Yeah, I'm sure that was the reason, and not that their former CEO arrogantly told customers to "buy it or don't."
I don't get why that gets people so bent out of shape. In the end, EVERY game that is potentially of interest to someone is "buy it or don't". Don't like the direction it's going? Don't buy it. Pretty simple and something we all do.
I'm no fan of EA but this, out of everything that it's done, is so much ado about literally nothing. I guess people didn't like the fact that he had the temerity to put words to the fact. *le gasp*
It is simple and true but it sounds so rude.
As as with many things, it’s not what you say, its how you say it.
I can't claim to have ever been in the market for Battlefield to begin with, but I know contempt when I see it, and "like it or don't buy it" isn't a statement that did them any favors.
I prefer honest words than obfuscation and double speak. Additionally, I don't worry about what devs think or say. I'll judge a game based on what I learn from reviews, other players, friends and on my own.
Lastly, sometimes we as a community of gamers are kinda contemptible, myself included, in our expectations and our proclivity to throw snit fits for the littlest reasons.
Yeah, I'm sure that was the reason, and not that their former CEO arrogantly told customers to "buy it or don't."
I don't get why that gets people so bent out of shape. In the end, EVERY game that is potentially of interest to someone is "buy it or don't". Don't like the direction it's going? Don't buy it. Pretty simple and something we all do.
I'm no fan of EA but this, out of everything that it's done, is so much ado about literally nothing. I guess people didn't like the fact that he had the temerity to put words to the fact. *le gasp*
It is simple and true but it sounds so rude.
Tone is everything. And the tone used was a dismissive one.
"Let them eat cake" also sound quite lovely and harmless when devoid of any context or tone. I wonder how that one turned out.
Why did he not say the following: "We failed because we completely neglect our fans and we have a hard time earning back their trust"
Hurray lets hate on EA!
Hurray lets hate on Activision Blizzard!
Hurray lets hate on UbiSoft!
Hurray lets hate on Microsoft!
Hurray lets hate on Sony!
.......
.......
Hurray lets hate on Gamigo!
Hurray lets hate on Daybreak Games!
OK what are we going play Benny? Err I don't know Boss they all the game companies closed down or are on our hate list. Ah I know that's what we say Benny but what are we going to play?
Why did he not say the following: "We failed because we completely neglect our fans and we have a hard time earning back their trust"
Hurray lets hate on EA!
Hurray lets hate on Activision Blizzard!
Hurray lets hate on UbiSoft!
Hurray lets hate on Microsoft!
Hurray lets hate on Sony!
.......
.......
Hurray lets hate on Gamigo!
Hurray lets hate on Daybreak Games!
OK what are we going play Benny? Err I don't know Boss they all the game companies closed down or are on our hate list. Ah I know that's what we say Benny but what are we going to play?
Hurray lets hate on EA!
Hurray lets hate on Activision Blizzard!
Hurray lets hate on UbiSoft!
Hurray lets hate on Microsoft!
Hurray lets hate on Sony!
.......
.......
Hurray lets hate on Gamigo!
Hurray lets hate on Daybreak Games!
OK what are we going play Benny? Err I don't know Boss they all the game companies closed down or are on our hate list. Ah I know that's what we say Benny but what are we going to play?
I haven't played a game from any of those in years and there's never been more options of games I want to play than now. I think many people would be happier gamers if they started looking at games from smaller devs. There are many hidden gems among the thousands of games available.
Why did he not say the following: "We failed because we completely neglect our fans and we have a hard time earning back their trust"
As @Kyleran says they are not the reasons. I disagree that EA do "neglect" their "fans" as well.
Yes several years ago EA was scorned and rightly so; stuff like releasing games before they were finished is not what we want.
Under Andrew Wilson though EA are not the company they were. AW has taken steps - arguably aggressive steps - to change direction. And they are a better company and they do react to our "complaints".
Today though there are other companies deserving of "scorn". If we don't acknowledge positive change though why should they bother to spend money to improve, to delay releases to fix bugs? As @Scot says take this view and we are encouraging EA to just launch everything as early access - and subsequently every game.
Knock EA or any other company as it is deserved but "blanket hate" not only serves no purpose but it can make things worse.
Yeah, I'm sure that was the reason, and not that their former CEO arrogantly told customers to "buy it or don't."
I don't get why that gets people so bent out of shape. In the end, EVERY game that is potentially of interest to someone is "buy it or don't". Don't like the direction it's going? Don't buy it. Pretty simple and something we all do.
I'm no fan of EA but this, out of everything that it's done, is so much ado about literally nothing. I guess people didn't like the fact that he had the temerity to put words to the fact. *le gasp*
Because some players are children and they think these game developers are more than just business people trying to make a product.
On the side of their former CEO, I'm sure it's beyond annoying to be making a product that is aimed at a group of people with various members who demand all sorts of things and who want to know every little detail so that it will be correctly weighed and judged by them.
And they want it for low cost, free if possible.
In the end it really is "buy it or don't!"
It isn't very customer friendly to say but with a rabid customer base it seems that it's just the plain truth.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
EA will likely eventually collapse on itself just like Sony Online Entertainment, or be bought out by another company...
Their use of DRM that turns customers away, the decline from the Original Dragon Age, even SWTOR it's just all going sideways for them.
Even Anthem performance wise right now is horrid plus within a few months I believe the game will be dead anyways personal opinion due to what i've seen in the Demo...
I expect it to drop more than 18%
Worst part if EA eventually collapse on itself most the top people that pushing for thing a lot people hate. Will end up in other game companies that seem safe for now.
EA will likely eventually collapse on itself just like Sony Online Entertainment, or be bought out by another company...
Their use of DRM that turns customers away, the decline from the Original Dragon Age, even SWTOR it's just all going sideways for them.
Even Anthem performance wise right now is horrid plus within a few months I believe the game will be dead anyways personal opinion due to what i've seen in the Demo...
I expect it to drop more than 18%
Worst part if EA eventually collapse on itself most the top people that pushing for thing a lot people hate. Will end up in other game companies that seem safe for now.
Therein lies the problem. The douchebags who actually make the bad decisions are never the ones to actually feel the consequences of such. An EA collaspe would only harm the ground level employees while the executives float away on their golden parachutes - possibly into the arms of a company that people actually like.
EA's results actually look pretty good; revenue undershot but so did operating expenses as a result earnings per share were higher. I suspect the growth in digital bookings will be a part of the reason; up from 67% last year to 74% this year (with 47% of console now digital vs. 37% last year).
A lot of refreshingly "frank" talk as well.
If this was Activision Blizzard I feel sure they would have come up with some measure and reason why things had improved; why they had excelled. What EA used to do!
Some chilling comments as well for game companies in general e.g.
"The mobile market is characterized by a small number of highly successful games together with a long tail of much smaller games, many of which merely break even or actually lose money."
They won't "know" whether games are making a profit of course - but they are in a better position than most to "have a very good idea".
If EA had such great results, one would assume that their stock price wouldn't have plunged. I won't touch anything associated with them at this point. Drop the predatory practices like loot boxes and I may reconsider.
They have a track record of driving previously well regarded studios into the ground. They've earned their rep.
I play a ton of BR games and Apex Legends is my favorite. I am absolutely blown away by the attention to detail. They have a quality game that will draw in a huge amount of players and it has some really sick skins, which hopefully people buy. I think the game will do well but I am concerned because it is so free 2 play with no incentive to spend money on anything other than the skins are cool.
Its a good game that deserves to make money. Its free and there is no reason to spend any money on it other than to buy skins which will feed the hard working devs that did such a good job. I dont think I will be able to go back to blackout, pubg, RoE, battlerite royale, or anything else for awhile. There is just so much attention to detail and even a few innovations that really give it a edge in the BR market.
That seems like a pretty low expectation for Anthem to be honest which would indicate the preorders might have been low as well.
If EA plans to continue to lean on sports franchises and underperforming big budget series then that stock price will continue to drop. Maybe some of these development houses like Bioware can find a new home like Bungie. For better or worse BW was a great company at one time.
I think they know Anthem is being rushed out the door and expect so blow back from that. Especially after telling everyone most of the problems in the demo have been fixed if it turns out they haven't. Perhaps still saying anything to get those pre-order sales.
I find it weird that a 1 million players trying a free to play game is considered impressive while over 7 million in sales of a $60 game by the same publisher is considered a failure worth dropping stock price over. So which is it?
They only look at projections. Like any good gambling house they follow the odds.
And of course the spin.
Yeah, I'm sure that was the reason, and not that their former CEO arrogantly told customers to "buy it or don't."
I don't get why that gets people so bent out of shape. In the end, EVERY game that is potentially of interest to someone is "buy it or don't". Don't like the direction it's going? Don't buy it. Pretty simple and something we all do.
I'm no fan of EA but this, out of everything that it's done, is so much ado about literally nothing. I guess people didn't like the fact that he had the temerity to put words to the fact. *le gasp*
Because some players are children and they think these game developers are more than just business people trying to make a product.
On the side of their former CEO, I'm sure it's beyond annoying to be making a product that is aimed at a group of people with various members who demand all sorts of things and who want to know every little detail so that it will be correctly weighed and judged by them.
And they want it for low cost, free if possible.
In the end it really is "buy it or don't!"
It isn't very customer friendly to say but with a rabid customer base it seems that it's just the plain truth.
If a companies analysis of their target audience is off, then perhaps it's because their calculations were off. They know what happens when you release an unfinished game, how much monetization their audience will except, how much they can cut out of a game before their costumers will complain, what happens when you say something that is revealed to be untrue, yet they continue to it. If you do the work correctly customers reactions are fairly predictable.
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey
The most interesting part: they are planning to sell 6M copies of Anthem. Selling 6 millions clones of F2P Warframe for $60 with only 1/10 frames available - that's a masterpiece level of marketing.
Why did he not say the following: "We failed because we completely neglect our fans and we have a hard time earning back their trust"
Err, perhaps because those really aren't the reasons? Late game delivery, "nuances" in China, the popularity of BR / Fortnite are tangible contributors while the factors you propose had little to do with it. (At least in any way which can be tangibly measured)
One major issue is their premium games pass thing IMO. The pass is too expansive for casual players, which leaves their hardcore fans... We end up with a lot of the folks, those who are likely to pre-order or buy their games, end up NOT buying, instead opting for the games pass. To make things worse, due to how expansive the pass is we also end up with a bunch of folks who only sub for a month just to play the latest releases. And because they don't own the game, a lot of these players don't stick around after the month ends, hurting the numbers and affecting the budget for future development.
Comments
As as with many things, it’s not what you say, its how you say it.
"Be water my friend" - Bruce Lee
Lastly, sometimes we as a community of gamers are kinda contemptible, myself included, in our expectations and our proclivity to throw snit fits for the littlest reasons.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
"Let them eat cake" also sound quite lovely and harmless when devoid of any context or tone. I wonder how that one turned out.
Hurray lets hate on EA!
Hurray lets hate on Activision Blizzard!
Hurray lets hate on UbiSoft!
Hurray lets hate on Microsoft!
Hurray lets hate on Sony!
.......
.......
Hurray lets hate on Gamigo!
Hurray lets hate on Daybreak Games!
OK what are we going play Benny? Err I don't know Boss they all the game companies closed down or are on our hate list. Ah I know that's what we say Benny but what are we going to play?
He's a Fornite player and a phone app enthusiast.
As @Kyleran says they are not the reasons. I disagree that EA do "neglect" their "fans" as well.
Yes several years ago EA was scorned and rightly so; stuff like releasing games before they were finished is not what we want.
Under Andrew Wilson though EA are not the company they were. AW has taken steps - arguably aggressive steps - to change direction. And they are a better company and they do react to our "complaints".
Today though there are other companies deserving of "scorn". If we don't acknowledge positive change though why should they bother to spend money to improve, to delay releases to fix bugs? As @Scot says take this view and we are encouraging EA to just launch everything as early access - and subsequently every game.
Knock EA or any other company as it is deserved but "blanket hate" not only serves no purpose but it can make things worse.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Worst part if EA eventually collapse on itself most the top people that pushing for thing a lot people hate. Will end up in other game companies that seem safe for now.
A lot of refreshingly "frank" talk as well.
If this was Activision Blizzard I feel sure they would have come up with some measure and reason why things had improved; why they had excelled. What EA used to do!
Some chilling comments as well for game companies in general e.g.
"The mobile market is characterized by a small number of highly successful games together with a long tail of much smaller games, many of which merely break even or actually lose money."
They won't "know" whether games are making a profit of course - but they are in a better position than most to "have a very good idea".
They have a track record of driving previously well regarded studios into the ground. They've earned their rep.
Its a good game that deserves to make money. Its free and there is no reason to spend any money on it other than to buy skins which will feed the hard working devs that did such a good job. I dont think I will be able to go back to blackout, pubg, RoE, battlerite royale, or anything else for awhile. There is just so much attention to detail and even a few innovations that really give it a edge in the BR market.
Me: " Yeah, there weren't that many it was a different time then.
Niece: "No, there were millions on the frontlines."
Me: "Where did you hear that?"
Niece: "Battlefield V."
ME:
I think they know Anthem is being rushed out the door and expect so blow back from that. Especially after telling everyone most of the problems in the demo have been fixed if it turns out they haven't. Perhaps still saying anything to get those pre-order sales.
"Fallen Order" Disney is still trying to kill off all the Jedi it seems. General Order 66...
They only look at projections. Like any good gambling house they follow the odds.
And of course the spin.
If a companies analysis of their target audience is off, then perhaps it's because their calculations were off. They know what happens when you release an unfinished game, how much monetization their audience will except, how much they can cut out of a game before their costumers will complain, what happens when you say something that is revealed to be untrue, yet they continue to it. If you do the work correctly customers reactions are fairly predictable.
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey
Thank you for your time!
Feb 6, 2019 S&P 500 biggest decliners:
TTWO --- down 13.8%
EA -- down 13.3%
ATVI -- down 10.1%
They all sucked today. Take Two had a pretty strong quarter too. For better or worse, it appears the entire industry is shifting right now.
As always- I learn so much from you!
mmorpg junkie since 1999
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.