Poll: Which Company holds the title of "Biggest Bunch of Pricks in the Business"?

[Vanitas likes Bubbles]

Both EA and Activision. Activision because they're greedy (as that graph shows) and EA because they're greedy and are running my favourite game dev into the ground (its BioWare if you didn't know).

 

[J Tyran]

I voted for Ubisoft, they are the only publisher out of the three that make me think "its a Ubisoft game, I will give it a miss".

Neither EA or Activision have ever provoked that reaction from me.

 

[Promethax]

Although the companies listed have their moments, I believe it is Capcom which has displayed the most outright dickishness.

 

[Jegsimmons]

other: the US and EU governments.

OH ZING BABY ZING!!!!


Also, at least EA is bullshitting us like activision with mediocre ass titles. at least they try.

 

[80Maxwell08]

It used to be Capcom now it's Capcom and Ninja Theory.

FUUUUUU

I don't even know why I'm going to try this but to start off Capcom directly told Ninja Theory to make Dante controversial so people would talk about it. Ninja Theory has been trying to appease the fan hate so far by showing off the gameplay, bringing in hardcore Devil May Cry fans in to get their approval, and the only reason the story has seemed to change so much is because fans won't shut the hell up about everything. They are only doing what they are getting paid to do. To be honest it was wise to bring them in since when it comes to writing Capcom is somewhere around the level of a 6th grader. Also considering Capcom themselves are doing the gameplay while Ninja Theory is only doing the story that should be an attempt to solve the series's problems. But people still just won't shut up about his appearance.

As far as I'm concerned they're both equally to blame. The lead devs of Ninja Theory have as much empathy for the fans of the series as Capcom has - if the interviews are anything to go by.

I'm pretty sure Ninja Theory is doing the gameplay. Do you have any sources?

And as long as Dante looks like a twat I'll continue to treat him as one! Ha

Well I haven't seen the interviews just news and some gameplay videos. I swear I read that Capcom was doing the gameplay on several websites but the closest I found was this. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/112602-Capcom-Infusing-Ninja-Theory-With-Action-Game-Knowhow-For-DmC
and this
http://www.msxbox-world.com/news/article/18105/how-capcom-helps-with-dmc-devil-may-crys-gameplay.html

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Three different flavors of awful, just can't choose.

i actually really like this, and completely agree to it.

honestly activision and blizzard don't mull over with me well at all, EA i can deal with mostly, as i don't HATE origin like so many people do with a burning passion, and past that as long as you buy their games legitimately, there isn't much left to complain about.

ubisoft can go fuck themselves though on the incompetence scale.

 

[Flailing Escapist]

As far as I'm concerned they're both equally to blame. The lead devs of Ninja Theory have as much empathy for the fans of the series as Capcom has - if the interviews are anything to go by.

I'm pretty sure Ninja Theory is doing the gameplay. Do you have any sources?

And as long as Dante looks like a twat I'll continue to treat him as one! Ha

Well I haven't seen the interviews just news and some gameplay videos. I swear I read that Capcom was doing the gameplay on several websites but the closest I found was this. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/112602-Capcom-Infusing-Ninja-Theory-With-Action-Game-Knowhow-For-DmC
and this
http://www.msxbox-world.com/news/article/18105/how-capcom-helps-with-dmc-devil-may-crys-gameplay.html

Well my feelings on DmC can be summed up with two things.
1. They made Dante look like a putz intentionally to piss off fans so they would talk about it on forums (and increase sales? unlikely) to spread the word about it.
2. In an interview Tameem Antoniades [http://niezgrani.pl/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/dante.jpg] was asked what he thought about the fans of DMC to which he took a puff of a cigarette and responded with, "I don't care". And who smokes at an interview, really?

To quote Spoony's FFX-2 review - "I like change, I like innovation but when you change too much it becomes unrecognizable as a game in the series and people get mad. When you go overboard trying to reinvent [here: DMC] it stops being innovation and becomes.. well.. [small][sub][sub][small][sub][sub]BETRAYAL[/sub][/sub][/small][/sub][/sub][/small]"

I honestly don't mind the way Dante looks in DmC but Dante doesn't fucking smoke, he doesn't need to smoke - he eats pizza, dammit. He doesn't mope on rooftops. He doesn't sneer he smiles; a smile implies you're enjoying yourself. The point is that it doesn't look or act like Dante. Kinda like how the thing in the 2011 The Thing remake wasn't the thing. Not to mention that several times they've said that they want to make Dante more relate-able. But that's a huge problem because Dante isn't relate-able; not unless you get impaled through the chest on a daily basis, you sprout out one-liners like there's no tomorrow and you don't give a fuck how you're dressed because you've got demonic powers.


Here's another interview:
http://www.g4tv.com/videos/48862/dmc-devil-may-cry-producer-interview/

But you know what DmC could be really, really good. It could even be the best game in the series but it's being handled so poorly by the whining devs and the whining fans (myself included, I know) that it leaves such a bad taste in my mouth. If you want to see a dev team that handles themselves well check out Remedy. <- They don't fuck their fanbases for infamy *gasp*.

Edit: Oh and thanks for the links. I could've sworn Ninja Theory was all to blame for the gameplay in DmC - thanks for straightening that out. Granted it looks like Ninja Theory games (the backgrounds and maps). Bright and colorful where past DMC games where dark and gritty but whatevs. TY again

 

[arnoldthebird]

Three different flavors of awful, just can't choose.

Just...fantastic work, that is magnificent. Ubisoft aren't intentionally pricks, they just suck. Activision is greedy and I am indifferent about EA...because they release a lot of titles that I like.

 

[Aeonknight]

Valve, just to march to a different beat.

Sure with the other three main companies you know and acknowledge they're greedy, evil, monopolistic corporations that take over anything they can, force out poorly made games and tend to smash innovation and developers while amassing intellectual property.

But damn it, they're honest about it.

Valve...Valve is that guy who's friendly and helpful to your face, but steals your stuff and makes you do all the work.

Think about it.

Steam is great, but you don't own anything on it. Team Fortress, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, all fun. But where are the sequels? Just DLC for some, micro-transactions for others, 'episodic' releases that are full price...

Come on, we vilify EA, Activision and Ubisoft for that, but people still worship Valve, even though they do the same things, just on a smaller scale. At least the bigger ones are open about it, sure they dress things up, but come on, you KNOW it, you accept it, you expect it from them. Valve just has you tricked into thinking that they're not like the other 'bigger pricks'.

A very valid point. Really I think the reason that no one blames Valve is because they've got a better history as far as game quality is concerned. I think many gamers are willing to overlook such transgressions so long as the game quality remains good.

Game quality is subjective though... It's all a matter of personal preference. I don't view TF2 or Portal 1 as "quality" games. They're dated and an eyesore, using that same old engine they've used since HL2 (which other "devilish" company did that again...? Oh yea, that's an Activision move.) But I digress.

I like the games EA has put out, and online passes don't bug me (takes all of 45 seconds to enter, and I generally buy new anyway.)

I'm gonna go with FFHAuthor's philosophy. You can find dirt on every single developer out there if you look hard enough. Fuck the politics, just play what you want and enjoy.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Brilliant, I totally agree with this, I reckon Ubisoft aren't evil people, at heart, just morons a lot of the time.

Yeah, I'd like to give Ubisoft the benefit of the doubt too. EA and Activision on the other hand aren't so fortunate. I'd almost go as far as to blame both of them for sucking the very life out of the industry.

 

[alwaysrockon]

Game quality is subjective though... It's all a matter of personal preference. I don't view TF2 or Portal 1 as "quality" games. They're dated and an eyesore, using that same old engine they've used since HL2 (which other "devilish" company did that again...? Oh yea, that's an Activision move.) But I digress..

I would actually have to cite Bethesda for that. Seriously they've been using the same engine since Morrowind (and it's definitely noticeable and stale, unlike portal using half Life 2's engine).

 

[PuffinBox]

To me its a tie between Activison and EA, Ubisoft as the graph brilliantly pointed out are just plain stupid...and french.

But I voted for EA because they have this in the Origin FAQ:

Q: What happens if EA goes out of business?
A: Origin is powered by EA, the leading publisher of the world's best games, and we're not going away anytime soon.

>.>

 

[Bat Vader]

I am going to go with Activision mainly because of Bobby Kotick and the whole elite subscription thing for CoD. While I agree that EA and Ubisoft can do pretty silly things they tend to sometimes redeem themselves for a little while before doing something silly again.

Activision just seems to dig themselves into an ever deeper hole.

 

[Treeinthewoods]

I base my decision solely on the amount of enjoyment a company has provided me divided by the amount of distress they have caused me. EA has provided me with probably the most hours of fun of anybody else on that list actually.

Using my formula I have decided on Valve. The number of games I've enjoyed from them is zero and the constant praise I hear for their crappy, ultra-dull games makes me displeased. Give me anybody on that list but keep your horrid Valve to yourself.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Capcom.

Not for cancelling Mega Man Legends 3. For cancelling it and blaming it on the fans.

Yeah, that sounds about right. I also still feel betrayed for them having released Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. It may have been inevitable but not that soon after the original.

I'm going to take a wild card option here and point the finger at Rocksteady Studios. They only have 3 games under their belt but that's even more a reason to call them pricks. This is because of Arkham City: The hype train was kitted out in cat ears, latex and, cleavage. "Cat Woman will be playable in game!" they said. "Not just in challenge mode either but the actual campaign!" They continued. Then right before launch they revealed that you can only get the apparently plot-crucial character if you buy the game new and input the code online, giving a middle finger to people who buy used and the few who don't/can't connect to the internet using their consoles. Allowing access to Cat Woman if you bought used from Gamestop was a much bigger middle finger to independently owned game retailers. Rocksteady will be one to watch for future acts of dickitry. I guess by extension, this is a vote for Warner Brothers...

 

[Simon Pettersson]

Valve, just to march to a different beat.

Sure with the other three main companies you know and acknowledge they're greedy, evil, monopolistic corporations that take over anything they can, force out poorly made games and tend to smash innovation and developers while amassing intellectual property.

But damn it, they're honest about it.

Valve...Valve is that guy who's friendly and helpful to your face, but steals your stuff and makes you do all the work.

Think about it.

Steam is great, but you don't own anything on it. Team Fortress, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, all fun. But where are the sequels? Just DLC for some, micro-transactions for others, 'episodic' releases that are full price...

Come on, we vilify EA, Activision and Ubisoft for that, but people still worship Valve, even though they do the same things, just on a smaller scale. At least the bigger ones are open about it, sure they dress things up, but come on, you KNOW it, you accept it, you expect it from them. Valve just has you tricked into thinking that they're not like the other 'bigger pricks'.

Shhhh... *looks over shoulder
I want to keep my games.

OT: I don´t have anything against Online pass... But to actually need to have internet connection to start your offline games thats BS. But the companies have my games so I am Stuck

 

[TK421]

For me, Activision can't be considered simply because they don't use online pass. The fact that they haven't allowed the Call Of Duty series to succumb to that scam knocks off multiple prick points.

For sure. I can't really decide, but it definitely has to be one of those douchebags that use online passes. Whoever came up with that idea is a complete detriment to society. I have no kind words for them.

 

[ungothicdove]

I'd rather have my heart broken then my wallet stolen. =o

They do kind of steal your wallet during Steam Sales.

In a good way.

 

[FateOrFatality]

It's close between EA and Activision - I mean, usually Activision would win because Bobby Kotick dammit - but I'm going to have to go with EA. EA is the biggest prick in the gaming industry solely because of what they did to Bioware, not to mention all the other shit they do.

But I voted for EA because they have this in the Origin FAQ:

Q: What happens if EA goes out of business?
A: Origin is powered by EA, the leading publisher of the world's best games, and we're not going away anytime soon.

>.>

Is this actually serious? What the hell...