I have yet to see something so deplorable in the gaming industry as this. There are some honorable mentions, but nothing quite reaches the magnitude of wretchedness as what EA has done here (and willingly to boot).
It's an unfortunate scenario, as product boycotting has the side effect of negatively impacting sales at, mainly, software boutiques, who really need as many sales as possible. There has been an extreme shift in past years for stores that carry PC and console games -- many are now a console-only affair (i.e., from EB Games to Gamestop). I for one must drive ~12 miles to an independent software shop to secure a PC game, as all past local EB locations are now console-exclusive Gamestops.
So, what actions will I take? At the least, I will never purchase an EA product again. Any further actions I may take would be frowned upon here at the good ol' [H], so I won't be discussing that.
On the subject of in-game ads, I don't imagine I'll ever intentionally buy a game for $50-60 that includes dynamic advertisements. If the entry price is "free", however, I imagine I'd have no trouble stomaching some ads (even if they are excessive at times). I have my priorities, and my wallet does all the talking.
It's an unfortunate scenario, as product boycotting has the side effect of negatively impacting sales at, mainly, software boutiques, who really need as many sales as possible. There has been an extreme shift in past years for stores that carry PC and console games -- many are now a console-only affair (i.e., from EB Games to Gamestop). I for one must drive ~12 miles to an independent software shop to secure a PC game, as all past local EB locations are now console-exclusive Gamestops.
So, what actions will I take? At the least, I will never purchase an EA product again. Any further actions I may take would be frowned upon here at the good ol' [H], so I won't be discussing that.
On the subject of in-game ads, I don't imagine I'll ever intentionally buy a game for $50-60 that includes dynamic advertisements. If the entry price is "free", however, I imagine I'd have no trouble stomaching some ads (even if they are excessive at times). I have my priorities, and my wallet does all the talking.