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EA boss doesn't like DRM, does like cheques from advertisers (neoseeker.com)

EA: 99.8% of gamers don't care about DRM

Deathsythe | October 16, 2008 | News | PC Wii Company Misc

According to EA's CEO John Riccitiello, only 0.2 % of gamers would notice DRM, and now take issue with it, And that is what sparked the massive backlash on the internet.

Seems like a lot more than 0.2% to me.

If you thought that EA might have been humbled by the massive Internet backlash against its use of SecuROM in its recent games, then youd be wrong. Speaking at the Dow Jones/Nielsen Media and Money Conference, EAs CEO John Riccitiello claimed that the whole issue had been blown out of all proportion.

We implemented a form of DRM and it's something that 99.8 per cent of users wouldn't notice, claimed Riccitiello, but for the other 0.2 percent, it became an issue and a number of them launched a cabal online to protest against it. The use of SecuROM in EAs recent PC games, including Spore, Mass Effect and Crysis Warhead, has caused a lot of controversy on the Internet, resulting in hundreds of one-star reviews on Amazon.

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2 thumbs!
B2smoove | October 17, 2008

I am tired of talking about DRM.... do yourself a favor and go console. The benefits are:
No more Secure ROM infecting your PC.
No more relying on activation servers telling when you can play and where.
10 years from now you still can play your game when activation servers are gone or company goes belly up.
Your game has value.
HD audio and Video.
No more spending hundreds of dollars upgrading your rig just to meet the minimum specs. ( Crysis anyone )
Instant gaming with growing communities and better support.
No more VISTA incompatibilities.
and the list could go on and on.
- 0 thumbs!
  SpydersByte | October 29, 2008
  
  Please, know your facts before you post some moronic BS like this. HD audio and video? How many people do you think have HD TVS? A REGULAR computer monitor IS HD compared to a standard-def TV, and thats not mentioning montiors like my 22 wide with 1920x1200 res (1080p in TV talk). Also, I garuntee my soundcard and audio system will blow away whatever you have on your TV.
  
  Hundreds of dollars so you can play games? Well, maybe, if you have a crappy computer. Im a graphic designer, so my specs are WAY past any game out right now, and will continue to be. The thing is, for people who care about video games, computers can far outperform consoles with the right hardware.
  
  Instant gaming with growing communties? Umm... not only does that exist now with the PC but it has existed for much longer with the PC than console gaming.
  
  I could go on and on but it would be a waste of my time.
  
  Please, do some research before you post, or just dont start typing at all.
2 thumbs!
Absolute | October 17, 2008

Funny, 99.8% is also the same percentage of gamers who *bleep*ing hate EA.

Douchebags
- 3 thumbs!
  Raziel_326 | October 17, 2008
  
  Not anymore. EA has surprisingly been making some quality titles lately.
  
  Dead Space is one of the best horror games I've ever played.
  - 1 thumbs!
    Absolute | October 17, 2008
    
    Be that as it may, their business tactics are total garbage
1 thumbs!
Bale Fire | October 17, 2008

Where did they get those statistics? I know about 90% of Neoseeker's were against DRM on one level or another back when EA was going overboard.
2 thumbs!
DarkLordAkuma | October 17, 2008

Yea i'd question where they got those statistics, you'll find the majority of statistics are made up. 0.2% is a load of rubbish, if on average out of a diverse group of gamers (Like my lecture classes) about 99% of them hate EA and their DRM, the other 1% dont care enough about games to bother hating EA.

0.2%? Dont insult me EA....
0 thumbs!
Slumpy monkey | October 17, 2008

You guys aren't reading it right.

What he is saying is that initially only 0.2% noticed it, Then they went on some internet crusade and now everyone is against it, whether or not they have even experienced it.

But DRM is kinda sucky, but blame pirates, not EA. The common denominator is pirates, as long as they keep on getting past DRM it is going to get even stricter and stricter.

quote
Instant gaming with growing communities and better support.
There is infinitive more support for PC games than there is for consoles thanks to the ability to mod.

quote
HD audio and Video.
Who said that PC's cant have HD?

quote
No more VISTA incompatibilities.
Those are only on select games, oh and I can see the great job that Sony and MS are doing with BC, oh wait, Didnt MS just announce that there stopping creating new patches for older games, and isn't Sony dropping BC?

Plus not all PC gamers are on Vista.