Pachter Calls Vocal Minority Of Mass Effect 3 Fans Upset With Ending 'Whiners'

It’s been a busy week for Electronic Arts, one of the leading game publishers in the world today. The Consumerist.com, inundated with votes by irate Mass Effect 3 fans, ended up awarding its annual Worst Company in America award to EA, beating out companies that actually impacted the world in negative ways like Bank of America.

[ritsuka666]

there is no reason to call Pachter a idiot.

not cool..

He just sucks at his job.

[LOGICWINS]

Not defending what Pachter said regarding this issue...but what does his job have to do with this?

EDIT: Hence, what does his job as a financial analyst have to do with his opinion of ME3 fans?

[zeeshan]

I actually wanted to make the same comment. His job is to assess financial aspects of the video game industry NOT make comments on fan reaction regardless how crazy or spot-on it is. This is simply absurd!

[BrutallyBlunt]

Hos job is to analyse sales. So yes, this does fall into that category because he is voicing his opinion on the real reaction to all of this, and that is will it affect actual sales. Chances are it won't.

How many whine about Call of Duty yet it continues to sell more than any other series. How many whined about Kinect, yet how has that sold? What about the Wii?

The simple truth is game forums don't always represent real actions among sales. It's also true that there is a vocal minority out there who are fixated on being negative and/or fear-mongering.

At the end of the day people can voice their opinion either way about Mass Effect 3 but that doesn't mean they are speaking on behalf of everyone. Trouble is some try and be heard more than others by being louder than those who don't have issues with it.

[teething]

Love him or hate him, I think he is 100% right with his comments.

I think A vocal minority is pushing their agenda and Bioware/EA "giving in" will just fuel future vocal minorities trying to change various aspects of games they don't like.

I am all for making better games, I am all for giving constructive feedback and criticism, and for listening to fan feedback (Bioware leads the way here), but it is a slippery slope.

Fans of ME1 complain about elevators (a clever way to hide load screens and increase immersion), they are replaced with traditional load screens in ME2, and fans complain they lost immersion.

Fans complain about ME1 inventory management being annoying. In Me2 the inventory is removed and fans complain.

Fans of ME1 complain about the Mako being boring. Mako is removed in ME2 and fans complain about the loss of the mako and planet exploration.

Fans of ME1/2 say they want more meaningful decisions with severe consequences... but then demand a Star wars "award ceremony" like ending for ME3.

Fans demand gay love interest options for Mass effect. Bioware gives it to them in ME3 and now forums are full of anti-gay comments and now there is the letter writing campaign against EA.

You can't please everyone. You never will. Don't compromise your artistic vision. For every one angry fan you please, you just anger another.

That being said, the ME3 ending did seem rushed and unfinished. Sad that deadlines hurt even the best of games. That being said I like that Bioware made no "best ending" and every ending was very shocking, and left you thinking.

[sikbeta]

WOW! Pachter is on a roll with accurate comments lately XD

[CHARLIEBROWNE]

Pachter again who really has the loaded gun?

patc...... blood everywhere.

[Ilovetheps5]

I've never been able to understand how this dude remains hired. He just talks so much garbage. Gamers have the right to voice an opinion. The business has the ability to follow the gamer's opinion if they want. But they don't have to. But I don't think there is anything wrong with people voicing their opinion about the ending to the game.

[LOGICWINS]

"Gamers have the right to voice an opinion."

By that same logic, doesn't Pachter have the right to voice his opinion as well?

I don't agree with him here, but he DOES have the right to voice his opinion...just like gamers.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

Yeah, that's his point. He did not say that Patcher shouldn't voice his opinion. He said that gamers are just voicing their opinion thus, they aren't whiners.

[TekoIie]

theres a difference tho when your being paid to do so. People know him so what he says gives these sites HITS.

[Anon1974]

I do agree with wondering how this guy still has a job (voicing every thought that pops into your head seems to be what his job is now. He used to actually be a credible analyst back in the day) however in this case, I agree with every word he said. And apparently you agree with him too.

He stated that gamers are well within their right to voice their opinions. "I respect their rights to express their dissatisfaction" It's pretty hard to misinterpret that, yet someone you managed to.

He states that the FTC complaints were way over the top. He's 100% correct (just as targeted hate campaigns directed at individual Bioware employees are not only going to far, they should actually end in arrests).

I have no issue with fans expressing their opinions either, but to tar and feather EA? Really? I don't see anyone voting Paramount Pictures the worst company in America because Transformers movies sucked. And hey, Michael Bay promised Megan Fox would be back for Transformers 3. He promised! I'm going to file an FTC complaint! It's ridiculous.

Meanwhile, Mass Effect 3 is selling amazingly well and has so many perfect scores it sounds like it'll easily be a contender for best game of the year, whether the vocal mouth breathers like it or not. Suck it, whiners. And I love that Bioware isn't changing the ending, just adding some stuff in there to clear up some plot points. The worst thing Bioware could have done was changed the ending to satisfy the chronically pissy.

"any precedent set by EA and BioWare to appease a group of fans, no matter how large or small, could ultimately be detrimental to both the creativity and health of the game industry moving forward"

Exactly. I haven't actually met anyone who was pissed over the Mass Effect ending, and I love the response I get when I tell people about this. "You're effing joking." It's kinda like the movie Misery, where the crazy holds the author hostage and makes him right another book, although even in her madness she doesn't go so far as to demand he change the ending of the previous book.

I know I'm in the minority on this site when I take this stand, but what can I say. People revolted on this site calling for a boycott of Mass Effect when it went multiplatform. Then people lost their shit when it had day one DLC (don't buy it. Problem solved). Now this. There's been a group out there that were looking to hate on this game since day one - and they've been looking for excuse after excuse. For some stupid reason, this excuse gained traction in the media. "Uwww! The ending...!" For the love of god. Never once have I played a game and been so disappointed by the ending it's caused me this much grief, in the 30 years I've been gaming and I've seen my share of shitty endings. Sometimes games are great, but can't stick the landing. Isn't it about playing the game in the end? If you put hours and hours into the Mass Effect series, had a blast the entire time and then the ending ruined it for you, put down your controller and never play a game again because you don't get it. It's about the game. You might as well say "I loved the game so much, but the opening credits just ruined the whole thing for me!" It makes just about as much sense. These people need to stop acting like children. All gamers look bad over this.

[ziggurcat]

careful, darkride66... your use of logic and common sense will likely get you branded as an EA "shill" by vortis.

it's sad to see someone level-headed get their bubbles reduced down to one because of selfish whiners/complainers.

[JaredH]

I would of actually loved it if Bioware said they weren't changing the ending and then they went and called some of their most loyal fans the minority and selfish whiners. They haven't lost enough of their fans this gen.

[aliengmr]

"He states that the FTC complaints were way over the top. He's 100% correct (just as targeted hate campaigns directed at individual Bioware employees are not only going to far, they should actually end in arrests)."

There were no targeted "hate campaigns". Did a few people go too far? Yes, this is the internet. One idiot filed with the FTC. Its a joke to think that's going anywhere. Also I am unaware of BioWare being held hostage. Care to explain the "magical" force the insignificant vocal minority is using?

You are aware that books. movies, and games are changed all the time yes? I mean, I know you are just repeating the whole "If I don't like the ending of X do I have the right to force them to change it" crap. But I wonder if you actually understand that at all. Thing is, movies are screened so as to find out if the audience has any major issues. Like if the ending makes no sense. Then the filmmakers will decide whether a change is warranted. If people are disappointed in the movie, they tend to not pay for it. This is done all the time with books, movies, and games. ME3 is different because the fans really care about it and know BioWare is better than this. Thus the backlash.

You maybe fine mediocrity, but ME fans aren't. Since when did playing games for 30 years give you the right to judge? You're "whining" about people "whining". How are you any different? So you not meeting anyone who hated the ending means what exactly? That you meet a million people who liked the ending? Or that the people you meet accurately reflect the consensus?

If you are okay with games falling short simply because companies like EA want to get them out the door as fast as possible, that fine. If the ending wasn't important to you that's fine too. Its not fine with others, so take your own advice and stop acting like a child.

[LOGICWINS]

I wouldn't call these people the "minority". We got a FREE extension of the ending. Gamers got what they wanted. It takes MUCH more than the minority to do something like that.

[unknownhero1123]

It's to early to say that they got what they wanted. just take a look at the image I attached.

[GamingPerson]

He just gets all his comments from his jar of fortune cookies.

[SpiralTear]

Usually the people who are the most vocal about a product are those who are dissatisfied with it. It happens with product reviews on everywhere from Amazon to smartphone app stores. That being said, Pachter talks about the vocal consumers like he knows exactly what the gaming community is going through. Minority or not, calling them "whiners" is a pretty loaded action. It's like he's trying to get people to hate him.

[LOL_WUT]

Well there's no denying that this whole ME3 ending fiasco got out of hand. So as crazy as he may be i agree with him.

[CrixLee]

They WERE and still ARE whiners.

If you're SO upset that you actually go to the BBB and Federal Trade Commission over the ending of a VIDEO GAME, then you need to leave your house more often...also you need to get laid. People like this make us ALL look bad and I know *I* have ZERO desire to be lumped in with those f***king martians.

Contrary to popular belief, Pachter IS a gamer and he's saying NOTHING different than Kotaku, DToid or the rest of us as journalists have already said; his reach is just a little bigger is all. Just because he doesn't have a crazy haircut or wear gaming-themed shirts 24-7 doesn't mean he doesn't game.

Forcing a company to change an ending to a game sets a dangerous precedent for games down the line...not to mention it's time WASTED when they could be fixing bugs or oh, I don't know - working on a NEW game.

Everyone should get off BioWare and EA's dick already. Let's be glad games like this exist and stop running to the teacher to tattle every time something doesn't go our way.

[VanillaBear]

No there not whiners, they are fans of a franchise who were upset and instead of taking crap from a developer spoke up for what they believed in.....that in the gaming world today dosen't happen alot, people would rather lick the developers arse and pretend like everything is fine

People like that make "us" look bad.....sorry who is "us" because were all gamers....actually the people who go out there way to get a developer to change an ending sound more like gamers then someone like you moaning on about them.

Lets be real here Video Gamers are mostly made up of nerds/geeks/whatever.....yes the stereotype in general over the years has become so exgerated up to the point were non gamers picture us as the cast of the Big Bang Theory/IT Crowd but it's just what happens when your into this sort of thing and of course we are going to "whine" about something which has disapointed us because thats what people do when they love something which has something wrong with it, it's just how life plays out, do you really think people will shut there trap and get on with there lifes if they find something wrong with a product they've just brought and like......NOPE.....they would complain.

"Forcing a company to change an ending to a game sets a dangerous precedent for games down the line...not to mention it's time WASTED when they could be fixing bugs or oh, I don't know - working on a NEW game."

Obviously you havent been keeping up with the ending being changed because lets face it.....it was needed. Bioware made a ending FULL of plotholes that goes against the rest of the games mytho and also which was full of excellent writing. I mean the Indoctrination theory is the only thing which makes the whole ending make sense and since they neither denied or confirmed it at PAX means the extended ending could be in fact that. If it's true then the reason it's obviously been done as DLC isn't because of whiners but because they never got the ending finished in time. They could of made us pay for it if no one complained.

I hate people like your self who don't mind being screwed by a developer, it really sets an example to other developers who think they can do this to everyone....no wonder Capcom/Square Enix/Activision turned out the way they did.

[aliengmr]

Agreed, I can't understand gamers actually arguing against themselves. Reviewers invest little time and in many cases no money into a game, yet the fans that do invest time and money should be ignored. But not just ignored, spit on and ridiculed because they called out BioWare on the badly written, lazy, half-assed ending to ME3.

I also can't understand "whining" about "whiners". You would think the people who are so sick of the "whining" would actually do that. That goes double for the ones who didn't even play the game.

@CrixLee

"Everyone should get off BioWare and EA's dick already."

I think you have this backward. Seriously, if anyone needs to take that advice its you.

[CrixLee]

Voicing an opinion is one thing but practically RUNNING to the Federal Trade Commission to lodge complaints (which is a TOTAL WASTE of YOUR tax dollars, btw) is a another.

Hey, this isn't where I parked my car!

[CrixLee]

Telling a BioWare employee she should die of cancer...WOW. sending 1000 cupcakes to the BioWare office and making THEM pay the COD (which could've been spent ELSEWHERE making improvements or even appreciation gifts for their employees)...WOW.

It's not like BioWare married their first cousin or diddled a kid, they made an ending to a game that not everyone enjoyed.

Tacos.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

"Telling a BioWare employee she should die of cancer..."

So one comment represents the entire people that are upset?

[Hicken]

That's how it is. People will take one or two over-the-top comments or actions and label everyone else as being that bad. It's why Muslims have such a hard time with the whole "extremist" thing that some of them do(not that many Christians are much better, mind you).

They use it as a tool to disregard the completely legitimate complaints people have. Somehow, we should all just shut up and accept whatever Bioware does, because they obviously know best and we can't have any problems with anything they do.

Developers are not exempt from the same scrutiny that any other product maker is subject to. As such, if people honestly believe that the product produced is misleading and of inferior quality to what was advertised (and it's pretty obvious that MANY people feel this way), then we, as consumers, have every right to take it to the BBB.

I honestly can't believe that people are so willing to side with the ones who are clearly in the wrong here: Bioware. Bioware LIED about ME3, defended the lie, joked about the fan response, and would have willingly "fixed" the problem by charging consumers for it, yet somehow it's the fans who spoke up who are being unreasonable.

I don't give a damn if I spent ten hours of a hundred hours getting to the end. If I'm not satisfied with it, I've got every right to complain. And if the end totally screws with the rest of a three-game experience, then I say my complaints are even MORE justified.

If the gaming industry collapses again, it'll be because there are too many stupid people calling themselves gamers, but all the while willing to bend over and take it from every developer and publisher and console maker. No lube, no reach-around.

And they have the nerve to call those who cry foul butthurt...

[CrixLee]

Unfortunately, their actions represent EVERY gamer (even the ones who DIDN'T even play the fucking thing).

[KingItachi]

You two are trip.

[Imalwaysright]

I rather be a whiner than a liar. Every time i heard Bioware talk about the ME trilogy they were always on about on how our choices would determine the outcome of the trilogy. I dont care about an ending: filled with plotholes, that didnt give closure, that didnt made any sense and how idiotic it actually was the reason why the reapers were created. I do care that the main selling point of the franchise was a lie.

I bought 3 games, € 210, to see how my choices would affect the ending of the trilogy. I wasted hours replaying the first 2 games making different characters tweaking the choices to see how it would affect the ending and for what? 3 colours? I feel entitled because what was advertised by Bioware didnt happen. I dont consider myself a whiner. I feel that when i voice my opinion on this matter im fighting for my rights as a consumer. When i buy something i expect it to work as it was advertised by the company that made it. Simple as that. If that makes me a whiner so be it. I dont care, im a proud whiner.

[nilamo]

Vocal minority?? I haven't even met one person who liked the ending. Hell even people who never visit places like this hated it with a passion.

[deletingthis34675334]

If anything, the ending makes me happy with my decision to watch a free YouTube walkthrough instead of playing it. Saved me 60 bucks. BioWare dropped the ball with DA2, and now this. Lost hope for the company. Just like Square-Enix and their FF games. Sad.

[VanillaBear]

Look...whats still not to get here

Bioware messed up
Gamers (the consumers) complained
Bioware tries to fix it....will they succeed...who knows but after that joke of a PX panel, I have little hope they've actually listened.

Whats not to get

How is anyone a whiner or moaner for standing up for something they believe in....hell something which is true, it's not like ME fans were exagerating, clutching at straws, they had perfect evidence to support why they thought the ending was bad.

AND YET....people still call them

Gamers are actually vocing their opinions instead of pretending like everything is fine.....thats a good thing, it dosen't happen very often. Do people really want Bioware to turn into Capcom because thats where not speaking up about issues in games gets you

[Imalwaysright]

So true. It wont be us, gamers, that will lead the industry down the crapper. Even if we wanted to do so, the industry wouldnt need our help. More and more the industry is abusing us: online passes, DRM, paying to play online, locked DLC, day one DLC, rumours that next gen consoles wont play used games, all games needing patches because the industry doesnt even care just release broken games, companies like Bioware lying to us saying that we're getting something in return for our money and giving us the exact opposite ... We have to deal with all this crap because we usually dont take a stand. We finally take a stand and we are called whiners. its fucking hilarious in a kinda sad way.

[ziggurcat]

this is the second time i've agreed with pachter in the last 3 weeks - first it was the anti-used game rumours were written by monkeys, now this.

it's really quite sad that whiny ME fans think that their crying is some sort of noble "cause."

[adamant715]

haha, I totally agree.

[Reborn]

You release a product, expect it to receive feedback. Some do this in a constructive way, others in a way which reflects poorly. People like Patcher here, tend to take the bad side, and use it.

Many members gave well thought out reasoning for their complaints.

[kainslayer]

pachter stfu go do a real job.Death to the suits!!!

[palaeomerus]

I "whined" with my money Pachter. EA no get no $60 from me. AWWWWWW.

[gcolley]

whatever