The natural assumption to make when confronted with Microsoft’s used game restrictions is to blame video game publishers. They’re the ones who went to war with GameStop over used game resales, they’re the ones who instituted online passes, they’re the ones who stand to benefit from anything that can make people buy games new (where they make money) instead of used (where GameStop makes all the money).
According to EA’s Peter Moore, however, one of the world’s biggest publishers had no part in Microsoft’s decision whatsoever.
Asked by Polygon whether EA had lobbied Microsoft to implement the restrictions, Moore replied, “Absolutely incorrect. As the guy who is the chief operating officer of Electronic Arts I can tell you that EA did not aggressively lobby for the platform holders to put some gating function in there to allow or disallow used games. I am on record as being a proponent of used games.”
“EA has never had a conversation”, he later adds, “and I have been present at all of them, with all of the manufacturers, saying you must put a system in place that allows us to take a piece of the action or even stop it. Absolutely incorrect.”
He’s also asked how EA would be supporting the two competing platforms different used games strategies, replying “We have not internally even begun to sit down and answer those questions.” Again, as with Ubisoft, a weird answer given how close we are to these system’s release.
Electronic Arts talks DRM, used games and cancelling online pass [Polygon]
Comments
26 responses to “EA Denies Asking Microsoft For Used Games DRM”
Hmm that’s weird… Why is my “bullshit” alarm going off?
The Xbox One seems to be more tailored towards publishers wants and needs than to what gamers actually want.
Indeed. I used to like Pete Moore but now he just seems….yeh. EA.
“I did not have sexual relations with that woman”
my “bullshit alarm” always goes off when i hear the words EA
Because somebody from EA is talking. Remain calm, your bullshit alarm is working correctly.
Sorry. I was going over the past Microsoft press release and they ‘physically’ did not agree with me…
Because EA “did not aggressively lobby for” or say “you must put a system in place”.
Those are triggering your alarm because at every meeting with devs they could still be politely asking to implement DRM or discussing ways it could be implemented and the pros and cons and everything he said would still be true.
Any statement that carefully phrased has more loopholes than a knitted jumper.
“So I’m just going to leave this bag of money on the table here. I’ll remember to pick it up before I leave. Hm. Unless I’m distracted. Hey, you know what would be really distracting? If you guys were able to kill used game sales. That would be super distracting. I’d probably rush right out of this room and forget about this giant bag of money.”
I wonder if they were more creative about this kind of ‘we did not demand that this happen’ kind of bullshit with Maxis and Sim City being Always Online.
“Hey Maxis bros. You should check out this amazing new ability I discovered. I appear to be clairvoyant. Here, let me read your future. Hey wow, I see you guys lounging on a yacht that you own, and everyone is having a killer time and using c-notes to wipe away the sweat from partying so hard.”
“Hey, that’s great!”
“I’m also seeing that Sim City is now a social game with an Always Online requirement, defeating piracy and making sure that everyone is playing Sim City together, convincing their friends to buy and stay playing on Origin.”
“Uh. But Sim City doesn’t do that.”
“Huh, that’s weird… the yacht is disappearing. Now all I see is you guys in a basement with no climate control, working on new furniture for infinite Sims expansions.”
“Ohhhhhhhhhh.”
Working on the Sims expansions, no wonder they caved.
Precisely what I thought when I read that.
Did someone touch your thermostat?
…
Is my kid over here?
Well, they never “aggressively” lobbied for such a thing. Surely that counts for something, right?
Of course, EA and Microsoft seem to think that only the North American market exists, and even then it’s filled with dirty pirates who don’t want to pay the companies for their hard work of putting profit before product
Find that very hard to believe.
Microsoft stands to make NOTHING from making these moves. So why else would they do it if the publishers didn’t ask for it?
Case closed. My thoughts exactly…
…except on the games Microsoft publish themselves.
Yes exactly. It probably will cost Microsoft to implement these DRM measures, so why would they do this? People in the industry talk to each other, so Microsoft and Sony must have know each other’s positions on this matter. Yet, Microsoft still went with the DRM and 24hour check-in. I’m truly intrigued as to why Microsoft is going this route.
If the publishers demanded this with Microsoft, yet did not with Sony, then this would be a case of anti-competitiveness and up for a legal battle? So Microsoft must be doing this on their own accord. Are they betting on publisher loyalty – that they hope to attract more publishers than Sony? Or perhaps Microsoft will come out with hugely discounted games compared to PC/PS4 on release dates?
I just can’t see Microsoft being this stupid and shooting itself in the foot, unless they have something else up their sleeve.
In all honesty, it almost seems like Microsoft tried to think of EVERY possible way this console could bomb, implemented that choice, and decided to challenge themselves to make it a success anyway.
Especially now with confirmation that this box WILL NOT WORK outside the 21 launch countries.
What in the hell. Luckily Australia is one of those coutnries, but sucks balls for everyone else.
But when Microsoft said “We designed Xbox One so game publishers can enable you to trade in your games at participating retailers”, was EA’s reaction “Oh what a lovely and completely unexpected surprise”? There’s a big difference between “aggressive lobbying” and consistently referencing Origin as a model.
Yeah they never had a “Conversation” about used games however i’m sure Microsoft received a strongly worded letter in regards to the matter.
I’ll wait till EA start pumping out games with DRM and they will then deny they denied they never said they won’t do DRM.
We’ll soon know who lobbied for this and who didn’t by which publishers take advantage and block used sales. If I had to frame a market now EA would be unbackable favourites to block used games, too many things point to it, and history is not in their favour.
Remember that brief moment when we hated Activision instead of EA? Feels like a long time ago now.
Same company that denies DRM was due to simcitys always online game play..
Why does anybody care about this stuff anymore? If you love Sony so much, and want to buy a PS4, then none of this stuff matters, really. You are not affected. You are trolling.
And if you’re an Xbot, go buy something else. So what if Halo isn’t on PS4. Learn to like some new games.
Oh I think he is being entirely truthful! No sarcasm.
“EA did not aggressively lobby”, ah so they did it passively eh…
“saying you must put a system in place”, so conversation went like “you SHOULD put a system in place…”
Well, not with the consumers at least.