[ALL] EA voted worst American company in 2013

[Handleit_44]

How time flies! In April of last year, Electronic Arts "won" the worst American company of 2012 award, beating out near-criminal banks and oil companies achieve victory in The Consumerist's publicly voted poll. EA has now begun a streak, defending its title in 2013.

EA took nearly 78% of the vote thanks to organized efforts from disgruntled gamers, becoming the first company ever to retain its title. Not even the RIAA could manage that! On its path to victory, the publisher stormed past such competitors as Bank of America, AT&T, and Walmart.

Peter Moore tried to preempt the award last week, stating the company was being picked on by homophobes and those who were angry over Mass Effect 3. The Consumerist itself argued against such claims, writing that it won for its DLC practices, unreasonable prices, and lack of product support. The publication also stood by its poll results, and rebuked the idea that EA wasn't bad enough to be considered a competitor.

"Video games are big business," the outlet wrote. "A company like EA -- and Activision, Ubisoft, Nintendo, and Sony, etc. -- merits just as much scrutiny as any other business that plays a leading role in a multibillion-dollar industry. It’s only a fractured, antiquated public perception that video games are somehow frivolous holdovers from childhood that allows gamers to be abused and taken advantage of by the very people who supply them the games they play.

"... When we live in an era marked by massive oil spills, faulty foreclosures by bad banks, and rampant consolidation in the airline and telecom industry, what does it say about EA’s business practices that so many people have -- for the second year in a row -- come out to hand it the title of Worst Company In America?"

Some would argue -- and have -- that the results say more about gamers and their broken priorities than it does about Electronic Arts' business practices. Is that the right call to make? Depends on where your own priorities lie, I suppose.

I'll certainly agree, as I did last year, that it may be silly to have EA considered worse than such monstrosities as Bank of America, but at the same time I hardly consider it worthy of outrage. Gamers are concerned with game-related companies, and Electronic Arts has done a lot to earn their ire. It make sense they'd vote for what they're most intimately concerned with. Ultimately, it's not like the prize for the victory is jail-time, fines, or any other tangible punishment. It's an online poll in which the winner receives a "golden poo."

I'd argue getting upset over EA receiving metal-plated feces is about as silly as it winning in the first place.

http://www.destructoid.com/ea-voted-worst-american-company-in-2013-251156.phtml

 

[Swarley]

Peter Moore tried to preempt the award last week, stating the company was being picked on by homophobes

:ukiddingme:

 

[JimLeavy59]

Peter Moore tried to preempt the award last week, stating the company was being picked on by homophobes

Dude needs to die in a fire.

 

[SethMode]

This is so god damn silly. Gamers can be such whiny little chodes.

It's arguable that EA isn't even the worst GAME company, let alone the worst company in all of America. Give me a break.

 

[killgod]

It really does illustrate how fucked up people are though. Company makes shitty games and laughs at you....worse than....companies destroying the fucking planet for massive profits or banks raping all your tax dollars because they cheated the system and need some help to continue....

 

[Sven Draconian]

This is so god damn silly. Gamers can be such whiny little chodes.

It's arguable that EA isn't even the worst GAME company, let alone the worst company in all of America. Give me a break.

They did buy a monopoly on the #1 sport in the country and continue to produce laughable efforts. Then you have the Sim City debacle. Then the generally less than satisfactory games they produce as a whole coupled with constantly increasing prices (DLC).

As a consumer, there aren't a lot of other companies who constantly disappoint me like EA does. Mostly because most other industries have real competition, whereas, EA has such a huge edge/borderline monopoly on sections of the video game market.

 

[Sven Draconian]

It really does illustrate how fucked up people are though. Company makes shitty games and laughs at you....worse than....companies destroying the fucking planet for massive profits or banks raping all your tax dollars because they cheated the system and need some help to continue....

I think those are separate issues though. I look at the banks/environmental as primarily governmental issue; whereas EA is hurting the consumer directly.

Just my take on it.

 

[killgod]

They did buy a monopoly on the #1 sport in the country and continue to produce laughable efforts. Then you have the Sim City debacle. Then the generally less than satisfactory games they produce as a whole coupled with constantly increasing prices (DLC).

As a consumer, there aren't a lot of other companies who constantly disappoint me like EA does. Mostly because most other industries have real competition, whereas, EA has such a huge edge/borderline monopoly on sections of the video game market.

No doubt they are a complete fucking disaster and have practically broken the gaming industry for a time period with their purchasing of studios and exclusive licensing. Although things are going to rebound with an indie/mid range game market very soon...but that's not what this is about.

It's a great impact on many jobs and many consumers what they do, it's fucking awful. I just don't see how it can be on the same level of devastation as what big oil and banking are doing currently. They are a whole other level of destruction.

 

[SethMode]

They did buy a monopoly on the #1 sport in the country and continue to produce laughable efforts. Then you have the Sim City debacle. Then the generally less than satisfactory games they produce as a whole coupled with constantly increasing prices (DLC).

As a consumer, there aren't a lot of other companies who constantly disappoint me like EA does. Mostly because most other industries have real competition, whereas, EA has such a huge edge/borderline monopoly on sections of the video game market.

:shrug: I don't play Madden and I knew I was out on Sim City just based on their design decisions. DLC is optional and often never really improves the product as a whole (yet I still buy it). I thought that Mass Effect 3 was fantastic, Kingdoms of Amalur was very good and Syndicate was very good. Those were the only 3 EA games I bought, and 3 very good to great games. I think most publishers are hard pressed to release 3 very good to great games a year.

EA is frustrating, don't get me wrong. But they aren't that different in their practices than Ubisoft or Activision. And they at least have a history of trying to start new IPs from smaller developers. It's not their fault that gamers seemingly want two things: 1) to bitch about the fact that everything is a sequel; and 2) to never buy new IPs.

 

[SethMode]

And besides, if we're talking just the influence on the consumer, Comcast should have the award named after them.

 

[Glenbino]

And besides, if we're talking just the influence on the consumer, Comcast should have the award named after them.

Every American ISP can share the distinction

 

[killgod]

Canadian ISP's are even worse, sadly.

 

[leaffan]

Canadian ISP's are even worse, sadly.

:yep:

 

[leaffan]

Peter Moore btw: He Mad

 

[Swarley]

:jonesy:

Someone is butthurt. He's got a point, but this is pretty hilarious.

 

[killgod]

thats real?

 

[padman59]

thats real?

No way it's real.

 

[Sven Draconian]

Not going to disagree at all about cable/isp could/shoudl be on the list. I'd put Sprint on the list too (lulz I don't have 4g despite being well within the radius, and the customer service is a joke).

I won't even argue that BP/Haliburton are worse companies. I think that is just beyond the scope of the poll.

 

[Glenbino]

Yeah there's no way EAs PR team would let that shit out of the building. Otherwise a lot of people are getting fired.

 

[JimLeavy59]

EA seems pretty butthurt over this.