EA Mandates Online, DLC for Every Game in 2011
Online multiplayer for the next Dragon Age?
With all the consoles now having serviceable online components, EA appears to have mandated that all its future video game releases to have both downloadable content and online play.
IGN quotes Electronic Arts chief operating officer John Schappert during the company's fiscal third quarter investor call as saying, "In fiscal 2011, every one of EA's releases will have an online component, both downloadable content and online play."
For EA, fiscal 2011 would be calendar April 2010 through March 2011 – which means the majority of EA games this year will be hooked into the online world.
While many games make worthwhile use of multiplayer and DLC, it's a little unsettling if developers are forced into shoehorning online play (and devoting resources) into a game that wasn't set out to have it.
Good idea or bad idea? You tell us!
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They are trying to go over their head, but really most of their games have online, just a few.
I think it's a decent idea, but i would rather have a game, say Mass Effect 3, have all the effort put into the story and gameplay mechanics rather than online multiplayer. Although Mass Effect multiplayer would be awesome!
FUCK, so that's what they mean by the "far reaching" for mass effect. Online play, booo.
And only a complete retard could say Mass Effect MP would be anything but complete garbage. Hello, how is the combat again? Sorry but hawk you are nothing but a MP retard. Not everything needs MP, and almost all the games out there with MP, shouldn't have MP because it sucks.
MP would only take away from the actual game. Man how I hate MP retards like hawk, where ever game must have MP. Stop ruining gaming tyvm, oh and diaf.
MP or no MP, blanket mandates such as "online play" simply will not work in gaming. However, if they HAVE to mandate something, mandate DX10 graphics options for those who can use it.
It's just another excuse for them to release half finished games 6 months early.
Bad idea. You can fuck up a masterful and balanced game by cramming worthless shit in it.
I don't like multiplayer and I don't like it being forced on me. If I wanted to play with the other children, I'd hit the playground.
No. Just no. This is a terrible move on EA's part. I'm not saying a game can't have multiplayer, but there are some games that just don't warrant more than one person playing at a time. Forcing all of their development studios to do this will more than likely lessen the overall quality of their titles.
yay EA for screwing up stuff even more!
WTF!!!! I don't WANT multiplayer in Mass Effect 3!
Bad idea. More EA screwups for sure. Forcing DLC is not a good idea with lots of ISPs using monthly bandwith caps.
im suprised you guys are not talking about the dlc. dlc almost always costs, so the way i see it now they are gonna take every little bit of extra out of the game and now you will have to pay even more for it. Nothing but a money grab.
Yup another greedbag company who will suck as much money out of their releases as possible.
now not only will you pay $50 or so but you will also get charged to download DLC which you may need to play said game and then the multiplayer part which do not be surprised if it is tied into their company servers to make you pay more.
Financially, it is a sound decision. They release a shell of a game for $60, then sell the bits they chopped off for $10. Before you know it, they've made $20-$40 more off you because the only redeeming factor is the online play, where the bandwagon community almost requires you to buy the latest DLC to play with them. The model has worked for year in MMOs.
People ask me why I never buy a DLC...
Bad idea to require it. Pretty transparent attempt to increase profit by lessening the number of people who pirate a game.
EA doing what it does best, not pleasing the customer.
Anyone else see this as just another form of DRM?
Fuck EA and all the corporations that are screwing us. The developers should gain independence from those corporate fucktards.
And how do you suggest developer actually RELEASE the games they develop? Hiring 100s of more people to open up their own publishing division costing way more money in the end?
Good job in thinking that thought through! *thumbs up*
Before you know it, they've made $20-$40 more off you because the only redeeming factor is the online play, where the bandwagon community almost requires you to buy the latest DLC to play with them. The model has worked for year in MMOs.People ask me why I never buy a DLC...
Because your a idiotic cheap ass? MMO xpacks as DLC? Ya xpacks that can nearly double the content of a game is really DLC not worth 30-40 dollars. ROFL.
As much I would hate having Mass Effect and other games like it with multiplayer, I'm not going around talking stupidity.
Here is a perfect reason why their stocks are worthless and their company is sinking like the
Titanic..........
the required onlien play isn't such a bad idea , (though some game ideas just DO NOT work for multiplayer ) we just went over this kind of thing in my school (i'm majoring in game design). the thing that irk's me is mandatory DLC , quite hoenstly i'm no fan of DLC , it cost to much for what it adds really , not to mention with pc titles it kiles deccent full blown expansions (something i really miss, and I'm glad that Dragon age is getting a full expansion) . then ther is teh "holow" game thing , i can easyily see a more than a few developers getting be hind schedules and then shelfing many great game features into DLC because they didn't ahve time to work it into release. truth be told , this is not just a bad time for PC games and gamers , this is a bad time for gamers period , publishers have gotten greedy , their deadlines they give developers are worse than ever. and teh advent of online funtionality is starting to really hurt the products , not to mention more often than not publishers wil fund a shitty "clone" game quicker than they will fund something new and unique. Think about all teh FPSer's that have been reelased on console and PC lately. can you hoenstly say past one or two taht they really stand out ?? (and pelse don't list MW2 that oen is a exact clone of MW 1 and it sucks balls becaue it is not even as long as the first one was in play time , not to mention it's MP is seriously gimped ..
EA is the worse publisher about churning out "clone" games
In fiscal year 2011, EA will see most of it's major titles pulled because of them trying to micromanage.
God EA are stupid, do any of them even play games?
I know, lets mandate that every new game has physics mechanics!! the kids these days sure seem to be into physics!
this is stupid, the only reason I can imagine that they would make such a blind sweeping statement is in a misguided attempt to slide DRM in under the hood.
everything that EA says baffles me.
this is almost as stupid as making it so every games for windows game needs to support a controller. I wouldn't even dare to guess what Dawn of war 2 is like...
... I'm not going around talking stupidity.
That's all I've seen from you on this topic.
WHAT THE F***. I do not want to play Mass Effect 3 with online multiplayer...
WHAT THE F***. I do not want to play Mass Effect 3 with online multiplayer...
EA should probably slow their roll on this one. I find most any kind of "blanket" decision usually has bad fallout.
Also, I don't think Mass Effect would work well with multiplayer in its current state. However, if the combat is improved as much from ME2 to ME3 as it was from ME1 to ME2...I could be convinced to give it a shot.
If devs are still work on the game, they're still patching stuff... so I guess thats a good thing
ok everyone stop bitching. if you don't like what EA is doing then don't buy their products and problem solved, if you buy the games you empower the company to do whatever it wants. stupidity goes both ways
ok everyone stop bitching. if you don't like what EA is doing then don't buy their products and problem solved, if you buy the games you empower the company to do whatever it wants. stupidity goes both ways
thats right..or u could try to boycott it like MW2....see how that epically failed
i think most of you are just upset because u know 2/3 of ur library is ripped. no i dont think we should be "forced" into online gaming but i personally dont PURCHASE any games that arent MP so it sounds like a good year for me! i just hope they dont consider crap like spore creatures and sims 3 furniture sharing to be MP.
And guys.. if u dont like EA dont play their games, its that simple.
on a side note kami3k.. i think theres a medication for your condition, you should see a doctor