It was a competitive category... but they won't a steaming pile of shit (yeah that's actually the trophy and they actually send it to the 'winner').
You could make the argument that this is a bit harsh but then EA's COO blames people who didn't like the Mass Effect 3 ending, Madden Fans, and homophobia for their ignominy. I mean seriously? These are the best excused you could come up with?
http://consumerist.com/2013/04/05/ea-admits-it-can-do-better-but-blames-worst-company-success-on-homophobes-and-whiny-madden-fans/
This is a classic case of How Not To Handle A PR Problem.
Does EA rank up there with the BP oil spill? No.
That said, I cannot remember the last time I was eager to buy an EA title. Their Origin DRM/purchase platform crapped out on me and I have never bothered to figure out why. That might tell them something but apparently listening to customers isn't a high priority.
Homophobic? Really? I must have missed the memo where eschewing bad products and poor customer service were emblematic of hate speech.
I'm no fan of EA, but this really is just silly. The only thing this 'award' proves is that more gamers are online and willing to spend time with things like this than segments of any other group.
Quote from: Arctic Blast on April 09, 2013, 12:32:29 AM
I'm no fan of EA, but this really is just silly. The only thing this 'award' proves is that more gamers are online and willing to spend time with things like this than segments of any other group.
Yeah I'm somewhat inclined to agree with the second statement. But since EA saw it fit to directly respond to winning the award (albeit in a botched manner) at least it may spur change or in the least send a wake up call...
They won the same award last year, and look what a difference that made.
Haven't the guys at Activion-Blizzard been giving them some stiff competition for this title?
In any case, I find the way people treat ME3's ending as an indication as to why you can't make real art or literature nowadays.
The ending(s) were pretty darn good. But because they the game didn't end up with "Sheperdz becomez spectre-god of all l33t awesomeness"
people started whining like retarded 3 year old girls ::)
I have a fatwah against EA.
Quote from: Longdan on April 09, 2013, 02:58:50 PM
I have a fatwah against EA.
EA's DRM gives them a +3 when defending against your Fatwa roll.
I get the guy's point; there's almost no way that EA could really come close to being the worst company in America. This isn't a great way to handle the fact that the people most likely to vote in this really do have a hate on for your company.
Having said that, one thing he says is ultimately right: if they're so bad, stop buying their games. I've taken that approach for a couple of years now. The last EA game I played was DA 2, and I won't buy another one until they stop sucking. From what I've read about SimCity, they're going the opposite direction.
Still, people buy their games. They go vote in a Consumerist poll to complain, but they keep forking over the cash. That's why I don't buy the argument that says that giving them this award might somehow influence them to change. I'm betting that the shareholders don't actually much care if they won this award, as long as the cash keeps coming in. If people stopped buying and the money dried up, you can bet there would be changes, instantly.
EA stock was up today.
Stopped buying a while back...
All this is somewhat ironic, because back in the day of the C64, EA was an edgy newcomer, with some great "indie" like ideas.
But the "talent" left EA long ago I believe....
Quote from: ArizonaTank on April 09, 2013, 10:01:27 PM
All this is somewhat ironic, because back in the day of the C64, EA was an edgy newcomer, with some great "indie" like ideas.
But the "talent" left EA long ago I believe....
I remember those days; I used to love EA for that. I think with studios like Bioware they still could do great work, but the studios would need to be allowed to do it, without the driver on next quarter financials being the only consideration.
Yes, games have to make money, but making money can't be the only consideration. Also, it would help if they would just stop lying all the damn time.
What frustrated me the most is that EA itself has adopted the attitude of "if you don't like it f*ck off and die."
I would like to punish them just for this but they no care. If they remain viable they will never care.
Quote from: Longdan on April 09, 2013, 11:45:40 PM
What frustrated me the most is that EA itself has adopted the attitude of "if you don't like it f*ck off and die."
I would like to punish them just for this but they no care. If they remain viable they will never care.
Actually if I were to make a game that would be my attitude also.
Though I would probably never be that big a company as I would make games I wanted to play :)
Quote from: Longdan on April 09, 2013, 11:45:40 PM
What frustrated me the most is that EA itself has adopted the attitude of "if you don't like it f*ck off and die."
I would like to punish them just for this but they no care. If they remain viable they will never care.
Sorry but isn't this the right and proper attitude?
Isn't it how a capitalist market supposed to work? A company gets to be as #### as it wants, in return you don't have to
purchase their products.
Only if you don't care about your customer and can make a lot of money. You can buy all the EA stuff you like. I won't.
When a product isn't fun anymore because of restrictive DRM and/or poor customer service it is goodbye and good luck from me.
I buy games for fun.
EA pinged me a while back with an invite to install their Origin DRM/sales platform. I tried. It crapped out a couple of times and I quit.
SimCity 5 looks kinda cool, but the initial bugs waived me off. I can't really say there is a single title out there that I think "I must have this."
Until they make something that I absolutely cannot live without or they make it easier to buy from them, I just have better things to do. Nothing personal. I'm not angry. I just don't care.
Keep in mind most of their money probably comes from console sales anyway, so whoever is in charge of running their PC business into the ground probably should get a raise as they're doing an admirable job of accomplishing that goal.
That Origin thing is amazingly obtuse and unintuitive. You can spend a couple of hours downloading a product and have it crap out
on installation through Origin's unusually stupid interface and have to start over. A couple of times with that and its No thank you EA.
The only reason I even dld Origin was because it was required for BF3. Compared to STEAM the platform is horrible
Quote from: Longdan on April 10, 2013, 11:13:45 AM
Only if you don't care about your customer and can make a lot of money. You can buy all the EA stuff you like. I won't.
When a product isn't fun anymore because of restrictive DRM and/or poor customer service it is goodbye and good luck from me.
I buy games for fun.
Maybe if most people acted like you then, EA would have had to change its attitude.
But it seems most people are content with it, even if they won't admit it.
This is business, there is no right and wrong, just profit and loss.
Quote from: Tpek on April 10, 2013, 01:03:41 PM
Quote from: Longdan on April 10, 2013, 11:13:45 AM
Only if you don't care about your customer and can make a lot of money. You can buy all the EA stuff you like. I won't.
When a product isn't fun anymore because of restrictive DRM and/or poor customer service it is goodbye and good luck from me.
I buy games for fun.
Maybe if most people acted like you then, EA would have had to change its attitude.
But it seems most people are content with it, even if they won't admit it.
This is business, there is no right and wrong, just profit and loss.
I'm not so sure. I'm thinking this is a poorly run business hiding under the excuse that "PC gaming is dying." The result is that bad decisions are being overlooked because there is the perception that console gaming is what's really important.
If EA's leadership paused long enough to think about the performance of its PC division things might actually improve.
Invite them to a conference and arrange an "accident"?
Quote from: Longdan on April 10, 2013, 11:13:45 AM
Only if you don't care about your customer and can make a lot of money.
This is exactly why EA ranks high in such consumer satisfaction polls. Obviously the perceived quality in their customer interaction is rather poor. While companies don't need to buckle for every customer, it's never a good idea to piss off large swaths of your customer base either. Yet EA looks to be steadily doing so.
That wouldn't bode too well in the long run, but EA has been gobbling up properties left & right. Their business model is buying up all the franchises/IPs they can get in order to corner the market on the big names, forcing people to purchase from them if they want their popular favorites. You've been Wal-Martian'd. :P
I think MicroSoft set the trend for that.
Quote from: Longdan on April 10, 2013, 05:40:40 PM
I think MicroSoft set the trend for that.
I thought it was the railroad & oil barons of the 19th century.
Them to. I meant in living memory that's all. Bandits who fight pirates by imprisoning everybody.