It must also be said that EA is a publicly traded company that is responsible to its shareholders and its in business in order to make a profit.Golden_Gonads wrote:Just to point out: Visceral Games never existed as a seperate entity, it was created by EA in the first place.pjknibbs wrote:You really have to wonder why any development studio willingly signs up to have EA publish their games when they can see the ground littered with the corpses of those who came before them--Pandemic, Westwood, Origin, Maxis, and many more.
There, that makes this all better, now.
It's interesting how a gamer's personal experience with a product extends to their attachment or opinion of the creator's of that product.
Coca-Cola, the "have a Coke and a smile", "get the world to sing" and "it's the real thing" people, like to associate nice-nice-mushy-smiley stuff with their product. I can only remember a few moments, usually when I was younger and sweating my butt off, when having a Coke inspired anything of the sort.
But, a gamer's experience is much more visceral, much more intimate, with their "game." That seems to translate directly to inspire a more intimate connection with a commercial product developer.
That's not, necessarily, unusual. But, a patient's association with relief after using a company's product or people cheering their foreign liberator as their tanks roll by in victory... Those things are a bit more understandable.
Bloggers, youtubers, online magazines, entire industries are built around and focus on "gaming", publicizing business activities, discussing designs, railing against "The Man" and the giant megacorps "preying on innocent gamers." It's an industry which is solely focused on manufacturing "an experience." Computer games are calorie-free, ephemeral, non-matter, empty boxes, except for the experience that they promise and money they make.
It's all so very intimate and personal, this "computer game" thing. Fascinating stuff...
Sorry for the post-filled-with-crap. But, when people react so strongly to what is, in essence, "a business decision" or when a company who's purpose is "to make money" does something in order "to make money"... Well, it's necessary to examine reasons why people react so strongly.
I don't get upset when Proctor & Gamble discontinues a bar of soap. The people who adored that particular bar of soap might, but how many could that possibly be and would people who never used that bar of soap, but love the one's they do use, be so sympathetic to the desires of those customers that they join them in protest?