Weapon purchases result in Bad Company boycott
by Dustin Burg 
{ Apr 7th 2008 at 8:00AM }
We're a bit late on the call to arms, but the movement is still alive and in full force. Sarcastic Gamer has spear-headed a Battlefield: Bad Company boycott that has gathered a bunch of followers who are united in a retail boycott of EA and DICE's upcoming shooter. Why the need for a boycott? Well, it's those oh so controversial weapons that EA confirmed would have to be purchased separately off the XBLM when the game hits retail. If you agree with and refuse to purchase Bad Company unless EA gets rid of their weapon purchase business plan then join Sarcastic Gamer's boycott by signing their petition, plastering web banners across the internets and watching their resistance video on loop at twelve hour intervals. The call to arms has already started, are you signing up?
[Thanks, Saccia]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
EmptyEnergy @ Apr 7th 2008 8:04AM
Boycotts against EA are nothing new and fail to work, this coming from an avid Battlefield 2 player. This is a nice start though.
Free Lono @ Apr 7th 2008 8:40AM
All we have to do is make EA know that there are gamers out there that aren't happy with this crap. Raising awareness is all we have to do.
Remember, we're not boycotting EA, we're boycotting Battlefield: Bad Company.
Cal @ Apr 7th 2008 8:14AM
I wouldn't have got the game anyway, but sure I might as well 'boycott' it instead
Whingnut @ Apr 7th 2008 8:20AM
EA couldn't have bought this kind of advertising. The best boycott would have been to not talk about the game at all.
C YOU 1N HELL @ Apr 7th 2008 2:45PM
THE GAMES ALREADY BEEN TALKED ABOUT FOR MONTHS NOW U DUMBA$$ SO WE HAVE TOO BE HEARD AND BOYCOTT
Free Lono @ Apr 7th 2008 8:36AM
X3F, you guys rock. You're the first (and so far only) "major" gamer website to post our video.
You've proven me wrong. You guys rock.
Viva la X3F and Viva la Resistance!
Lono, Sarcasticgamer.com
itsburnsie @ Apr 7th 2008 12:48PM
Lono,
Looking at your comment history, you bash X3F and call their integrity into question when they DON'T run your video... and now that they do they're "one of the good guys?"
I'd tell you to go troll the comment section of YOUR OWN website... but like six people comment on that site, so I suppose that wouldn't be as fun.
Free Lono @ Apr 7th 2008 1:23PM
LOL.... reading comprehension FTW.
For the record, we have 7 people commenting on our articles... thank you.
SadisticHam @ Apr 7th 2008 8:57AM
Heard this on their podcast last week, pretty much got my support..although i wasn't that impressed with the Beta anyway. :P
Magic Whiskey @ Apr 7th 2008 9:29AM
Let EA shoot themselves in the foot, guys; this is reason #2 sales will plummet.
Reason #1 is Cod4.
Bac0nator @ Apr 7th 2008 9:33AM
That article makes a good point. If the weapons that are for sale offer no advantage then why would anyone wanna waste money on them. I still might get the game but Im not wasting money on buying guns. These weapons are ready for when the game launch is so they should be included free in the game for $60.
Whats next, having to pay extra for each level in the game.
Frank @ Apr 7th 2008 9:41AM
If the purchased weapons don't shift balance in the game, I don't see the point in buying them. Not that I'd pay for the right to get an advantage in a game, but it'd make it a pointless download. However, If they do in fact become game altering downloads then I call bullshit on EA for doing this.
Games are becoming increasingly expensive and getting nickel and dimed like this is getting out of hand.
I can see the necessity in a game like Rock Band for all the DLC... gotta pay the artist's for their work, but this is scenario is nuts.
Focus more on your hostile takeover of Take2, and less on the hostile takeover of our wallets.
Josh @ Apr 7th 2008 10:05AM
I'm still getting the game but won't pay for the weapons unless they become free. But boycotting seems kind of stupid to me.
C YOU 1N HELL @ Apr 7th 2008 2:20PM
Buyin the game seems kind of stupid to me if not going 2 let EA stick it 2 u and buy the gold weapons then when face a gold weapon clan and ur gettin killed by guns that r locked 2 u on the disk ur gonna wish u didn't waste ur money
Emphar @ Apr 7th 2008 10:25AM
Check the Bad Company Beta notes. There is some oh so brief info on the DLC weapons. DICE knows it is an issue.
"Free Downloadable content – this has probably been one of the hottest topics out there, and we need to clarify this. There will be a variety of programs that will allow you to download 5 weapons for free – more info on this to follow. The remaining weapons will be available with the gold edition of the game, but we’ve taken all possible care to ensure that they don’t impact game balance negatively."
Free Lono @ Apr 7th 2008 11:10AM
Anybody can be "good" with any weapon. It's all about preference. So the addition of weapons that may not be available to everybody WILL shift the balance, whether DICE wants to admit it or not.
I've seen people dominate games with weapons that most consider crappy. The introduction of anything extra will change the balance, no matter what.
The "No change in game balancing" is just PR bull crap from EA and DICE. IMO.
C YOU 1N HELL @ Apr 7th 2008 2:25PM
If u trust that BS DICE is talking then I got a RROD Xbox to sell u. "I ensure that it won’t impact game balance negatively."
Brad @ Apr 7th 2008 10:32AM
[sarcasm]Why are we boycotting this business plan? Whoever can buy the best weapons wins... that's how it works in real life. [/sarcasm]
C YOU 1N HELL @ Apr 7th 2008 3:47PM
(SARCASM) Yea this is great I'll just have my friend buy the game & DLC gold guns for $70 or $80 & I'll buy the game too for $60 then since the guns R on my disk but locked wit a code I'll just team kill my buddy or anyone I see wit a golden gun & pick there's up and use it THAT MAKES IT JUST LIKE BEING FREE cool
Tony @ Apr 7th 2008 10:37AM
I don't really understand this... These are weapons that are otherwise only available with the Gold edition of the game. If you don't buy that version and still care about those weapons, you can buy them separately. Right?
I think this is stupid myself, but if this wasn't available they'd only be available to those with the special edition anyway. Quite a few games come with exclusive items or whatever else when you buy the Gold versions. What exactly makes this special? The fact that anyone can buy them separately if they want to?
I'd be a lot more upset about this if it was something totally new for every owner of the game and really threw things off... but in the meantime, I don't know. I don't want to be ripped off either and, yeah, stuff like this is getting out of hand, but if these are available elsewhere for more money on a disc to begin with, what exactly is the problem with offering them for more money on XBLM too?
We might as well just get pissed about there being extra guns in the first place. Why not be mad about the Gold Edition? I am just not understanding what makes this 10 times more horrible than other examples of this on the 360 so far that people didn't make such a huge stink about.
C YOU 1N HELL @ Apr 7th 2008 2:54PM
We R making a stick because we loved BF until greedy EA decided to screw us BF fans all the other games that pulled this DLC BS no one cared about if u care about BF BOYCOTT and it will make BF better in the long run
Swagman @ Apr 7th 2008 10:37AM
I'll join this boycott. If EA is allowed to think they can get away with this now, then by the holidays, EVERY EA title will come incomplete in some form, forcing gamers to have to pay more for the complete experience. Imagine Mercs 2 where you have to purchase half the content in the game. Or Mass Effect 2, where you have to do the same thing? And if EA is successful in stealing Take Two, you can bet your last dollar that the next BioShock and the next GTA titles are going to come gimped at retail forcing gamers to have to purchase add-ons to complete the game.
This is worse than horse armor and has to be put in it's place now . . . not do what gamers normally do, wait after it becomes a standard, and then bitch and moan about it on the internet. Now is the time, we can stop this problem before it ever becomes one.
For those of you who are considering not joining the boycott, just understand that in another year when EVERY major publisher is doing the same thing because it was successful for EA, that you could have helped prevented it. You'll have only yourselves to blame when every title is being shipped to retail gimped, and the only way to get the un-gimped version is to spend even more money than the $60 you've already spent.
Also understand this. The point of the boycott is to draw attention to a problem so that EA will fix it by the time the game releases. Bad Company is not due to hit retail until June 23rd. That is two and a half months away, plenty of time to get the message to EA and have your voices heard. Enough of us speak out now, and EA will change their tune by the time Bad Company ships. I guess what I am trying to say, is that by supporting the boycott, you can have your cake and eat it too.
Think of it this way. We have 2.5 months to get as many people to commit to the boycott as possible. If in that time we can get enough support, then by the time the game ships, EA will have canceled their exploitive plans, and we can all still buy Bad Company on release day anyway. If giving your support for the boycott is not a big win all the way around for gamers, then nothing is.
So sign up and tell EA that we do not think it's fair to exploit our desire to play this game in this fashion. And even if you are one of the gamers who had not intended to buy Battlefield, support us as well. If they go ahead and do this with Battlefield, it's only a matter of time before it's happening to a game that you like too. So let's all join together and finally put a definitive end to all this nickel & dime madness that companies like EA keep trying to shovel down our throats. In the end, it is ourselves (and out wallets) that we are helping.
todd @ Apr 7th 2008 10:54AM
Where the hell is the link to sign it?
Free Lono @ Apr 7th 2008 11:10AM
You can go right here and put your name and message in the comments section:
sarcasticgamer.com/boycott
Thanks for the support!
Josh @ Apr 7th 2008 11:18AM
I'm just saying that even though paying for in game weapons is one of the worst things a developer or publisher can do, a boycott is just as dumb. Yeah, i know your angry about this and EA has gone over the top, but a lot of the details to this aren't released like price for instance, for all you know, they could be 5 points each. Now if they are over priced then action needs to be taken so that they don't do it on future games. People can go ahead an boycott but to not buy a game that you may like, and boycott it because its charging for weapons that make really no difference and you don't have to buy is ridiculous. I'll just enjoy it when it comes out, and most of the time if a game is balanced, a new weapon won't change much unless it drops a nuke and kills everyone, then you have a problem.
SadisticHam @ Apr 7th 2008 12:36PM
It's "dumb"? If you buy the game you're adding to the problem.
Today it's buying weapons that don't affect game play, tomorrow it's buying tanks/levels/weapons that DO affect game play and god knows what else.
This is something *ON THE DISC* I'm buying this thing and having to pay extra to unlock things, that's outragous. That's like having to pay extra to get your outtakes on a DVD, that's like having to pay extra to unlock a freaking song on an album you just bought. It should not be acceptable in any way, shape or form. EVER.
They'll push it as far as they can, so it should stop here. It's already to far IMO. Not an attack on you really, in general that sums up my thoughts on it.
C YOU 1N HELL @ Apr 7th 2008 2:40PM
POOR JOSH when in the hell has DLC ever been 5 points to buy U NERDS NEED TO GET UR HEADS OUT THE CLOUDS & REALIZE EA JUST WANTS TO SCREW U
GuiltyDragon @ Apr 7th 2008 11:26AM
This is retarded, the game was supposed to be an experiment with micropayments to see if an east asian game model would be sucessful in the west. The game will be budget priced (free on the PC, as I understand it) and if you want a new weapon to use, you buy it.
What's the problem here?
C YOU 1N HELL @ Apr 7th 2008 2:34PM
"The game will be budget priced (free on the PC, as I understand it) and if you want a new weapon to use, you buy it."
DRAGON what crack wre u smokin when u woke up today $60 & $70 is not budget priced and this link wll it http://www.gamestop.com/browse/search.aspx?N=0&Ntk=TitleKeyword&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntt=bad%20company
U NERDS REALLY R DUMB
haukke @ Apr 7th 2008 11:46AM
nope....buying the game and probably the weapons i do not really care either way.a gun is a gun.i still use the mp5 in vegas 2 even though i have all the other guns.and i am still amazing.
C YOU 1N HELL @ Apr 7th 2008 3:30PM
yep...ur retard and reason EA will keep rippin peps like u off ur going to buy a game for $60 & the guns for $10 that r already on disk u just bought for $60 but locked wit a code because u used a MP5 in vegas 2 man u people r sumthing else u NERDS don't care how u get abused by EA u'll just buy any FPS that comes out like it's crack
Token White Guy @ Apr 7th 2008 11:57AM
This is being blown way out of proportion. You don't have to buy the damn weapons! Sega did this for Chrome Hounds, they charged you 200 points for new weapons, spacers, and armor. Where is the outrage there? At least Dice is giving you a chance to get these for free.
Free Lono @ Apr 7th 2008 12:17PM
nope... the Gold Edition weapons will not be available for download, which means those people will be the exclusive owners of those weapons.
Token White Guy @ Apr 7th 2008 12:30PM
Gold edition weapons WILL be available for download. It says so in the beta. Get your facts straight!
C YOU 1N HELL @ Apr 7th 2008 2:00PM
Token ur a Token dumba$$ the gold edition weapons yes will be available 4 DL 4 money u crack head why whould EA make peps pay $10 more 4 a gold edition and then just give the gold edition weapons out 4 free u really R stupid and the reason EA loves to rip peps like u off
Token White Guy @ Apr 7th 2008 3:08PM
I'm the dumb ass? I already got an unlock code for the M60 by Dice for signing up for the news letter. So shit the fuck up you ignorant asshole.
C YOU 1N HELL @ Apr 7th 2008 3:26PM
WOOO you signed up 4 a spam news letter 4rm DICE 4 a m60 ur such a NERD are u going to jerk them off 4 a ak47. Ur so dumb u don't even know that the m60 is not a golden gun it's 1 of the 5 promo guns so I'll have 2 be an even bigger one of EA's b*tch boys and puy 4 the golden edition or buy the BS DLC 4 them u stupid EA fannyboy.
larrydoomhammer @ Apr 7th 2008 12:24PM
haha!
About time people stand up to EA. All their console games are never updated and trashy. The people that buy their games just gives EA more money to throw out another quick cash game.
afi2099 @ Apr 7th 2008 1:47PM
Hmm, This comes out in June, so...
Bad Company, or... Ninja Gaiden II? That's a tuffy ;)
C YOU 1N HELL @ Apr 7th 2008 2:13PM
yep...ur retard and reason EA will keep rippin peps like u off ur going to buy a game for $60 & the guns for $10 that r already on disk u just bought for $60 but locked wit a code because u use a MP5 in vegas 2 man u people r sumthing else u NERDS don't care how u get abused by EA u'll justbuy any FPS that comes out like it's crack
C YOU 1N HELL @ Apr 7th 2008 2:29PM
this comment #32 is to comment #25 haukke ^^^^ up there
Token White Guy @ Apr 7th 2008 3:09PM
Fuck off you ignorant retard.
Token White Guy @ Apr 7th 2008 4:14PM
Shut the fuck up. Please. Go suck off someone else for a while
refinedsugar @ Apr 7th 2008 3:55PM
So much drama. Blah.
legendtaker117 @ Apr 7th 2008 4:07PM
C YOU 1N HELL, while I agree with what your saying, you are being an ass to everyone. Just shut the F*** up man. And Token White guy, your the reason EA is probably gonna get away with this. Because "its just guns", ya they are just guns, but next thing we know its gonna be "just vehicles" then "just levels", then "what are you complaining about, its a standard". And thats my point. If EA can get away with this, then they are gonna try to get away with bigger rip offs, until we are paying out the ass for a full game when we shouldn't have to.
C YOU 1N HELL @ Apr 7th 2008 4:34PM
Ok im the a$$hole becuz im telling it like it is EA wants to screw us all. LEGEND I'm not going to talk shit about u becuz at least u got ur facts staight but all these retards who dont know what the hell they're talking about and this DLC crap 4rm EA is ok and balanced just pisses me off dude.
Josh @ Apr 7th 2008 4:27PM
@ C YOU 1N HELL
First off, go outside and get some fresh air, then go bang your head against a tree for about an hour until your brain starts functioning properly, you just come in here and criticize everyone who won't boycott BBC. If you love the battlefield series so much, buy the game and don't buy the DLC, its as simple as that, if they see that the majority of the people who have the game don't even bother to get the guns, then they will see that it failed. If your going to boycott, don't boycott the game because your not angry at the game, your angry at the DLC which is what should be boycotted, not the game. If anyone has some intelligence, respond to this and try to tell me otherwise why I shouldn't buy the game and just not buy the DLC that is OPTIONAL to get and won't really change the experience.
C YOU 1N HELL @ Apr 7th 2008 4:54PM
Wow JOSH I feel sorry for u with the good games like GTA4, COD4, Saints Row 2, and the list goes on ur NERDY A$$ just has to buy this game 4rm EA that clearly is out to nickle and dime u 4 every penny you have. I got better ways to spend my money than on a $60 game that locks guns 4rm me that R already on the disk ready to go just cheat me out of $10 video games must like crack to u
Josh @ Apr 7th 2008 5:12PM
I already have CoD4 (its ok), and I'm not getting GTA4 or Saints Row 2, I'm getting BBC because I like the beta and it is a fun game. I personally like H3 better than all of those games but its good to add a new game to my collection every now and then. Also, your mostly assuming since I'm buying the game that I am getting the DLC, which couldn't be farther from the truth. I don't plan on spending extra money for guns, I'm just saying that you shouldn't boycott a game for DLC that you don't have to get, just boycott the DLC. So mostly I'm being accused of buying a game because its fun then. Man, I guess no ones allowed to buy a game that they enjoy.
Also off topic: remember arguing on the internet is like running the special olympics, even if you win, your still retarded.
legendtaker117 @ Apr 7th 2008 5:20PM
The reason you should boycott the game is because this DLC you want to boycott should have all ready been on the game, so they are not selling you the full game, even if its only a small piece it still should be in the game since they have already been made. Its cheap, and the easiest way to teach them a lesson is to try and hurt their sells, because even if people dont by the DLC. It was no harm to then since people still payed for their game, and they can just try again with a different strategy in another game until they get it right. So if we revolt now, they wont have that chance.