140°

EA Says It Took Over Six Months To Make SimCity Work Offline

In the wake of yesterday's news that SimCity will be getting an offline version, EA has come out with a blog post explaining just how they made it happen—and how much effort that took.

Saryk3773d ago

Boo f'in Hoo. Should have never been added!

Yi-Long3773d ago

Exactly. they created that 'problem' themselves. The community already said we didn't want all this Online MP DRM crap from the moment they announced it!

EA is going for a 3rd win in a row, when it comes to worst companies....

pwnsause_returns3773d ago

they should, they influenced MS to go ahead with all of this DRM crap..

Imalwaysright3773d ago

They don't need MS help to implement DRM. I have no idea why people believe that 3rd party publishers were the reason why MS was going to implement DRM.

-Foxtrot3773d ago

@pwnsause_returns

I think Microsoft influenced them to be honest, before the game came out they must of known about the Xbox One and it's DRM policies, things which EA must of liked especially when they had deals going on about TitanFall, so I think EA decided to add it into SimCity because they thought we'd be living in a DRM only place now.

I think it's what made them sign the deal about TitanFall being an exclusive. They thought Microsoft was going to kill Sony in sales with the Xbox One and they also thought Microsoft would be able to staple DRM and other policies EA liked down as a standard with this gen

However unlucky for EA they bet on the wrong horse.

just-joe3773d ago

Took the words right out of my mouth.

DragonKnight3773d ago

That's funny, because hackers were able to do it in a day. They had the game working offline for 20 minutes before the SimCity online check timer activated.

I guess EA really is full of incompetence.

brish3773d ago

I wonder if EA is intentionally trying to get worst company in america again?!

Either way I think they're going to win!

SirBradders3773d ago

Bad publicity is still publicity my friend.

Crazyglues3773d ago

@ SirBradders

Not when the publicity is "don't buy this game"

ambientFLIER3773d ago (Edited 3773d ago )

Is it too much to ask you guys to actually read the article before commenting? Or are you only here to troll and bash without any regard for facts?

"So yes, while someone was able to remove the 'time check' shortly after launch, they were unable to perform key actions like communicating with other cities that they had created locally, or with the rest of their region(s), or even saving the current state of their cities."

The problem is obviously NOT the drm check in...it's how your city affects others in offline mode.

hesido3773d ago

First of all, they could have made the online portion opt-in. The way they designed it forced everybody to go online, even required the game to be saved online. I'm also told the cities are a 9th size of Simcity 4.

They made online an integral part of running the game without apparent benefits. And it may be true that removing that thing may have required some effort, but an opt-in online with cloud saves as enhancement would not have necessarily increased the development by 6 months compared to tightly integrating online for the sake of DRM and then having to remove it while making sure you haven't screwed up, the latter is obviously harder. But it shouldn't have to be removed at the first place.

DragonKnight3773d ago

The point was that offline was working before EA did anything about it. What this article really is is EA saying it took them 6 months so create a save ability and adjust communications. That's still pathetic and wouldn't have taken a hacker 6 months to accomplish.

It's bullsh*t pure and simple.

3773d ago
NYC_Gamer3773d ago

EA is one of the worst publishers around and they have always done shady business tactics/treated customers like shit.

3773d ago
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300°

Report: Sexual Misconduct Investigation Conducted at EA, Suspects Named and What They Did Revealed

EA senior staff has been investigated for sexual misconduct involving female coworkers, and these said people have been named publicly.

isarai3d ago

Aye just call Phil, i mean he somehow made Bobby Kotick's scandal disappear and gave him a few million dollar high five on the way out.

Cacabunga2d ago

I wonder if it will be censored with some in game ads.

InUrFoxHole1d 19h ago

You think Phil did that? 🤣

MrBaskerville19h ago(Edited 19h ago)

Microsoft did, Phil Spencer played a minor part. He instigated the buyout that led to Kotick escaping all his controversies while getting a golden handshake.

Someone on Twitter calculated that the people hired in Tango and Arkane Austin could get a decent salary for roughly 17 years for the money Kotick was paid.

InUrFoxHole4h ago

Yeah some thing tells me Kotics $ was already guaranteed before MS made the deal. As for the studios... Let's be honest here... none of those studios made system sellers.

XiNatsuDragnel3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

EA about to go down like Activision and then Phil saves the day saying.this is good for the industry and consolidation will help create competition. /s.

MrBaskerville19h ago

Then they shutdown Codemasters and studio behind Jedi Survivor.

Atleast they could hardly do much damage that EA hadn't allready done. EA has shut down most of their studios by now.

ravens523d ago

What's up with all these horny creeps. You gon be horny, fine. Just not at work take care of that shit before you go in. Rub one out if you have to. Don't be a creep at all. ESPECIALLY at work. But don't be one AT ALL.

Extermin8or3_2d ago

I mean part of the issue is that things transpired outside of work....

MrBaskerville19h ago

That's the thing he mentioned about not being a creep at all.

KwietStorm_BLM2d ago

You think deviants care where they are? Work sometimes makes it an even better situation for them because they can abuse their power.

mudakoshaka2d ago

Nerds think they are Gods when they are making video games.

NotoriousWhiz3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

"it seems that according to EA, given the events transpired outside of work between two adults, and the fact that once investigation has started that the alleged perpetrators didn’t do it again, the investigation is considered closed. [...] The victim still has to work with the people that harassed her."

Yep, EA is disgusting.

Extermin8or3_2d ago

I mean the fact stuff happened outside of work puts EA in quite a difficult position legally. These women don't seem to have reported the matter to the police which kinda ties EA's hands on what they can do. If they don't file reports of the crimes then yeah from EA's perspective it is stuff that happened outside of work. The only exception is the guy that apparently referenced things in the slack channel for work, spending on what he said proving it may be very hard and he may well be able to get away with plausible deniability. I don't like EA and I think these people need to be dismissed but without any legal action being taken, EA can't really do much without risk of being sued themselves for unfair dismissal etc.

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90°

EA to Spend Billions Boosting Share Prices After Mass Layoffs

EA has announced it will engage in a shareholder-pleasing share buyback program just a couple of months after mass layoffs at the studio.

Read Full Story >>
techraptor.net
Yi-Long6d ago

Well, anything to make those shareholders happy, I guess. They're all that matters in this industry nowadays.

badboyz096d ago (Edited 6d ago )

EA stocks haven't been profitable in over 5yrs. They better hope Take-two don't get the FIFA license lol.

220°

EA Hopes to Use Generative AI to Drive Monetization and Make Development 30% More Efficient

Today Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson provided a look into his ideas for the use of generative AI in the company's development processes.

Read Full Story >>
techraptor.net
thorstein69d ago

I wonder what the next buzz word they'll slap in front of AI to make it sound exciting next? "Generative" as if it's creating its own content. Lol.

Cacabunga68d ago

EA is already dying a painful death..

peppeaccardo68d ago

i have a better idea .. why the whole exec team doesn't get replaced by chat bots ?

just_looken69d ago

Though i agree the ai thing is already in other forms of media there have been ai translations/scripts/voice over and even full ai commercials aired on tv. Ubisoft has created a ai game creator story/vo/music except the building of the game

The new unreal engine has auto terrain creation tools

In the world of greed in which it is winning without any major blow back ai is our future.

everyone want's biden dead on the mic or a criminal instead of a woman and now we are getting ai everything because no one will stop watching/playing ai created media.

GamerRN68d ago

Maybe they should just focus on making good games?

Just a thought...

Kiryu199268d ago

Exactly EA are just pure evil. When they are beating Bank of America to be voted the worst company to work for that’s saying a lot

Good thing I don’t buy their games day one and wait for deep deep sale years after launch (the select few games I am actually interested in)

Gaming is making so much money yet the greed of these companies is never ending

CEO’s and people on board making millions yet cutting jobs to those who are actually making the products

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 68d ago
Knightofelemia69d ago (Edited 69d ago )

EA is still a shady shitty company even with or without the help of Skynet. All they will use AI for is new ways to milk loot boxes and come up with the same sports title with a different year on the label. They are one company I truly do hate with a passion. They single handedly ruined some great franchise with their death touch. ME, Dead Space, Alice Returns, Dante's Inferno.

Stuart575669d ago

EA layoffs followed by 'Generative AI to Drive Monetization'

I knew it. Wonder what AI salary looks like? Nothing.

ChasterMies68d ago

I having a feeling that most of the layoffs in the industry are based on the idea that AI will do the same job for less.

DarXyde68d ago

Very likely, yes.

Made worse by the fact that the execs aren't changing their compensations.

My deepest fear at this point is that we are now in the capitalism endgame.

At this point, we really should just burn AI to the ground. Executives cannot be trusted to do the right thing.
How are those people expected to support families if everything gets automated?

Barlos69d ago (Edited 69d ago )

And take away creativity, and people's jobs as we've been seeing. Got it.

No thanks. I want my games created by people, not AI.

CobraKai69d ago

Exactly. If or when games start becoming more AI than people, im done with gaming. AI and companies like EA can suck donkey d***k.

just_looken69d ago

Though i agree remember this is no ps3/360 era were we got up to 3 games in one generation from on developer like gears/halo/bioware/sony/ms

The people today are pro esg/sweet baby for the most part AAA gaming is imploding right now.

We should be stepping back re evaluate everything as a whole this year xmen 97 written/directed by a woman that is nuts and its also being made by a group reshaping bodies to be less sexual like wtf. A dam famous cartoon from the 90's is being rebuilt with millions spent to be worse in everyway.

Gaming/movies/tv shows made today are worse than what we had 7years ago ai won't change this but that ai is also being made by these groups so either way we are screwed.
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Eonjay68d ago

Don't be of afraid of women. Sexy characters in games and movies still exist. Got my Stellar Blade on preorder!!! Everything all the time doesn't need to be sexual...that's stupid, childish and dull.

Chocoburger69d ago (Edited 69d ago )

EA doesn't want to lose their title of worst gaming company ever, always trying their best to remain the champs!
What's sad is that they have so much potential to be a decent publisher.

SSX Tricky / SSX 3
Def Jam Vendetta / Fight for New York
NBA Street
NFL Steet
Mirror's Edge
Bad Company
Burnout 3 / 4 / 5

Remember when EA used to be awesome? It's all over with now. Unpolished, if not out-right broken games these days. Endless monetization and gambling in their sports games, and let's not forget wasting hours of your life trying to unlock characters or equipment using "surprise boxes!"

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