copy of steam some day, is that really a bad thing?

Yes, having the VP of a company lambast another company for having sales that cheapen the IP of a game then turning around and having a huge sale might drum up some hate. Yes lower prices are good, but then again EA can decide to ban you for no reason and invalidate your entire game collection, given their history of doing so to innocent people I wouldn't take the chance even for the cheap games.

Maybe someday Origin will be a carbon copy of Steam, sure you have a better chance of winning the lottery then that ever happening but hey it could happen.

 

[GraveDigger27]

I've purchased over 350 games thru Steam and NONE thru Origin. That tell you something?

Mr. DeMartini's comments and EA's "turnaround" on this practice are examples of the hypocrisy of the game marketplace - they're always complaining about pirating of PC games, the used gaming market and that Steam sales devaluing intellectual property. How about releasing games filled with bugs, mining franchises to death and charging premium prices for roster updates?

I've purchased tons of EA games (back to the Atari 800 era) and have NEVER pirated a game for the PC or any of my game consoles. But that didn't prevent EA from killing the PC support for their sports games (except for Tiger Woods, which they've put online for premium prices...) Guess PC users weren't willing to pay $60 for a game when they could download roster updates and add player names from online sites.

Or being nickle and dimed for downloadable content. Steam does a great job of keeping my games current with updates, offers DLC for reasonable prices (especially during their periodic sales) and I've been able to install many of the indie bundles (Humble Bundle, Indie Royale, Indie Gala) of games using Steam keys.

What I'm looking forward to is the day I can start installing all of the EA titles that I currently own to my hard disk using Steam to validate the codes instead of having to have the disk in my drive everytime I play (games like Mirror's Edge, Dead Space 1 & 2, and Burnout Paradise...) Or at least be able to install the games without having to purchase the game for a 2nd or 3rd time.

And I've used other services as well - Desura, Impulse/GameStop, GOG - just not Origin...

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

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?

 

[brynnflynn]

See, when I was trying to get DA:O working on my PC (needed to merge 2 Origin accounts, had to call support), they gave me a 30% off coupon to anything in the store. And I STILL didn't buy anything from them. You know why? Because Steam had everything cheaper, in one place, and wasn't going to bog down my computer.

I have Sims 3, and Sims Medieval, and it drives me nuts to have to go through their stupid origin launchers. I wish I'd gotten them through Steam just so I could have them all through one place, with an easy to use system and everything else.

In short, eff you Origin, I will never willingly spend money with you. I will happily pay more to purchase something through Steam rather than shop with anyone else. THAT's the kind of business you'll never see, because you're too stupid to know how to actually get my business. Treat me like a customer, not a future pirate, and I might shop with you.

 

[Twilight_guy]

In other news, Escapist news writer writes spiteful story about EA and its dumb comments. Although serving little to no purpose beyond once again poking fun at EA, several forums goers post comments also expressing EA hate. We'll have the full story detailing people's continued hate at the top of the hour. Now time for weather with Dick Bubkis, Dick...

 

[TheRocketeer]

So are they that stupid, or do they think everyone else is that stupid?

Of course, if it's the second, it's also the first, so...

In other news, Escapist news writer writes spiteful story about EA and its dumb comments. Although serving little to no purpose beyond once again poking fun at EA, several forums goers post comments also expressing EA hate. We'll have the full story detailing people's continued hate at the top of the hour. Now time for weather with Dick Bubkis, Dick...

Is there something wrong with pointing out when a company is talking out of both sides of their mouth? Especially when one side is drooling?

 

[Yopaz]

Yeah nothing on orgin I honestly wanted besides maybe the first two mass effect games and why bother with getting them there when I can wait for the steam summer sale?

The normal Steam prices are also cheaper than the current Origin prices. I really wish I was even slightly interested in Mass Effect cause the Mass Effect 3 deal is actually quite good...

 

[grigjd3]

As much as I love to hate on EA and Origin (and I really do love to hate on them), I think this isn't a big deal. An executive made a poorly thought out comment based on a limited thought process and the truth about where the company was heading was different. Seriously, if I had every bone-headed thing I ever said held against me the rest of my life, I'd be fairly miserable these days. I can't see how we can hold a company accountable for every utterance from their employees. It's one thing to call the comment out as bone-headed but it's an entirely different thing to be a sore winner now.