News EA is 'disappointed' with 2008 sales

The only games I bought this year was GRID and Left 4 Dead... EA games for me are dead... always the same things, over and over again... EA has a bad reputation now, and it will take a while to clean it... These DRM's crap is one of the things that make me run (even more) from EA Games... I bought the game, why should I have to deal with anti-piracy measures?? The games get pirated ANYWAY!! Why punish the people that really buy the game? Look at Steam... I can play in my 3 pc's everywhere, I just log in, and I'm good... Change your way to be EA... or you'll go down...

 

Greetings!

2008 games are at the same level as those published in 2007.
From a personal perspective, 2008 has been a better income year than 2007.

 

I really don't think it's been a bad year for gaming. Mass Effect, GTA IV, Mirror's Edge are all very proper games, with loads of entertainment value. Some games fail, some turn out good, that always happens.

Two things are fundamentally different from other years. DRM and the creditcrunch. It's been a very good year for SecuROM, with EA as their main supporter. SecuROM also re-ignited the sh!tstorm that seemed to have settled down a bit at the beginning of the year. This may or may not be a big difference, but I am quite sure that SecuROM has given EA a net loss.

A bigger issue is ofcourse the creditcrunch and the way this company handles it. Companies as big as this should have some fat on their bones from the good years, so they can invest while things are down, and release games when the market is up and everyone has cash for them. Investing during a crisis will mean that you have products to sell when things are on the rise, sacking people now will mean you will be caught sleeping for the next big holiday season. Poor management is a MUCH bigger reason then DRM, but not listening to customers is a prime example of poor management in it's own right.

 

DRM, high prices. Why should I buy their games when others are making better offers? L4D, Fallout 3 are on the way finally and these games will keep me occupied long enough for some other publisher to release another great game(I'm currently waiting for complete Penumbra edition...)

 

I think they need to make an end for NFS franchise

 

They just need to give up the NFL rights they bought up so other companies can makes Official NFL games.

 

Best bet for EA to self combust and have all the companies they have brought over the years emerge and start up again.

 

:: crosses finger :: I hope Westwood gets released from EAs grip.

 

exactly, gamers lose with this stupid exclusive rights.

I never said DRm was not an issue, but it is tiring everytime something like this comes up Anti-DRm people flood the forums like famatics. There is a lot more to it, largely the economy. DRM IMO many people are not even aware when they buy these games, fourms are a very small minority of the actual gaming population.

 

aye i nearly broke down and cried in the corner the day i heard EA had clobbered westwood and put them in their closet.

 

It was a sad day in the RTS world when EA bought up Westwood. Most of the original minds behind CnC quit because of the buyout.

 

I loved Westwood adventures. But do you really think Westwood would have survived. Who wants to play adventures nowadays? it's a shame that this genre is almost abandoned besides a view brave attempts by others. Remember the other big adventure company Sierra? its now lost in the pool called Activision.

Back on topic...
I must say EA is getting their acts together somehow, besides the DRM thing that is. At least they are back on track with some games...

And is it Christmas yet? how can they complain about Christmas sales if it isn't Christmas for 2 weeks..

 

Now is probably a good time for gamers to put their money where their mouths are. Buy new, innovative games like Mirror's Edge and prove to the giants like EA that trying something outside the padded cell of an established franchise or film license is good for them.

 

it seems like they are saying:
" we didn't make enough money through sales of games. let's make cheaper crappier games, that way they cost less to make."

why not....make better games?

 

*sigh*... it looks like we'll see more Generic Game: XII's .. what a pity...

(I will add, I would have bought Mass Effect for the PC if the DRM sh!tstorm hadn't occurred)

 

I can't believe they are blaming the economy for poor sales when the real reason is the junk they are trying to sell. I used to be a huge fan of EA during the ps2/xbox years. So many great games which partially include Madden, NCAA Football, NFS and MoH series.

If they would worry about putting out a quality game that is tested before they release it (I am looking at you Madden and NCAA Football specifically) then they wouldn't have to worry about sales. Good games sell themselves.

 

I dont think I bought one EA game this year !

Where was Battlefield 3 ? Nope... no sign of it. That one title says it all. EA took an amazing franchise, and after 2007... they did nothing with it. A cash cow sat there doing nothing.

Instead my money went to Activision, Valve, Gas Powered Games, Epic, Sony, Crytek

Whilst they may have innovated.... it doesnt mean they produced any good games. I even skipped Red Alert 3... just because the camera was too zoomed in (sigh.. as usual just like all the other botched C&C releases). And then there was Spore.. 2008's biggest let down.

PS - for me, I couldnt give a toss about DRM, although I do understand why others scream about it.

 

I would've bought Mass Effect for the PC (I already purchased it for 360) if there was no DRM. Spore's DRM was utter tripe, as was GTA's, and I'm heading over to the store to pick up NFS Underground after I "checked" to make sure it worked on my computer, courtesy of BitTorrent.

The fact of the matter is, not only is EA's DRM policy draconian at best, but their computer games aren't always guaranteed to work on a computer.

 

I didn't like new NFS, still think that Carbon, Most Wanted and best of the best Underground 2 was a lot better.

 

the entire planet is in economic trouble... what else is new?