We predicted this would happen when we reported on it a week or so ago: a group of Battlefield 3 PS3 owners have gotten together to sue Electronic Arts for not delivering on its promise to give them a free copy of Battlefield 1943. At E3 earlier this year EA promised that the PS3 version of the game would include a code for its online-only game Battlefield 3. When consumers bought the game, they found that there was no code for the game - and EA really didn't have an explanation as to why.
After fans started to notice the omission of the game or a code to get a copy, EA said via Twitter that copies of the game would not be provided for free as originally stated - instead offering early access to DLC.
A lawsuit filed by law firm Edelson McGuire on behalf of PS3 Battlefield 3 owners states that EA "misled and profited from thousands of their customers by making a promise that they could not, and never intended, to keep." The firm says that it is looking to help PS3 owners receive the free copy of Battlefield 1943 as originally promised. The game was released last month, and sold more than 5 million units in its first week.
THQ made a similar promise with a special mode specifically for the PS3 version of Saints Row: The Third that use the game's Penetrator weapon. The company did not include that mode in the game.
We'll continue to follow this story as it develops.
Source: Gamasutra
Comments
Re: EA Sued Over Not Giving PS3 Customers Battlefield 1943 ...
Lots of companies make statements about what will be in a game, but what it comes down to is what's in the game when it's released, and what was in there when they bought it. Otherwise, Peter Molyneux would be sued left and right for things he said would be in his games that never made it in there.
Maybe it was planned to be in there and they found something else to include, like the early access. Unless the packaging states that 1943 is included and it isn't, they don't really have a leg to stand on.
Re: EA Sued Over Not Giving PS3 Customers Battlefield 1943 ...
I agree, EA has lost its sense of reality and needs to reconnect with the gaming community, not just its patrons. Forget about their broken promises, EA's business model is all about reinventing the wheel at the cost of ostracizing entire demographics of gamers. When EA decided to launch Origin in de facto competition of Steam, they started spreading their power (as a company) too thin. It's only a matter of time before EA publishes their titles primarily through digital distribution, then pulls their titles completely from other distribution vendors (such as Steam, D2D, Impulse), then offers their titles exclusively through Origin for hiked prices.
Valve has a pioneered niche that affords the company the ability to privately reinforce and grow, whereas EA has to rely solely on the popularity of their titles to please their share holders. I'm sure EA is growing, thanks to the success of BF3, but it's all the more weight that will collapse on itself if they don't realize that they must cater to the gaming community by cooperating with it, rather than taking advantage of it like the community is an ever-forgiving cash-cow.
Metaphorically speaking, EA caught the ball, paused the game and said "Alright everybody, we're taking the ball to our shiny-new exclusive court where we make the rules. All in favor of corporate greed, come with us."
Re: EA Sued Over Not Giving PS3 Customers Battlefield 1943 ...
I don't think I'd mind seeing EA get sued. They need to come back down to earth a bit and connect with it's customers. And I still have a sore spot against them for cornering the NFL, so it would be a little sweeter to see them lose.
Re: EA Sued Over Not Giving PS3 Customers Battlefield 1943 ...
When it comes to the Madden thing your blame is misplaced, it was the NFL that actively sought out a exclusivity deal, EA just took advantage of something they were offered as any smart business would.
Re: EA Sued Over Not Giving PS3 Customers Battlefield 1943 ...
Blame for what? The FACT is they have the NFL game market cornered. It's that FACT I dislike, not how it came to be. I understand business and how the deal happened is legit, I don't like that it happened at all. I enjoyed the variety of games and play styles beforehand. I liked that there were people there to keep EA on their toes.