EA Drops Gun Makers, Not Their Guns

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Other than trying to avoid paying licensing fees, I don't understand the point of severing all ties with gun manufacturers if you plan to keep using branded guns in your games. :confused:

Now at least one game maker, the second largest by revenue in the United States, is publicly distancing itself from the gun industry, even as it finds ways to keep the branded guns in the games. Electronic Arts says it is severing its licensing ties to gun manufacturers - and simultaneously asserting that it has the right, and the intention, to continue to feature branded guns without a license.
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However this pans out, EA can eat a bag of dicks.
 
why would I care what brand a gun in a game is? i'm just interested in its performance.
 
Gun makers don't need EA when they have customers lined up outside the door waiting to buy their products.
 
I don't see how they are going to use trademarked images without licensing them. The Bell Helo case should be interesting. Trying to argue that "they are telling a story" with COD is beyond laughable.
 
Gun companies try to lower EA's profits, EA tries to lower gun companies' profits. What goes around comes around. The court case will be entertaining.
 
It would be interesting to see if one of the companies could get an injunction against EA preventing them from shipping one of their games.

Personally I see this as a way for EA just to try to screw someone out of royalties. Only time will tell on how this will play out.
 
Step #1 Stop making games that involve pistols, shotguns, and rifles.

Step #2 Get an imagination.

Step #3 Create unique original guns like BFG, Portal Gun, or Guns with blades or chainsaws.
 
My favorite shooters didn't have branded guns. I think more creativity is put to use when devs make up their own.
 
Shouldn't it be the gun makers distancing themselves from the worst company in America?
 
We don't have the money to pay the license fees anymore but we're still going to use your brand names. Because you know, we're in the age of Entitlements. Everyone is entitled to getting things for free.
 
Too bad. It is always nice to see the proper name and not some fictional made up name, which usually involves letters and numbers moved around. Regardless, the games they make they don't function like the real things anyways.

Ashbringer said:
Step #1 Stop making games that involve pistols, shotguns, and rifles.

Step #2 Get an imagination.

Step #3 Create unique original guns like BFG, Portal Gun, or Guns with blades or chainsaws.
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No fun in that. Plus, those have been done to death.
 
EA:
We're going to use patented designs and IP in our for-profit games without licensing said properties from their respective owners...But don't use our software or Intellectual Property without a license, that would be economy-halting, world-ending, apocalypse-inducing PIRACY.

Mmmkay.
I really need to move to imaginary EA land where laws only apply if and when you want them to.
 
WorldExclusive said:
My favorite shooters didn't have branded guns. I think more creativity is put to use when devs make up their own.
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From the "Top 10 Halo Weapons" list by gametrailers.com:

10. Plasma Pistol
09. Sniper Rifle
08. Shotgun
07. Rocket Launcher
06. Battle Rifle
05. Gravity Hammer
04. Pistol
03. Energy Sword
02. Plasma Grenade
01. Melee!!

I think creativity is not exactly desired in current gen shooters :(
 
Granted I haven't played CoD but seriously? They need to license just to mention a particular weapon in the game? I would think if anything that it'd be free advertisement for those who wannabe soldiers who go out and get guns just for the sake of having them "Oh yeah I want a Bushmaster, I got 34 kills with that gun in one game!"
 
Boy, it would just take me out of the immersive reality of a game like COD if I didn't know what brand of gun I was using to shoot all of the 12-year-olds screaming insults about my mother and my sexuality.
 
I hope this boils down to generic guns in realistic shooters lol. You just picked up the Clock 9.

I think on the other side one day will we find out that some gun companies would purposely pay or offer good terms if realistic shooters would give their gun an edge. Say slightly more accurate etc... Then it just "happens" to be a fairly popular gun in the game.
 
Isn't stuff the US army uses not needing of any license or something like that? They use the army designations and stuff instead of company ones. So as they don't have to pay them any money, there's no reason to.
 
temujin987 said:
From the "Top 10 Halo Weapons" list by gametrailers.com:

10. Plasma Pistol
09. Sniper Rifle
08. Shotgun
07. Rocket Launcher
06. Battle Rifle
05. Gravity Hammer
04. Pistol
03. Energy Sword
02. Plasma Grenade
01. Melee!!

I think creativity is not exactly desired in current gen shooters :(
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Yep. Halo 2 was one of my favorite shooters, didn't have a single branded gun in it.
The Railgun in Q3A or the Shock Rifle in UT are more memorable than a M16.

It's hard to say there's a balancing issue with guns that were made up out of thin air.
But when devs try to go the "real" route, the complains of those guns not being real and unbalanced goes on and on (see BF3 thread).
 
I have to admit that things like this make me consider just pirating my games. I have been buying them, never pirated, putting up with DRM, buying DLCs at times and generally putting out a lot of money on games that have stricter and stricter controls. Then something like this comes along and the hypocrisy of the situation irritates me so much I just want to NEVER pay them another dime. People have to pay for games so game companies can continue to make them, but at this point there are a lot of game companies that have their heads so far up their asses I dont mind if they go under. And its hard to tell if they are so incredibly stupid or they actually are doing this to see how much they can piss people off and still have them buy their games. Although I can't agree with EA being the worst company in America (there are plenty of companies that are doing incredible harm to people, society, and the environment) but I do understand why people hate them so much. Its like they are deliberately provoking their customers.
 
I seem to remember EA/DICE being sued for BC2, MOH, BF3, MOH2 for wrongful use without permission, they just do not learn it seems.

If they want to use "branded" guns but not make them act the way they are supposed to I can understand the gun makers and such getting pissy, it shows their products in a negative light, or for that matter they should have to pay for it like everyone else that uses it should need to.

If they do not want to pay someone for use of something, well call it something different like as an example Ka47 or something kind of like O so many years ago like Rockstar did with GTA and calling things like Stinger and such, you cannot be sued if the likeness and name changes ever so slightly.

EA just does not have a clue as of late it is to plainly obvious, stupid balancing, make things way out to lunch in regards to real vs game and not knowing where to draw the line, and simply some very retarded choices with most of their modern launches.
 
Good, that means that other companies can make Football games and use the players names, right? Since we are ignoring licensing and all.
 
Spire3660 said:
Good, that means that other companies can make Football games and use the players names, right? Since we are ignoring licensing and all.
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ZING

I would love that monopoly to end so maybe we can actually get a better game, not simply a new roster.
 
Spire3660 said:
Good, that means that other companies can make Football games and use the players names, right? Since we are ignoring licensing and all.
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Cool. We'll should also be seeing Porche in non EA racing games too. ;)
 
So basically EA is just trying to screw people over and hoard more money for themselves... Is anyone really surprised here? :p
 
I foresee the MDAA backfiring on EA to get them shutdown. How long after that until it is repealed?
 
So EA is going to pirate gun designs? Since they are now OK with piracy...
 
Interesting. I wonder if they will try to do something similar with future racing titles...
 
They should be able to use gun model names without licensing issues if they are military related. IE: M4/M16, AK47, M14, 1911. I don't see how they would get away with using a brand in front of it without a license; legally anyways.
 
BladeVenom said:
So EA is going to pirate gun designs? Since they are now OK with piracy...
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It's not piracy though... Unless stuff has changed, they are allowed, anyone is allowed to use the gun designs and the army/Nato designations (like M-16), you just can't use the civilian names like Colt Penus or whatever.
 
DeathPrincess said:
It's not piracy though... Unless stuff has changed, they are allowed, anyone is allowed to use the gun designs and the army/Nato designations (like M-16), you just can't use the civilian names like Colt Penus or whatever.
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They can use military designations, but companies can also protect the look of their designs with trademark laws.

EA is already being sued by Bell Helicopter.

Glock has enforced their trademark against other companies that have made replicas that look too much like Glocks.
 
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