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Sports games not viable on the PC, says EA
Next-gen consoles, piracy and a changing business model cited as the reasons for EA stopping PC development on a number of sports titles
After revealing that EA has decided not to release a number of PC sports this year, Peter Moore from EA Sports has decided to give his reasons for the decision, saying that the PC is in decline as a sports gaming platform.
‘The PC as a platform for authentic, fully-licensed, simulation sports games has declined radically in the past three years,’ Moore explains on his blog. He adds that this is mainly because ‘the next generation consoles, with their high definition graphics and 5.1 sound capabilities have attracted millions of consumers.’ Moore makes a distinction between console gamers and PC gamers here, saying that PC gamers ‘lean in’ when gaming, while console gamers ‘lean back’ and relax.
As with many other game developers, EA Sports is also upset about piracy in PC games, which Moore insists is an issue, despite disagreement from many EA Sports fans who have commented on his blog previously. He explains that ‘the numbers don’t lie,’ adding that the ‘employees developing the game design, writing code and creating art deserve to get paid for their work. Period.’
Another reason for the decision, according to Moore, is the change in the business model for PC games, which he says is shifting from packaged goods to downloads. This is true, but we don’t see why EA couldn’t use a download service such as Steam to get around this and the piracy issue in one go.
However, Moore feels that many of EA’s Sports games don’t have the online features needed to be a success on the PC. ‘The on-line experience is paramount,’ says Moore, ‘and hundreds of companies in this space are experimenting with direct-to-consumer revenue models, incorporating premium downloadable content, sponsored downloads, micro-transactions, subscriptions and massive tournament play.’
Earlier in June, EA announced that it wasn’t going to release Madden, NCAA Football, NASCAR, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR and or NBA LIVE for the PC, and that those games would be for consoles only. Moore doesn’t rule out coming up with new sports games for the PC that are more appropriate in the future, but insists that ‘for right now we are assessing all of the options open to us to shift the current paradigm for our games on this platform.’
Do you play sports games on your PC (and no, we’re not counting Football Manager), or would you rather play them on a console? Is the PC in decline as a platform for sports games? Let us know your thoughts.
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Now that he's gone maybe a discussion with someone intelligent can be had.
Comment by Warrior24_7 at 7:35pm 17th July 2008
As I've said *DO NOT FEED THE TROLL* ... Discussion over
Comment by cyberspice1 at 4:09pm 17th July 2008
Listen, I don't care about piracy on the PC. I don't care if people pirate. But I do see what it's done to PC gaming and the effect it's having on the the system, the games and the gamers. I also hear the "excuses" and "reasons" why people do this. I just don't buy any of it. It's complete BS!! It all comes back to the same thing, "people don't want to pay for the games" and those that don't will make every effort not to and companies will do whatever it takes to protect their investment. PC gamers just want the right to "steal", thats it and thats all. You used "Sins of the Solar Empire" as an example of a game selling with no copy protection. But you also said the game was stolen before it was even released!!! How many copies were lost to thieves?!! How much money?!! It's as if companies have to take it on the chin just to put a game on the system. It's a shame really. There are developers that want to develope for the PC but have to way the costs of doing business on the system. You should know by now that I can stand by everything I say, and have a reason for saying it. Unlike yourself. So this "troll" business is not going to work on me. Here is a perfect example. "it's getting old reading through comments and constantly having to see you telling us how much better you think consoles are than PC's"-cyberspice1 and "You coming on a PC website and using every oppertunity to say how you think consoles are better is trolling"-cyberspice1. First, I didn't say consoles were better than PCs, so that makes you a liar! Yes I did say the "The ONLY viable games on pc are the MMO and RTS Even the FPS is done on consoles to the point the now sell better then the PC version. I did make one boo boo, I forgot about "sim" games! Look at your damn top ten list! Whats on there?!! The same exact games have been in the same top three spots for the Last TWO YEARS!!! The same FPS has been there since Dec of last year, and sold better on the console than the PC!! Assassin's Creed is a console hand me down and AoC is an MMO, a buggy one at that! The top ten is full of everything I said it was. So what the hell are you whining about?!! I believe there will be two *er* three main genres on the PC due to the financial risk and piracy. The MMO, the RTS and the Sim, refer to top ten. Baseless accusations you say? "you no longer have to pirate if you don't want to...but we all know you want to =) "-Warrior24_7. Hmmm... let's see then. "I generally pay for PC games".-cyberspice1. Whats that mean? Kinda, sorta, sometimes, if you feel like it? "I will not be paying for any further EA games I want that have this limited activation BS. Yes, I know it's wrong, and you know what? I don't care"-cyberspice1. "I happily pay for my games and EA treat me like a criminal for it (which is why I'll be pirating any EA games I want from now on after the fiasco I had when I bought Mass Effect".-cyberspice1. "Me, "I generally pay for PC games"-cyberspice1. There it is again! "I've always paid for them"-cyberspice1. Wha...How?!! But didn't you just say... oh I get it, you mis understood yourself, exaggerated yourself, and took yourself out of context again. Well I couldn't have said it better "myself", actually I didn't, "you" did! The comment about EA. "get a life, get a console" - Warrior24_7. Yep I said it because thats exactly what you'll have to do if you want to play any EA sports games from now on...unless you pirate!=) "I don't give a rats a** about sports games, i don't play them, even if I did, I'd probably prefer to play those kinds of games on a console"-cyberspice1. Why? are you saying the console is better than the PC? Look, bother somebody else cyberspice. Your attacks on me are without merit because you disagree with my point of view on a subject. So unless you can back up what you say and actually mean what you say, stop wasting my time because it seems your way outta your league.
Comment by Warrior24_7 at 12:37pm 17th July 2008
Ok, sit back and take a chill pill dude, I'll do the same and try to be reasonable. I am not saying I support piracy. I can fully understand companies getting peeved about it, it's just that the way EA deals with it is by punishing those who pay. Case in point, the frankly draconian protection on Mass Effect caused problems for quite alot of people who paid for it. My solution to the problem was, after paying for the game, instead of paying again for further activations, I just went and found a crack. Took me a whole 5 minutes to find, download, and start playing the game I'd shelled out £30 for (warrior, please note, this is not piracy, I paid for the damn game, i have a right to play it, EA weren't helping so I took matters into my own hands). The point I'm making is these increasingly strict copy protection systems do not work, and more to the point, they don't make any difference to sales of the game. If you want proof, look at Sins of a Solar Empire, the game itself has no copy protection. None at all. Yet it's been in the UK top ten for how many weeks? And this is a game from a relatively small software company. Oh, and it was widely available on torrent networks for months before it got a UK release, yet people are still buying it over here. As for the trolling thing.... Trolling is going on a website and making comments not specifically aimed at anybody but written to wind people up. You coming on a PC website and using every oppertunity to say how you think consoles are better is trolling, you're just waiting for someone to bite "The ONLY viable games on pc are the MMO and RTS Even the FPS is done on consoles to the point the now sell better then the PC version. Soon there will be two main genres on PC and everything else console hand me downs. " - Warrior24_7, "get a life, get a console" - Warrior24_7. I shouldn't have bitten but I was having a bad day, now I'm stuck in this stupid debate where you throw baseless accusations around (thats another example of trolling btw) ie..."you no longer have to pirate if you don't want to...but we all know you want to =) " - Warrior24_7, even though I've said REPEATEDLY that I pay for PC games and WANT to pay for them.. "I happily pay for my games" - Me, "people (like me) who actually WANT to pay for the game" - Me, "I generally pay for PC games. I've always paid for them" - Me. Whatever, can't be f**ked with you anymore... *DO NOT FEED THE TROLL*
Comment by cyberspice1 at 7:57am 17th July 2008
"I know your a bleeding troll and you just like to start arguments by taking what people say and exaggerating it, taking it out of context etc, etc."-cyberspice1. Lol, lol, L-O-L!!! Why does this sound like deja vu...AGAIN?!!! Did I not say that you do this! Almost verbatim "Exaggerating and taking out of context ect, ect"-cyberspice1. Your words are there in black and white buddy, take responsibility for them. As you know I'm hardly a troll, but I just can't take you seriously because you don't make any sense. You have this twisted sense of logic that causes you to consantly contradict yourself and then claim to be "misunderstood" and "taken out of context". Then you backtrack and do it again! You don't like taking responsibility for your words or deeds. I can "ALWAYS" stand by what I say, unlike yourself. I didn't start this "argument". It's a "debate" that "you" decided to voice your opinion on just like everybody else here, nobody asked for it. "You" attacked "me" earlier and I didn't respond, in fact, I wasn't even addressing you. So who's trolling? Wha? Wait a minute...here it comes... you were "misunderstood", "taken out of context" and "exaggerated" ect, ect. Take your pick any one will do. You're angry at EA for putting security measures in their games but yet you're stealing them! I too am playing a horrible PC game in the AoC! That game has more bugs than an ant hill, and I purchased a time card and a magazine that had an activation code in it. Niether worked out of the box!! They only respond thru "EMAIL"!! So I'm going thru that right now!! But your answer to "securom BS" is to steal even more!! You see, you're not the solution, you're the problem. Those security measures are put in place to stop people like "you" not "me"..."you"! Remember the "honest man" analogy. As far as limited activations are concerned, don't MMOs have limited activations as well? Pay or don't play. But "I" have a solution to your problem. No more "securom BS", no more "limited activations", no more changing a video card, no more paying to play, no more bug infested, herky jerk gameplay, no more piss poor support and customer service, and no need to continue a life of crime. Buy a console. You can play the EA games you want bug and error free. Buy one and all those problems go away. So no need to continue to sail the cyber seas raiding unsuspecting game companies and hating them for trying to stop you. Look, if your going to pirate, then pirate. just don't make up excuses for it... they're lame. so now you no longer have to pirate if you don't want to...but we all know you want to =) aaAARRRGGHH!!!
Comment by Warrior24_7 at 7:39pm 16th July 2008
Warrior, you're exaggerating what I said. I generally pay for PC games. I've always paid for them (including EA games, and yes, that includes Crysis) up untill I bought mass effect and had a huge fiasco tyring to get the damn thing activated (including the thing using up an activation when I UPGRADED MY GRAPHICS CARD!!!). Long story short, I was offered the oppertunity to PURCHASE (yeah, as in pay for) a further activation. As a result, I will not be paying for any further EA games I want that have this limited activation BS. Yes, I know it's wrong, and you know what? I don't care, because the way they treat their paying customers ain't any better. I WILL continue to pay for games from other companies who don't treat me like a friggin criminal for buying their games. It just peeves me off that they cry wolf about piracy, then make it so much hassle for people (like me) who actually WANT to pay for the game. Now, from past experience arguing with you, I know your a bleeding troll and you just like to start arguments by taking what people say and exaggerating it, taking it out of context etc, etc. I just wanted to make it clear to everybody else that I'm not someone who makes a habit of downloading games for free, I'm just a normal consumer who's very peeved off.
Comment by cyberspice1 at 2:15pm 16th July 2008
For some reason you're ALWAYS being "misunderstood", and "taken out of context". It's obvious you don't understand yourself when you write something. So let me see if I "understand" what you said. You said "I will go back to buying EA products when I feel like I'm gaining something from buying it. At the moment, where EA games are concerned, I get a better quality product by pirating (ie, no limited activations which are used up when I upgrade my damn graphics card, no securom BS).-cyberspice1, then you said "The truth is, I'm a PC Gamer, I happily pay for my games and EA treat me like a criminal for it (which is why I'll be pirating any EA games I want from now on after the fiasco I had when I bought Mass Effect, but thats a long story). -cyberspice1. Hmmm... Let me see if I "understand", you pirate and will continue to pirate EA games. Then you wondered why "EA use that old "piracy" excuse and treat ALL PC Gamers like criminals.-cyberspice1. I think I understand that as well. Because you ARE a criminal! You're "stealing" their games and will continue to do so. You said it yourself. Didn't EA publish Crysis? The game was so heavily pirated that Crytek issued a statement and said they were "harmed" and that they were now going multi-platform (consoles!). Hearing the "overwhelmingly" negative responses toward EA sports games and EA in general on this forum and probably community wide, the obvious assumption is that the majority of "PC" gamers don't like EA or their sports games. So with that, they yanked the games. Good move. Why develope on a platform only to lose your money to piracy and apathy? Doesn't make sense. The vast majority of PC gamer DO NOT pay for their games according to the companies that are the victims of this practice. So they layer their games with " securom BS"-cyberspice1. You know what they say "a lock keeps an honest man honest". He won't be tempted when no one is looking. But then again they said "honest man". Any security measure can be defeated and anyone willing to put more effort into that then using the "key" is not an honest person. Perfect example "Out of all the PC gamers I know, the vast majority pay for their games, (just not you-Warrior24_7) yet the big publishing companies treat us all like criminals anyway, with only a few companies actually REWARDING us for being good paying customers."-cyberspice1. But I thought ALL the big publishing companies "REWARDED us for being good paying customers." We hand them the money, they hand us the game. Their "reward" is the money, our "reward" is the game. THAT is the reward.
Comment by Warrior24_7 at 11:23am 16th July 2008
To be honest, I think there was a bit of a mis-understanding with regards to my comment (should have been clearer). For the most part, I don't give a rats a** about sports games, i don't play them, even if I did, I'd probably prefer to play those kinds of games on a console. What winds me up is that EA use that old "piracy" excuse and treat ALL PC Gamers like criminals. The truth is, I'm a PC Gamer, I happily pay for my games and EA treat me like a criminal for it (which is why I'll be pirating any EA games I want from now on after the fiasco I had when I bought Mass Effect, but thats a long story). Piracy isn't as common as most people think though. Out of all the PC gamers I know, the vast majority pay for their games, yet the big publishing companies treat us all like criminals anyway, with only a few companies actually REWARDING us for being good paying customers.
Comment by cyberspice1 at 9:14am 15th July 2008
While I understand people will pirate. I also understand why... because they don't want to pay for what they want. No matter what the circumstances. But what I don't understand is how PC gamers can be dumb enough to think that they can continue this practice without consequences!
Comment by Warrior24_7 at 4:32am 13th July 2008
OK, I am a seasoned PC Gamer and have bought quite a few of EA's titles. While I agree with the piracy issue and it's effect on PC Game development, there is still a case for the PC Market, and it certainly shouldn't be ignored. I agree that totles like Madden and FIFA aren't really suited to the PC(control-wise_, but alot of folk are gonna be upset about the demise of PC Pioneering games like NASCAR, coming offn of the platform. Alot of Devs are takin thier games off of the platform they started on(yes GTA comes to mind) as user-base declines, and as reguards money, user base, piracy etc, etc, I can appreciate some of this argument. BUT, devs like EA seem to forget that even before the internet, piracy was still a problem, chipped games were rampant at the Glasgow BARRA's, still are, and though the web is alot more difficult to catch folk and so on, devs were getting awat with conning us for games. I remember havin to pay close to 50 quid for just one game on the Playstation, and in those days, you had far fewer options with piracy. I am a console gamere too, in fact I exclusivly was right up till 2003 and had everything from the Mega drive to the original Xbox. I now have a 360 as well as my PC, and the cross platform gamepad, could eliminate alot of what EA is pointing to with reguards suitability for games on the PC. Yes, all these issues culminate to a loss of money and rewards for the folk who make the games, they've conned us enough with thier expansion packs, now let's see if thier shift to consoles pays off, cause let me tell you, it's just as easy to spoof your console to read pirated stuff and get round the system if you know what your up to. Not that I have eber done this at all, I just hear from folk who have themselves heard from ppl who do this sort of thing. Cheers Sam The Bam
Comment by masa20 at 11:17pm 12th July 2008
If the game is not worth playing, then why bother pirating it? If EA's games are so bad, then you should be happy that they're off the PC! I am. So EA was right in saying that the PC is not a viable platform for their sports games. If nobody is playing them, why port them over? So they removed them, and I couldn't agree more. They shouldn't have been there in the first place!!! As far as the reasoning for "stealing" the games is concerned, it still doesn't make any sense. Because if the game arrived late, it still arrived ready to be "purchased" so why all of a sudden steal it? Games that arrived on time (UTIII, COD4, Crysis) and were even exclusive (Crysis) to the PC were still stolen, so that analogy doesn't make sense. Pirating is rampant on the PC and everybody knows it. PC gamers seem oblivious to the end results and even see pirating as a badge of honor! So why in the hell would a company want to put anything on it? Console developers are putting their games on the console first, THEN taking their chances with the PC. The PC is slowly becoming less viable to developers and it's mainly because of user base and pirates. You're getting everything late and last with many months in between and you act shocked and can't comprehend why? Insane!!
Comment by Warrior24_7 at 1:56am 11th July 2008
First I'd like to start by saying I own an old PS2 and my Pc is my main gaming rig. Why? I have the PS2 for multiplayer games with friends who visit soul caliber and some racing games. Pc games are brilliant (well the good ones) most of the time they offer superior graphics (Crysis) with superior resolutions much of the time. However I will admit to having played several games from copies over the years, some of which I've gone and paid for afterwards because I liked them so much. My beef is this. How come the 360 and PS3 have already got GTA4 and have had for a while and Pc owners are rewarded with the game in October time when much of the hype has gone? If they are going to develop it for the Pc, which they are, why not cash in when the game is hyped and everyone wants it. People lose interest and when it comes to Pc don't want to shell out £30 for a game that's effectively 8 months old. I never thought I'd do this, but I have to praise Microsoft for their help in promoting Pc gaming,. The 360 controller is great for the Pc in my book, offering a sturdy everyday console controller for the Pc. Many games now having built in support for off the bat controls that are easy and intuitive. What I'm trying to say is, yes piracy is a big problem, but don't moan if games are pirated when your clearly mistreating the Pc gamers which six month waits and games that arent worth playing.
Comment by deloreandude at 1:45pm 10th July 2008
Warrior quit your damn trolling, it's getting old reading through comments and constantly having to see you telling us how much better you think consoles are than PC's. I'm pretty sure EA are NOT saying "get a life, get a console". I'm sure what they really mean is "only console gamers are stupid enough to keep buying the same football game every year just because we changed a few of the names". My 2 Cents on the whole piracy argument is, I will go back to buying EA products when I feel like I'm gaining something from buying it. At the moment, where EA games are concerned, I get a better quality product by pirating (ie, no limited activations which are used up when I upgrade my damn graphics card, no securom BS). Developers like Valve, Stardock etc, will ALWAYS get my custom, because they reward my custom by giving me access to services I just couldn't get if I pirated their games AND I don't have to deal with any BS copy protection. Look at the difference there. EA Games, pay for extra hassle, Valve & Stardock games, pay for better service and overall experience.
Comment by cyberspice1 at 8:36am 9th July 2008
It's a waste of time. Look, I don't mean to sound harsh. But if EA cared about how you felt or about the PC sports fan they wouldn't have done what they did. They basically said to get a life and get a console.
Comment by Warrior24_7 at 9:03pm 8th July 2008
You're still trying to justify the unjustifiable and you're not making any sense in the process. You went from the pseudo nobility routine to outright arrogance! You're smart, they're stupid! Thieves usually think that when they know they just got away with something. Also, I know full well the console market is bigger than the PC market, but that is not the issue. It's not about how many more console gamers there are versus PC gamers. It's about how many games actually sold to how many were pirated. If you're losing 60, 70, 75 percent to pirates, then thats alot of damage! I don't care what business you're in. Just imagine if you opened a store and somebody stole 70% of your stock! After you call the police, call the bank, shareholders, venture guys and your employees and tell them that they're not getting paid! It quickly becomes cost prohibitive to develope on or exclusively for the PC. Especially if you're small. Some developers even went out of business! Thats why you see so many PC developers jumping ship and talking bad about the PC. Pretty smart huh?!! Your analogy of why people download music was actually pretty entertaining! You said "the main reason why music is stolen so much is cause people are pissed off with paying for a cd when only a small margin goes to the artist (it makes me sick how greedy these producers are)". Let me get this straight, you're so angry about how much the artist gets from his "greedy" producer, that you decided to download the song and give him nothing?!! Damn thats funny! Or did you have the money in an envelope but forgot to mail it? Look, don't do the guy any favors okay. The funniest part is when you said "(it makes me sick how greedy these producers are)". You gotta be freakin KIDDING ME!!! I wonder what the artist thinks about you?!! But this is the twisted logic of a serial pirate (like that? "serial pirate") He's smart, they're stupid. He's right, they're wrong. He feels he's righting a wrong, although he commiting a wrong. He knows it's stealing, and acknowledges stealing is wrong but feels justfied and even a sense of accomplishment. Look, if you're gonna pirate, then pirate. But don't come on here and try to and justify it because it won't make sense and never will. Music can be downloaded for a $1 or less, so it's not about money. It's about what I said earlier, people won't pay if they don't have too. As far as the console having "the most pirated games" is a moot point when you have big budget, cross-platfom titles selling 10:1 on the console vs PC due to user base and, you guessed it..."piracy"! Money talks, bS walks. So when you pirate just enjoy your booty and sail off into the sunset, yaaAAARRRGH!! Oh, and get yourself a console because if this isn't stoppped or mitgated, you'll be needing it.
Comment by Warrior24_7 at 6:45pm 8th July 2008
Producing your products strictly for consoles is great idea, that way the market for simulations will be less confusing, huge difference in EA's "Games" and a simulation application. The last EA anything I've bought was Nascar Thunder 2004, horrid online usage so multiplayer sessions were constant frustration of disconnects. EA can play with themselves, have fun :)
Comment by KLMallender at 4:09pm 8th July 2008
What im trying to get at more than anything though is that the games that had a good multiplayer don't get pirated simple. Btw when i was saying multiplayer i was including lan (hehe nothings better than kicking ur friends asses :D ). As usual there is always one person who will state the obvious (downloading is stealing no shit ). More to the point ur a very small minority of pc gamers not many people prefer the single player over killer there friends of stranger (whether it be lan or over the internet). Also U obviously have no clue how big the console market is compared to the pc market. For every one PC gamer that is over 10 console gamers so of course they are going to be more sale in the console market. Also i love the fact when people think were being noble were just being honest. Also the reason why the music industry is getting screwed is cause of there lack of intelligence. Firstly most downloaded music is random or rare music (either cant be got in a store or on itunes) yea there is exceptions but in truth the main reason why music is stolen so much is cause people are pissed off with paying for a cd when only a small margin goes to the artist (it makes me sick how greedy these producers are). For me i'm only going to start buying the music i like when someone finially gives me an options to get music that i cant get anywhere else. Anyway ppl say that these industry is losing money but the simple fact is that 90 % of ppl who download can't afford to waste there money. The funny thing is that pirating is going to stay especially if companies don't use there brains (why u think value is such a profitable company) people need to realise that very few ppl. Also these music/movie is brilliant at making stupid claims saying billions is lost to pirating simple put the people who steal the music/movie wouldnt have bought the film anyway. So this actually means that the industry makes more money why ? because for every 10 ppl that watch the film illegally there is around 2 to 3 ppl that will buy the film based on there pirating friends opponion. Also warrior u obviously have read what i said properly as if u read it u would understand that the console market is one of the most pirated market peroid. Why because its alot easier to make a illegal 360 game than a pc game.
Comment by nick101 at 3:09pm 8th July 2008
What im trying to get at more than anything though is that the games that had a good multiplayer don't get pirated simple. Btw when i was saying multiplayer i was including lan (hehe nothings better than kicking ur friends asses :D ). As usual there is always one person who will state the obvious (downloading is stealing no shit ). More to the point ur a very small minority of pc gamers not many people prefer the single player over killer there friends of stranger (whether it be lan or over the internet). Also U obviously have no clue how big the console market is compared to the pc market. For every one PC gamer that is over 10 console gamers so of course they are going to be more sale in the console market. Also i love the fact when people think were being noble were just being honest. Also the reason why the music industry is getting screwed is cause of there lack of intelligence. Firstly most downloaded music is random or rare music (either cant be got in a store or on itunes) yea there is exceptions but in truth the main reason why music is stolen so much is cause people are pissed off with paying for a cd when only a small margin goes to the artist (it makes me sick how greedy these producers are). For me i'm only going to start buying the music i like when someone finially gives me an options to get music that i cant get anywhere else. Anyway ppl say that these industry is losing money but the simple fact is that 90 % of ppl who download can't afford to waste there money. The funny thing is that pirating is going to stay especially if companies don't use there brains (why u think value is such a profitable company) people need to realise that very few ppl. Also these music/movie is brilliant at making stupid claims saying billions is lost to pirating simple put the people who steal the music/movie wouldnt have bought the film anyway. So this actually means that the industry makes more money why ? because for every 10 ppl that watch the film illegally there is around 2 to 3 ppl that will buy the film based on there pirating friends opponion. Also warrior u obviously have read what i said properly as if u read it u would understand that the console market is one of the most pirated market peroid. Why because its alot easier to make a illegal 360 game than a pc game.
Comment by nick101 at 3:09pm 8th July 2008
What im trying to get at more than anything though is that the games that had a good multiplayer don't get pirated simple. Btw when i was saying multiplayer i was including lan (hehe nothings better than kicking ur friends asses :D ). As usual there is always one person who will state the obvious (downloading is stealing no shit ). More to the point ur a very small minority of pc gamers not many people prefer the single player over killer there friends of stranger (whether it be lan or over the internet). Also U obviously have no clue how big the console market is compared to the pc market. For every one PC gamer that is over 10 console gamers so of course they are going to be more sale in the console market. Also i love the fact when people think were being noble were just being honest. Also the reason why the music industry is getting screwed is cause of there lack of intelligence. Firstly most downloaded music is random or rare music (either cant be got in a store or on itunes) yea there is exceptions but in truth the main reason why music is stolen so much is cause people are pissed off with paying for a cd when only a small margin goes to the artist (it makes me sick how greedy these producers are). For me i'm only going to start buying the music i like when someone finially gives me an options to get music that i cant get anywhere else. Anyway ppl say that these industry is losing money but the simple fact is that 90 % of ppl who download can't afford to waste there money. The funny thing is that pirating is going to stay especially if companies don't use there brains (why u think value is such a profitable company) people need to realise that very few ppl. Also these music/movie is brilliant at making stupid claims saying billions is lost to pirating simple put the people who steal the music/movie wouldnt have bought the film anyway. So this actually means that the industry makes more money why ? because for every 10 ppl that watch the film illegally there is around 2 to 3 ppl that will buy the film based on there pirating friends opponion. Also warrior u obviously have read what i said properly as if u read it u would understand that the console market is one of the most pirated market peroid. Why because its alot easier to make a illegal 360 game than a pc game.
Comment by nick101 at 3:09pm 8th July 2008
I buy all my games either on CD from shops or on-line or over the very excellent STEAM - I've got no stolen software on my machine. I've even bought EA Sports games including two versions of the Tiger Woods Golf sim. But I only have a certain amount of money (and time) I can spend on games (or my wife will go ballistic) so I spend it wisely on only the very best games. Why would I want to repeatedly buy the same game again and again every 12 months when the one I have is perfectly adequate, patched so that it works, and the new one is only a little bit better (or a little worse pre-patched)? If EA resolved only to produce the same Sports game once every two or three years and show a massive leap forward in game play or graphics or both then we would be more forward in shelling out for it. As it stands I can wait three years and get last year's game in the remainders' bin for a tenner. If the console mob want to waste their money year on year for the same old same old then good luck to them.
Comment by chrishall9 at 1:35pm 8th July 2008
I agree for the most part though I do disagree about the Multiplayer aspect. Not everyone wants to play games Multiplayer, some people like to come home and have a quiet game on their own without some 12 year old reject typing obscenities at the bottom of the screen or cursing to the high heavens. I personally think playing games online is vastly overated. For me, I prefer to play Single player or LAN, as with a LAN you are usually playing with people you know and it adds to the experience, instead of having to listen to crap down the other end of the channel, shitty servers or preloaded maps which are on a roll constantly. What we need is a DEVELOPMENT of single player games, I loved Crysis for it, it was based around its Single player and that it done well. Halo 3 was ruined via campaign because they funnelled the game into the Multiplayer aspect - it requires less work in this respect.
Comment by C7ouD at 11:13am 8th July 2008
You can state all the reasons and so called "noble" justifications for pirating (stealing) games, or any other media for that matter. But one thing that is never mentioned in these discussions is that if people don't have to pay for something, they won't! Music and movies are a prime example of this. The movie/music is a hit, the discs readily available and finished. The pirate then downloads it anyway. It takes millions of dollars to make games in todays world. Some game's budgets are even bigger than some movies so every sale matters to these people. When the console version of a game out sells the PC version of the same game by ten of thousands of copies, somebody will take notice! Those somebodies are most likely the people who made the damn game! So what incentive do they have to pour dollars into the PC and have it stolen, when you could take that same money and se a return on it with the console. Pirates remind me of fat people, one doesn't like standing on a scale and the other doesn't like looking in the mirror. They both know what they are, they just don't like being reminded of it!
Comment by Warrior24_7 at 8:51am 8th July 2008
If u want to know why piracy still happens today is because 90 % of all games maybe more aren't even worth wiping ur ass with. Firstly EA are idiots if they want to stop people from pirating there games they first have to actually finish a game before rushing on to the pc (even consoles games are a little rushed but nowhere near the extent of PC games). This means that half the time even if the game is good its buggy and or has broken mechanics. Also im sick of companies thinking that just cause they have made a single player game they think thats enough. Infact its the complete opposite ppl buy games for the multiplayer (well at least on the pc but yes consoles are slowly catching up ask anyone playing GTA4 and ask them what they play more multiplayer or single player). Put it simply times have changed people are more than happy to pay for a game if the multiplayer is worth it. This is why Crysis was such a flop simply put the mp was crap. If they want to stop ppl from pirating there games companies have to realise that they have to focus on multiplayer not single player. Also anyone who thinks that PC games are pirated more than console games are just idiots. Funny thing is its actually easier to hack a console than it is to crack a single pc game. Perfect example is the 360 it takes less than half an hour to hack a 360 so u can use copied games. It can sometimes takes weeks sometimes months before the crackers are able to hack a pc game. I just find it funny that companies think they are losing money in the PC market cause they think it should reflect the console market simply put it doesnt. Console market will still accept a game that doesnt have a multiplayer if the single player is good. IN the PC market its been the opposite way since counterstrike. Put it simply if u want ppl to buy ur game whatever genre it is make sure that the multi player is killer if it isn't it might cut it for a while but as consoles become more like pcs (along with broadband speeds increasing) companies that focus on single player will fail. Were in a time in gaming where we don't want to play by ourselves instead we want to play with friends and strangers no matter how good ur AI is, were not going to buy ur game unless companies start to realise that PC gamers buy games for there multiplayer not single player. Also alot of ppl are right here in saying there are more pirated games available for every console then there is for PC's (apart from emulators but then who would play those old games if we didnt :D)
Comment by nick101 at 5:14am 8th July 2008
If u want to know why piracy still happens today is because 90 % of all games maybe more aren't even worth wiping ur ass with. Firstly EA are idiots if they want to stop people from pirating there games they first have to actually finish a game before rushing on to the pc (even consoles games are a little rushed but nowhere near the extent of PC games). This means that half the time even if the game is good its buggy and or has broken mechanics. Also im sick of companies thinking that just cause they have made a single player game they think thats enough. Infact its the complete opposite ppl buy games for the multiplayer (well at least on the pc but yes consoles are slowly catching up ask anyone playing GTA4 and ask them what they play more multiplayer or single player). Put it simply times have changed people are more than happy to pay for a game if the multiplayer is worth it. This is why Crysis was such a flop simply put the mp was crap. If they want to stop ppl from pirating there games companies have to realise that they have to focus on multiplayer not single player. Also anyone who thinks that PC games are pirated more than console games are just idiots. Funny thing is its actually easier to hack a console than it is to crack a single pc game. Perfect example is the 360 it takes less than half an hour to hack a 360 so u can use copied games. It can sometimes takes weeks sometimes months before the crackers are able to hack a pc game. I just find it funny that companies think they are losing money in the PC market cause they think it should reflect the console market simply put it doesnt. Console market will still accept a game that doesnt have a multiplayer if the single player is good. IN the PC market its been the opposite way since counterstrike. Put it simply if u want ppl to buy ur game whatever genre it is make sure that the multi player is killer if it isn't it might cut it for a while but as consoles become more like pcs (along with broadband speeds increasing) companies that focus on single player will fail. Were in a time in gaming where we don't want to play by ourselves instead we want to play with friends and strangers no matter how good ur AI is, were not going to buy ur game unless companies start to realise that PC gamers buy games for there multiplayer not single player. Also alot of ppl are right here in saying there are more pirated games available for every console then there is for PC's (apart from emulators but then who would play those old games if we didnt :D)
Comment by nick101 at 5:14am 8th July 2008
I remember when we were told back when the best comp was the Amiga 1200 and 500 the revolutionary cd came out it would never be copied scratched or loose data means a game for life This was there big statement for the future so game prices would stay high so they could feel safe that there product would not be copied we had to go cd as at the time a cd burner was £2500 as i see it they will tell you any thing to get a sky high price out of us i personally think ive spent over £3000.00 on ps2 cds and same on the pc for games sh*t probley only a half of what i own works now so if i bought a book it would be mine for life these cd are not here for that long as they damage so its just another lie told The cds are made to break so you have to spend more on getting another copy for £35.00
Comment by Gz_odonnellrichb at 8:13am 7th July 2008
yeh i was surprised at the racing games being included in it. i thought racing games are better on pc. multi monitor support(without buying multiple consoles), crazy cool dials and crazy race seats. sadly the two biggest franchises are both on the consoles, forza and gt5.
Comment by TBallS at 9:43pm 6th July 2008
Even the FPS is done on consoles to the point the now sell better then the PC version. Soon there will be two main genres on PC and everything else console hand me downs.
Comment by Warrior24_7 at 3:55pm 6th July 2008
where's Geoff Crammond when you need him. ps for all you nuskool, GC made 'Revs'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REVS_%28computer_game%29 Maybe EA should give GC a call, and get us a new spangly F1 game, thats if Bernie would licence it.
Comment by faceplant at 3:46am 6th July 2008
re. piracy. lets face it crackers will be crackers if its their to be broken they'll break it, if its free to download, a majority will download it. The PS2 has more games on torrent and news groups than any other platform. (a large percentage of pc game uploads are by the same group, not million individuals. On the other hand if EA's games were not the same year in year out, except for team rosters, then maybe more people would buy them.
Comment by faceplant at 3:43am 6th July 2008
re. piracy. lets face it crackers will be crackers if its their to be broken they'll break it, if its free to download, a majority will download it. The PS2 has more games on torrent and news groups than any other platform. (a large percentage of pc game uploads are by the same group, not million individuals. On the other hand if EA's games were not the same year in year out, except for team rosters, then maybe more people would buy them.
Comment by faceplant at 3:43am 6th July 2008
I wouldn't even think of using a download service, Especially Steam, Because I would have to be online Constantly just to play the odd game... It makes more sence to save money and buy it on DVD (Which is cheaper, takes less time to install - no downloading Required - you dont have to be online to play it and you can play it on 2 computers simutaneosly... - I find it a good way to shut the kids up while i'm playin a game!! lol).
Comment by NikoBellic at 12:29am 6th July 2008
"we don’t see why EA couldn’t use a download service such as Steam " AFAIK EA do offer a downloader service, and its WANK, I bought BF2142 (purchased against my better judgement) to use their download service, and wasn't able to launch the damn thing, and it took me 3 weeks of email and telephone badgering to get a refund (and a further 2 weeks for the payment to clear), after which I went out and bought a DVD from the high street which "worked" (after all it's an EA product) straight off
Comment by wide_boy20 at 10:01pm 5th July 2008
I totally agree - I guess we'll just have to show them how many places you can buy console modchips from, and spam their support team with links to console game torrents!! - maybe then, Just maybe, we might see a bit of respect coming our way!!
Comment by NikoBellic at 3:35pm 5th July 2008
Ok Fifa isn't a great game to play on PC (for me) but at the the same time FPS games are (for me) unbearably awful on a console. Maybe EA have a point but it's no reason to neglect the more versatile platform with a more dedicated fanbase. In the long term PC is the only winner, as consoles become obsolete and PC's just grow on the same base. You can't play many NES games on the latest consoles but, my PC will play xenon 2 without much fuss (if only i could find it again!!)
Comment by mr_nips at 3:07am 5th July 2008
If EA weren't such b@st@rds with their CDs there would probably be much less piracy! Take BF2142 for example: I've got a friend who bought the DVD version and now his DVD is scratched. EA obviously won't give him a replacement, and it's near impossible for him to get around EA's NoCD blocker. The only thing he can do is get pirated copies, but then they only work offline. I'm sure with sports games there is more piracy, as most of the play is offline so it's much harder to police, but as the article suggests Steam does an amazing job of stopping piracy - and they've already got a program called EALink that does this exact job!! If they put more effort into supporting this platform I'm sure they'd be much more successful in game sales, but you can't even get the latest updates from it anymore (ie BF2142 patch 1.5). EA have their head right up their @$$es, and while they release *some* top games, it's the developers who really deserve the credit. What EA really needs to do is listen to them and let them have a say in where the company goes.
Comment by TWeaKoR at 8:31pm 4th July 2008
mr moore your a mug for saying that the pc is the only platform that pirates games i know of quiet a few sites that deal in all formats of console games that are pirated and theres a hell of alot more ps2 games than ever i only buy original copys as i want aboxed product with a manual i can see and own thats registered to me that if theres a problem i take it back shove your sports games ahole only desent games are shooters or sims anyway and your consoles cant compete with a half desent pc anyway
Comment by Gz_odonnellrichb at 2:11pm 4th July 2008
So motor racing isnt a sport then? because there seems to be 1 or 2 of those games around that appear to be doing rather well, Grid to name but 1.
Comment by WoodSpoon at 12:45pm 4th July 2008
Sports games are in decline on pc because EA give us ps2 ports with crap controls! If they cant be bothered to give the pc a distinct vision of a game OPTIMIZED for the pc with a good controls and online play with some sort of league/ranking system No ONE will buy it
Comment by pcn00b at 11:35am 4th July 2008
TBH in my opinion i'm glad, EA have blighted the gaming industry for years with the same conveyer-belt trash that for some reason the public love, so i aint disappointed. As for using Steam, if you look at the attempted take over of Take 2 just as GTA4 was going Gold it just shows the greed and disregard for competition they have so its no wonder they havent tried to push their games via a third party outlet. I'm away to play Pro Evo.............
Comment by Secondsight2 at 10:37am 4th July 2008
In a year with a World Cup or a European Championship, FIFA is always released twice. The plain fact is EA can't get away with ripping PC gamers off, unless, in the case of footie fans, they want to buy the same game a million times. For the rest of the sports going to consoles that are not that big in the UK, what does Moore expect? Apart from Golf, they're niche games where the rules don't change, you buy one and you've bought them all, especially depending on how lazy EA has been with the development from year to year. It's OK Mr Moore, Spore will save you...
Comment by KHenry_07 at 10:17am 4th July 2008
In that he's saying EA doesn't want to put the time into producing games which make the most of the PC's online infrasrtructure.
Comment by Sifter3000 at 10:56am 4th July 2008
for the same reason that fps games are crap on consoles, the controllers just work best for certain types of games.