If this particular WCIA bout were a video game, we’d charge you $59.99 to play the most basic version, another $20 or so to play the full version, and then we’d still nickel and dime you for extras… But not before your account data is compromised by hackers.
It is indeed the hacking of millions of Sony PlayStation Network accounts and subsequent three-week long network outage that earned the electronics giant a spot in this year’s tournament.
Of course, its believed that the hack only occurred as a response to Sony’s decision to sue a man who figured out how to jailbreak a PS3 and dared to post the information on this thing called the Internet.
Sony then followed up those attacks by showing how much it loves consumers… by changing the PSN terms of service to preempt class-action lawsuits.
EA has spent much of the last decade cultivating a bad name for itself among millions of game-buying consumers. Aside from its reputation for spoiling the good names of all the companies it acquires (and EA has acquired a lot of companies), it has played a pivotal role in the fact that video games continue to be expensive while the cost for many other home entertainment media has dropped.
Since the company obtained the exclusive video game rights to NFL teams, it’s been accused of gouging customers out of millions of dollars on an annual basis by grossly overpricing its Madden NFL series of games.
And like Sony, EA got no love from consumers for its tacit backing of the failed (for now) SOPA legislation.
But what is becoming the biggest sore spot to video game customers is the increasing amount of add-on content that the company doesn’t include in the games it sells, but only makes available in deluxe editions, store-specific versions or as a la carte downloadable content.
For example, Destuctoid recently calculated that you would need to spend $870 to get access to all of the content in the newest big EA release, Mass Effect 3.
We received numerous reader testimonials on why EA belongs in this competition, but this audio clip of the company’s CEO explaining to investors about squeezing money from customers through these micro-transactions basically sums it all up:
Now you’re ready for the big boss fight. Just don’t enter any cheat codes.
(Voting for this poll will close at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, March 15)
This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2012 series. The companies competing for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. See the entire WCIA 2012 bracket and schedule of match-ups HERE.
They forgot about EA’s attempt to devalue used games by forcing you to pony up $10 to play online multiplayer. Even if you live in a home with 2 users, only 1 gamertag can be registered to the disc. The other person has to pay $10.
Wow, this is surprising…people are actually voting for EA over Sony? EA may be horrible, but Sony is responsible for one of the biggest breaches in personal security in history…
I fell about EA as I feel about cable companies–no one HAS to play video games, it’s a luxury product, so you can expect to pay a premium. Fine. My problem with them is the persistent and extreme difficulty in getting their products actually to work, with their arcane and unreliable DRM. I have several EA PC games I have spent money on and literally never played, because they won’t let me. The last time I contacted their customer service they asked me to email them a photograph of the game disc and my receipt, which would have been annoying if I hadn’t downloaded the game through Steam. That made it just plain impossible. A very bad company.
How is Sony not crushing EA? EA might be screwing over gaming, but Sony is screwing over gaming, home electronics, copyright law, movies, music, and television, all while suing their customers early and often. And they’ve been doing this since before EA was a twinkle in their founder’s eyes. Rootkits? geohot? Any of this sound familiar?
Website admins: could you check to see if Sony is astro-turfing this one? It just seems so counter-intuitive.
“In recognition of the recent GOP debate on Herman Cain‚Äôs tax 9-9-9 plan, EA has announced a special price discount so all candidates can simulate the economic plan themselves. For a limited time and exclusively on Origin.com, anyone can take charge and fix the issues plaguing sim-humanity like raising and lowering personal and business taxes, solving crime and fighting off giant lizards. For the fiscally responsible price of $9.99, anyone can get real and see the future of economic growth‚Ķsimulated of course.”
And I can count 999 reasons I voted for you EA
Wow. Maybe Sony should have gotten a bye for the first round?