HardOCP News
[H] News
- Joined
- Dec 31, 1969
- Messages
- 0
According to anonymous sources, Electronic Arts is planning to lay off over 500 employees. Nothing has been confirmed yet but this would indeed be bad news for EA employees. 
![[H]ard|Forum](/styles/hardforum/xenforo/logo_dark.png){kind=logo}
EA Set To Layoff +500 Employees?
- Thread starter HardOCP News
- Start date
threepwood
Weaksauce
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2009
- Messages
- 67
Getting an early jump on next year's consumerist voting i see.
Yakk
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2010
- Messages
- 5,810
Layoffs are always bad news...
Working for a company like EA though... we can only think the people being layed off will find better work elsewhere...
Nowhere to go but up for them.
Working for a company like EA though... we can only think the people being layed off will find better work elsewhere...
Nowhere to go but up for them.
Well when you prevent your customers from buying your product at the store of their choice, so they don't bother buying your product at all, yes that impacts your bottom line.
I still want BF3. I still only buy games with real disks or steam. I'll skip BF3 as long as it requires origin. The money is ready to be spent, they just have to let me spend it.
I still want BF3. I still only buy games with real disks or steam. I'll skip BF3 as long as it requires origin. The money is ready to be spent, they just have to let me spend it.
They've had a couple of unequivocal flops -- Syndicate and Need For Speed: The Run, which performed significantly worse than the previous game in the series (Hot Pursuit).
jojo69
[H]F Junkie
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2009
- Messages
- 11,268
Soooooo, how is that intrusive DRM working out for you guys?
I'm not sure how anyone could have thought that a game by a company who's favorite thing is shitting on gamers and a serial rapist could possibly succeed.
If I see EA anywhere in relation to a game I just pass, I am voting with my wallet and obviously I'm not the only one.
If I see EA anywhere in relation to a game I just pass, I am voting with my wallet and obviously I'm not the only one.
D
Deleted member 93354
Guest
When you have %@#$@# greedy bean counters at the helm, this is bound to happen.
Hate to say it, but I look forward to EA going under. Then the board will be fired when they are bought up. Maybe the bad business decisions will end then.
Hate to say it, but I look forward to EA going under. Then the board will be fired when they are bought up. Maybe the bad business decisions will end then.
I feel sorry for those independent studios who use EA Partners as their publisher, and end up suffering as a result of EA's own public relations issues. (Ok, ok, so they could have tried to cut a publishing deal with a less despised company, but still...those agreements might have been in place before EA really started to become public enemy #1 and it was too late to back out)
I think SWTOR isn't doing as well as they'd like and let's not forget EA has some image problems which are hopefully hurting sales. It is my ardent wish that EA starts to realize that in the long run, douche-baggery doesn't get you what you want.
It's crap like this that's getting them in trouble:
Their marketing people make me sick. Normally I can rationalize most business practices with a certain amount of logic, and although I see what they are doing, this is just insulting and misleading.
It's crap like this that's getting them in trouble:
Their marketing people make me sick. Normally I can rationalize most business practices with a certain amount of logic, and although I see what they are doing, this is just insulting and misleading.
This is the industry problem. EA is just publishing shitty games. Syndicate? Starbreeze made that, after the cult success of the first Darkness under 2K games I am sure EA was ready to jump all over Syndicate because of the developer.
Ending result - game was shit
Take two. You are making a racing game that you peg to be on a yearly installment. You have one company develop ND4SPD Hot Pursuit to glowing reviews and another company develops a shit game.
The only reason both are ND4SPD is because it is an established franchise, but not really subject to yearly installments like COD can be.
EA is down because they are the largest publisher out there.
Ending result - game was shit
Take two. You are making a racing game that you peg to be on a yearly installment. You have one company develop ND4SPD Hot Pursuit to glowing reviews and another company develops a shit game.
The only reason both are ND4SPD is because it is an established franchise, but not really subject to yearly installments like COD can be.
EA is down because they are the largest publisher out there.
Why are you guys all pissed at Origin? If EA put shit on Steam, Steam would probably want 7 percent. EA publishes a lot of games so it makes sense in a free market for them to say:
"ok fuck this we will pay the upfront cost, but we are putting games out there on a download service made by us to not have to pay someone else 7 percent per download"
It makes perfect sense to me.
"ok fuck this we will pay the upfront cost, but we are putting games out there on a download service made by us to not have to pay someone else 7 percent per download"
It makes perfect sense to me.
I have no problem with EA having their own download service for their games. It's no different than Blizzard or Valve doing it. I do have a problem with the fact that it isn't as good as Steam. Given time it can be made better, but right now the interface is lackluster. My second problem with Origin is that it is forced on us for all EA games. EA even pulled their more recent titles off Steam to strong arm people into accepting Origin. Games like Mass Effect 3 and Battlefield 3 require it. Unless you avoid all things EA, then you really can't avoid Origin.
It's deceoption like I posted above that I have a real problem with. I also don't care for the way in which they absorb talented studios and assimilate them, driving all the talent away. They ruin studios and franchises.
SkribbelKat
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2012
- Messages
- 5,330
Have you ever tried using Origin's tech suppoort?
I have for a SIMS 2 expansion that wouldn't work with Double Deluxe. It seemed like EA somehow managed to find every tech support horror story, bleed them all of their worst attributes, distill the goop into a solid form, and then mold it into the basic template for their live chat service. What's worse is that this problem exists across multiple technicians as I found out over the course of several weeks' messing with the expansion that still doesn't work and hasn't been refunded.
Not really. I would have bought BF3 for around $50 on steam. Assuming your figure is correct, 93% of that is $46.50 for EA, with the remaining $3.50 going to Steam.
I didn't buy BF3 because it's not on steam. I won't buy BF3 until is is on steam. Yeah they got to keep 100% of my purchase, too bad 100% of $0 is $0.
Maybe if you would stop trying to churn games out on a yearly cycle, and instead focus on making GOOD games, you wouldn't have this problem EA.
Fuck them for ruining the sequel to one of my favorite RPGs of all time. Dragon Age 2 was shit compared to DA:O.
Fuck them for ruining the sequel to one of my favorite RPGs of all time. Dragon Age 2 was shit compared to DA:O.
File a chargeback with your credit card.
Activate: AMD
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2004
- Messages
- 1,994
agreed in theory. their decision is extremely predictable as a massive publisher with the back catalog to float their own DD service. Where they fell flat was understanding their market (basically EA being EA). I actually believe that there are things that Origin does better than Steam... but the problem is that it does quite a few things worse. Even more damning is that people value the service that Steam provides by putting everything under one roof, so even if Origin was *as good* as steam, people would never switch, it has to be significantly better.
Bottom line is that EA is now reaping what they've been sowing for the past few years.. trying to keep up with the re-heated shit nature of its peers like Activision but with deeper pockets. The tragedy is that, while they've been able to pump capital into a ton of brilliant game developers, they insist on making everything bigger and better. They keep trying to swing for the fences by making a game that everyone will
Bad Customer service + Turning every Franchise they get there hands on into crap = Why they are failing.
Solution, QA/QC like Blizzard and Valve, and do not pressure the developers to release on arbitrary deadlines.
Quality in, Quality out. Then the stock price will reflect a Quality company.
Solution, QA/QC like Blizzard and Valve, and do not pressure the developers to release on arbitrary deadlines.
Quality in, Quality out. Then the stock price will reflect a Quality company.
Games like Deus EX: HR and even Half Life 2 back in the day forced me to have a steam account in order to play it. I had no interest in having a Steam account back then.
We are referring to Origin. Whether steam or not ruins games/franchises is speculated at best.
Did EA force Casey Hudson to write the ending of ME3 without the rest of the writers consent? Pretty speculated if you ask me.
Dragon Age 2 was shit. Bioware was what? A company like Blizzard who published a few games that were great...10 years ago. A lot of people leave your company in 10 years.
Taldren
Gawd
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2006
- Messages
- 521
Because that is NOT Origin! THIS is Origin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_Systems) ... something great that EA killed and now re-purposed in name ><
Taldren
Gawd
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2006
- Messages
- 521
Hit post too early ... They even stole Origin's logo for the new Origin ... they just spraypainted it Orange.
MavericK
Zero Cool
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2004
- Messages
- 31,932
I think SWTOR isn't doing as well as they'd like and let's not forget EA has some image problems which are hopefully hurting sales. It is my ardent wish that EA starts to realize that in the long run, douche-baggery doesn't get you what you want.
It's crap like this that's getting them in trouble:
Their marketing people make me sick. Normally I can rationalize most business practices with a certain amount of logic, and although I see what they are doing, this is just insulting and misleading.
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I hadn't seen that ad, thanks Dan. Holy crap, they are spinning that comment to make it sound like the game and the ending is awesome. How much more misleading can you get?
EA acquired the company in 1992, the company released Ultima Online in 1997, which was one of the greatest games by the studio. So....
I never said Steam or Origin ruins games by itself. I don't like being forced to use such services if I don't want to. And I never said anything about EA forcing Casey Hudson to do anything. And up to Dragon Age 2, I'm no BioWare fan boy either. In the last 10 years the only game I've played of theirs that I liked were Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. Though that last one technically came out after EA had already purchased the company.
Yeah I know. Clever bastards have crossed into ambulance chasing territory with that garbage. I suppose it's technically true, but it isn't the positive thing they are making it out to be.
Yea that was my typo. I meant EA, not steam. Just realized that. Sorry.
It was an example. You said at the end of your sentence that "ea acquires the company assimilates them and then ruins the company".
It is a statement I guess I will agree to but on what grounds? I mean I can find a better explanation to these companies just producing shit games.
MavericK
Zero Cool
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2004
- Messages
- 31,932
Even while technically true, it is obvious and clear that they are trying to portray it as positive, simply because right above it in the same (albeit a bit larger) font they say it has, "Over 75 perfect scores".
Not that it means a whole lot, but after being called out by the BBB for false advertising, it seems outright hilarious that they are still doing this.
Companies don't need EA to make shitty games. But their demands which have been a subject of industry reporting for years incidates that the company places exceedingly high demands and short development cycles on developers. They are almost a game development sweat shop. Speed takes priority over quality. Yeah, a lot of people move on from a company in 10 years, but it's only been 2 years since Mass Effect 2 was released and we've seen a huge drop in quality with regard to some aspects of Mass Effect 3. Dragon Age 2 was almost universally regarded as shit. It just seems odd to me that BioWare has always been regarded as having made almost all excellent games for over a decade and then within a couple years of acquisition by EA, now they are producing shit.
Taldren
Gawd
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2006
- Messages
- 521
You have a twisted perspective of things.
From the WIKI:
In 1997, they released one of the earliest and most successful graphical MMORPGs, Ultima Online. After this title, Electronic Arts decided that Origin would become an online-only company after the completion of Ultima IX in 1999. However, within a year's time, in part due to Ultima IX's poor reception,[4] EA canceled all of Origin's new development projects, including Ultima Online 2, Privateer Online, and Harry Potter Online.
Due to one poor performer they killed UO2 and my beloved Privateer Online. Yeah, they killed the company.
Hornet
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2005
- Messages
- 6,624
IIRC, Gabe Newell for the first to talked about the idea of fans financing the development of video games, and I think many of us including me thought that was a crazy idea back then. But now just look at the success of Kickstarter. Hell I participated in Wasteland 2 myself.
Suddenly we're exciting revivals of old franchise or genre thanks to this new business model. These projects would never have been possible with big publishing companies like EA or Activision. Not only the small indie dev are finding success without publishers, even old veteren devs are now able to work on projects they really want to work on, and on their own terms with stuff like Kickstarter.
While I don't believe publishers will be going anywhere anytime soon, they certainly are not as important these days when it comes to certain kind of gaming project. So unless EA starts to listen to what the fans want, they are slowly digging their own grave because we now have alternatives, and people will take their money elsewhere.
Suddenly we're exciting revivals of old franchise or genre thanks to this new business model. These projects would never have been possible with big publishing companies like EA or Activision. Not only the small indie dev are finding success without publishers, even old veteren devs are now able to work on projects they really want to work on, and on their own terms with stuff like Kickstarter.
While I don't believe publishers will be going anywhere anytime soon, they certainly are not as important these days when it comes to certain kind of gaming project. So unless EA starts to listen to what the fans want, they are slowly digging their own grave because we now have alternatives, and people will take their money elsewhere.
Hornet
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2005
- Messages
- 6,624
Aw crap, lots of typo in my previous post..
Gabe Newell WAS the first...
And I also meant to say "suddenly we're SEEING exciting revivals..."
Gabe Newell WAS the first...
And I also meant to say "suddenly we're SEEING exciting revivals..."