Poll: Who is more evil, EA or Activision?

[remnant_phoenix]

EA's marketing team is the most ignorant marketing team ever. From the juvenile promotions of Dante's Inferno to the ridiculously stupid "Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2" ads, the EA marketing team is a blight on the entire industry and makes all gamers look bad.

While Activision's Bobby Kotick is the embodies almost all of the bad things about corporate business. Milking a product dry, rather than nurturing it properly. Shutting down studios full of creative talent because their return on projects that HE FORCED THEM TO DO were not profitable. I'm of course talking about Bizarre Creations, the force behind the Geometry Wars games and great racing games like Blur. He forced them to develop a James Bond game, then when it didn't do well because Kotick didn't bother with the market research that would say "James Bond IP is not a big seller" he closed the studio.

All in all, I'm voting Activision. While EA has pockets of evil within it, Activision's Kotick is...well he just sucks. Also, Activision-Blizzard has WoW, and WoW is completely evil and has millions of minions across the globe spellbound under its hypnotic trance.

 

[RatRace123]

Without a doubt, Activision. EA used to be the crown king of all that is evil in the gaming world, but now that title belongs to Activision.
Dumping new IPs if they're not franchise worthy, yearly sequels.

And of course, what they did to Spyro.

Spoiler: WARNING: MAY CAUSE MASSIVE CHILDHOOD MEMORY VIOLATION!

 

[V8 Ninja]

They aren't evil, they just do what's best for their business. The problem is they don't care about what anyone's opinion is as long as they're still in business and making money. However, the company that I would say is more uninterested in the community's opinion is Activision.

 

[Neverhoodian]

When it comes to more recent transgressions, I'd say Activision. Their policy of milking any IP for yearly sequels, expensive DLC and total ass of a CEO exemplifies everything that's wrong with the industry today.

When comparing their respective histories however, I'd go with EA simply because they've been dickish for far longer. I will never forgive them for destroying Westwood Studios and ruining the Command and Conquer series. Also, their marketing division comes across as a bunch of chauvinist assholes.

 

[Kair]

All greed and egocentrism is evil. This is because greed and egocentrism is ignorance, and ignorance is the only evil.

 

[Pearwood]

EA destroyed Bioware, Activision only crippled Blizzard. EA is the greater evil.

Blizzard's only release since joining with Activision is Starcraft 2 which is awesome and Bioware rushing Dragon Age 2 is really no one's fault but their own. It's not even that rushed, it just copy pastes maps a lot. It clearly has more features than Origins, whether you like those features or not.

To be fair neither are evil, they're just publishers doing what publishers do, trying to make money. That story with Activision not paying employees sounds dodgy but we're not getting the full story with that, for all we know the employees were in breach of contract or they were asking for more money than they were entitled to.

I really wouldn't mind if it ment Blizzard would speed things up a bit.

Blizzard... speed things up? Ahahahaha not bloody likely, maybe if it takes 12 years you'll get a "Hell, it's about time" in the opening cutscene but not much else!

 

[Kinrrataiyath]

Evil is the wrong word, blah blah blah. That's been discussed to death already.

In terms of who is "doing it wrong" the most, I'd have to say Activision. While EA kind of fails at marketting, they have generally had a "hands off" policy in regards to Bioware. I say generally because they DID rush DA2 and it shows (but I still enjoyed it anyway). However, you don't see their influence as heavily throughout Bioware games as Activision has shown in the games they've pumped out.

Activision has made it clear they have absolutely no interest in producing quality games, but would rather simply milk whatever games they have for every red cent they can get. Real money transactions in WoW? Activision's doing. In game advertisements? Activision again.

It isn't so much that Activision is evil as they simply have no respect for the gaming community. They do not see us as customers to be encouraged and welcomed, but rather as a payload just waiting to be tapped. This blatent disregard for gamers shows in their interviews, marketting schemes, and games, and I personally find it rather insulting. If that's the way they're going to treat gamers, then I'd much rather spend my money on an indie company, even if I was previously a big fan of some of the titles now controlled by Activision.

 

[Killertje]

Used to be EA but right now its definitely Activision. I would go so far as to say that the only good thing about acti atm is Blizzard.

BTW I liked mass effect 2 much better than 1, which was also pretty good.

 

[Cenequus]

Uhm none? They are saints compared to other huge companies that actually do "evil" stuff in the world like using children labor,denying rights etc. Talking about EA and Acivision as evil make us look only more as pretentious bitches.

 

[Callate]

EA has some mercenary business practices and some of the most ham-handed advertising campaigns that we've ever been forced to endure, but their boss has never announced his intention to strangle originality in favor of milking existing franchises to death. Among other sins.

Advantage: Activision.

 

[triggrhappy94]

Didn't Activision kill Guitar Hero (they did put the series out of its misery after a while though)?
But, EA does re-release games anually.
Tough choice...
I don't really care about all of those sports games that get released every year, but Guitar Hero was a childhood favorite for me...

Not sure what else those two did (ie to Blizzard or Bioware), but I'd appreciate it if someone would enlighten me.

All bias aside, I'm going to go with a tie.

 

[Vicarious Vangaurd]

The only thing "evil" that EA has done recently is making their games have a code included so you can play online. They have really become a much better company overall since the late 2k10s, so I'm gonna have to go with Activision.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

i hate it when people whine: "DA BIG SHCARY CORPORASHUNS IZ DA EVILZZZ!"

obviously none of you have ever run a gigantic corporation with obligations to investors and stockholders as WELL as fans. You know how hard that is to manage?

Besides, i think the most "evil" one is Valve because they've hypnotized the gaming community with their games that people don't seem to notice that they control all their own prices and can (and do)keep them high to suit their own purposes.

Plus they have a monopoly on the online distribution. I fail to see how so few people have noticed this makes them evil.

 

[Flac00]

EA destroyed Bioware, Activision only crippled Blizzard. EA is the greater evil.

I'm confused, how did EA ruin Bioware? Last I checked they had just made one of the best modern RPGs on the market. A game that seamlessly blended shooter elements and RPG elements to make a great game. Sure, Dragon Age 2 might have been a disappointment (from what I have heard), but it was an "experiment". Bioware has even said they are never making another game like that.

 

[triggrhappy94]

one day ... I fear ... one day ... they ... merge ... the end times.

I wouldn't worry. That's like worrying that Burger King and McDonalds will merge.
Besides, they'd make a monopoly and that's anti-capitalism.

And of course, what they did to Spyro.

What the hell is that!
Spyro had a recognizable look!

Neither are evil. Where is that option in the poll OP??

Because you don't like a video game, doesn't mean that the people who invested the money into creating it are evil.

Sheesh. The hate some people here have.... now THAT'S EVIL!!

It's more then that. Sure some of their games are good, but both Publishers are infamous for being a slave-driver toward their developers.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

Neither are evil. Where is that option in the poll OP??

Because you don't like a video game, doesn't mean that the people who invested the money into creating it are evil.

Sheesh. The hate some people here have.... now THAT'S EVIL!!

Its not really tha games that bother me, I love The Sims 3 for example as you know. It's the way they act towards their customers. The EA Download Manager has never worked properly, they totally deny this although it's one of the most maligned systems. Their DRM can be horrific at times as far as I know you used to be able to install Spore 3 times and then after that it locked you out :|
Their customer service is a joke if you have a problem with one of their games they basically tell you 'tough shit'
Their forum moderators are so strict they ban you from posting a lolcat or a link to the google search engine (nothing typed in it just the search engine.) People have been banned from their site for posting that they are crap on thier personal blogs completely seperate from the site...
Keep in mind you if your forum account is banned you can't access you Sims 3 game online anymore as they are one in the same.

That's what people see as 'evil' As for Activision I don't know much about them.

 

[jpoon]

I would have to say EA, even considering how much I absolutely HATE Craptivision. I still will buy EA games on occasion even though they have completely ruined several excellent developers. Activision I refuse to buy games from, they can fucking rot for all I care (in fact I'd love to see them go down in flames).

Edit: Valve also goes down on my list, those price gouging dbags are loved by all amazingly.

 

[Flac00]

EA. After it took over Bioware, it whored out Mass Effect to the PS3. Now, at first, I was just hot that we lost that as an exclusive, but after having time to mull it over, what really makes me hot is the fact that the PS3 fans arent getting the full experience for the game. I recently downloaded that "introductory comic" that they have to pick their decisions from the first game, but they are really getting shortchanged with it. There is no weight to your decisions, no emotions tied up in your decisions, and it misses everything that the first game was about.

If anyone is going to play Mass Effect, they should play it entirely. If the whole thing couldnt come over to the PS3, then it should have been preserved intact on the 360 and the PC. That, to me, makes EA the worst of the bunch.

(I wont even go into the extra outfits and crap they put out for your Mass 2 characters...)

So allowing a different audience to try out the game, and enjoy it, is whoring it out? Seems pretty unfair to say that, I am sure many people who play the PS3 are very happy about it being sold on that system.

 

[Gr8gam3r]

EA used to be kind of heartless and brutal, churning out identical sports titles year after year, and kind of shoving everyone with DLC. Working for EA is, as we all know from the EA Spouse letter, terrible.
However, Activision churn out Call of Duty games that are nearly identical and inflate the price with each iteration. They are also joining in on DLC over pricing with the 'Elite' scheme and tbh, the map packs were over priced as well. And Activision doesn't treat their staff well either, like the Infinity Ward guys who got fired for no reason.
EA now invest in some riskier titles, for example Mirror's Edge. Regardless of whether you like them or not you have to respect them for not chasing the easy money. Activision is content to sit on the COD cash cow.
So basically, ask me 3 years ago and I'd have said EA. Now, all I can answer with is a resoundingly flat and immediate reply of "Activision".

 

[linwolf]

EA destroyed Bioware, Activision only crippled Blizzard. EA is the greater evil.

I'm confused, how did EA ruin Bioware? Last I checked they had just made one of the best modern RPGs on the market. A game that seamlessly blended shooter elements and RPG elements to make a great game. Sure, Dragon Age 2 might have been a disappointment (from what I have heard), but it was an "experiment". Bioware has even said they are never making another game like that.

If you by seamlessly mean remove most the RPG and lobotomies the rest the we agree. If you join shooter and RPG together right you get Deus Ex.