Electronic Arts failed Sim City release suggests who the real online pirates are

3/6/2013

(Page 2 of 2)

has are inadequate for the demand placed on them. For shame.

The end result is that Electronic Arts has accepted hundreds of millions of dollars for a product that does not work for many people. Development on the project supposedly occurred right up until the day of release suggesting the product is incomplete and premature.

Others also decry the small size of their playing areas and the feeling that they will be forced to purchase add-ons later to obtain basic elements that should have been included in the initial release.

What is piracy other than taking that which you should not and spending it without compensation? Are the purchasers of Sim City truly being compensated for their money when the product does not work as advertised?

The technical problems go beyond issues with display drivers and Windows updates or over-zealous anti-virus programs. Commenters posted their system specs on forums, with values well above the minimum required by the program. Instead, this is the sole result of a developer releasing a product prematurely and without the supporting infrastructure in place to ensure it runs relatively flawlessly. Ah, corporate greed at its finest. Who wants to overspend on infrastructure when the upset customers will eventually go away?

Nobody can object to EA protecting their investment against piracy. However, when they accept your money and give you a defective product in return, it's not just cruel - it's a form of corporate piracy in itself.

Today, a lot of gamers are swearing off EA, and wishing for its demise. If EA continues in this vein, it just might happen. I know for my part, I have purchased my last EA product.

Finally, the problem is expected to get worse, not better through next week. Sim City is being released over the next several days to eager markets in Europe and Asia, which will place an additional strain on the company's servers, while greatly increasing profits.

Unhappy customers might find this comic amusing, as consolation for their frustration.

� 2013, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.
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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Electronic Arts, EA, games, Sim City, piracy, servers, Always Online DRM, controversy, crashes, bugs, refunds, forums

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1 - 4 of 4 Comments

Maddogaranto
2 months ago
I'll stick to SC4. If I feel like playing a fancier graphics city simulator I also have Cities XL
Krzysztof Kietzman
2 months ago
This is the most comprehensive comment on the SimCity fiasco that I've read since the game's launch. I would like to thank the author of this article for this in-depth overview of the problem.
MosesZD
2 months ago
As a CPA with over 20-years practice in public accounting, I shall point out that your assertion that EA is a 'good investment' based on its business performance are incorrect. It's clear, from the financials they've lost money hand-over-fist for quite some time. I have serious doubts you actually read, or perhaps understood them if you did, the financial statements.

EA's financial statements have clearly show they have lost over $2.4 BILLION the past half-decade which is reflected in their share price that has lost over 60% of it's market capitalization. And while 2012 was profitable, the first time in 6 or 7 years, and it seems to be a one-time deal caused by some classic revenue-acceleration/expense-deferring accounting tricks which have already caught up to them.

Which is why they've posted losses somewhere in the order of $200 million through the first three quarters of the 03/2013 ending fiscal year.
John Matheson
2 months ago
I've started a petition for people protesting against only Internet games like this and EA, details are on youtube here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Bf-8uc07PU

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