Valve: EA Treats Us Like A Proper Gentleman
Counter to the common "EA are soul sucking monsters" meme that gets tossed around so often, Valve's VP of Marketing and Development Doug Lombardi has only pleasant things to say about his company's relationship with the industry giant.
It is funny that you read the stories about EA being this evil empire or whatever; our experience has been completely the opposite. We see the folks as being very similar in terms of their mind set as we are and they are very adult, or progressive if you would like, about how they interfaced with us and how they can help and where their value is and their relationship.
He does concede that his company had the freedom to make certain demands before partnering up, but says that the EA had no problem making special arrangements for Valve when they needed something besides the "standard publishing deal." Similar thoughts were expressed by Bioware in the wake of that company's purchase, so comments like these could be a sign of a sea change for EA. On the other hand, maybe this is all part of a calculated effort to trick Take 2 into dropping their resistance and drinking the Kool-aid. Let your paranoia decide.
Valve: EA is Not Evil [TGR]
[via: NeoGAF][image via: Bit-Tech]
Dawdle
Posted to Video Games on 6 July 2008
· Comments (6)
Other stuff like this: <3, ea, evil, valve
EA aren't evil, they're a business, they're in it for the money, as any sane minded person with any modicum of talent should be.
If I owned a computer games business I would sell to EA, as long as they made a good deal.
There are no devils, saints or sinners, just smart businessmen, and idiotic ones.
I don't think this is all a trick :P
Also, ever since that lawsuit I've heard nothing but good things from EA employees. (granted I've only spoken to a few)
EA is more a combination of incompetent and pathetically obnoxious. It's like they get up in the morning and ask which upstart's assets and talent they can squander and chase away respectively. I actually think Westwood's products have only improved under EA's budget, but they destroyed Bullfrog and made the worst kind of whore out of Maxis. Ikea Home Stuff? Ugh. Sell me five Stuff packs, shame on you. Sell me seven Stuff packs, shame on me.
Obviously, since Valves games are now on EA Link for download.
Things are changing within EA. The new CEO is doing everything he can to undo the 'wrongs' that were committed in the past. The reorganization to the label system was the start, and more and more EA is allowing it's various studios to somewhat run autonomously and unhindered by 'the man.' I see good things on the horizon.
The problem is that I've been soured by their past, and more-or-less to the point where I have no faith in them to 'trust' them as a developer.
EA's port of Orange Box was really the straw that broke the camel's back.
So, no preorders, and no buying EA games unless I see glowing reviews, end of story. I'm totally uninterested in their sports franchises and lock-ins, so I have no *requirement* to buy an EA game.
It's going to take a lot of good experiences to outweigh the bad ones I've had.