This article originally ran under a different banner/website in September of 2018 and is now being here re-uploaded for purposes of convenience and consolidation. Please enjoy.
HEAR YE!!! HEAR YE!!! Broktober is rolling around the corner, meaning one thing: Publishers will be crawling all over themselves to get you to purchase their games, but as we know from E3, none of the publishers are perfect. Earlier in the year, video game news website Kotaku spoke with a couple of developers at Bioware who proceeded to say YouTubers would describe companies like EA as Disney villains. Why not lean a little into this statement and draw comparisons to these publishers and dastardly deeds?
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts. The company is known for pushing the envelope too far in the name of greed. The company known for uniting gamers and politicians against the loot box craze publishers are raving over. With Belgium taking a stand and making loot boxes illegal, only one publisher dares to stand against the law and take Belgium to court. None other than Electronic Arts. Dreading giving up their card packs in titles such as Madden 19 and FIFA 19, Electronic Arts is throwing a temper tantrum to preserve their greed is only matched by the childish Prince John from the Disney movie, Robin Hood. Other similarities between these money-grabbing tyrants can be drawn to their attempts to silence their people. Prince John attempted to silence his citizens by taxing them to death, while EA censored words like “DLC,” “Titanfall,” and “white man” in the chat of the beta for Battlefield V. My only hope is Belgium leaves EA crying in dirt road much like Robin Hood did to Prince John.
Sony
No one makes consoles like Sony. No one makes exclusive like Sony. And no one is as arrogant as Sony. Even with the success of their most recent exclusive Marvel’s Spiderman, Sony continues to hold Fortnite accounts hostage which cannot be ignored. With Sony saying ridiculous statements such as “Fortnite is best played on Playstation 4, why would you want to play anywhere else,” you would think Sony is taking confidence lessons from the most arrogant Disney villain of them all: Gaston. Sony can boast about the success of God of War and Marvel’s Spiderman, but Sony’s attitude on cross-play will push players away like Gaston’s attitude pushed away Belle.
Microsoft
While Microsoft has been genuinely been quiet this year, I can sense they have been making some moves to overthrow the king of this generation, Sony. They gathered up studios like Undead Labs, Playground Games, Ninja Theory, and Compulsion Games much like Scar gathering up the hyenas to take down Mufasa. While some might think I would like to see Sony dethroned, I remember Microsoft’s initial announcement of the Xbox One. I remember them saying it always needed to be online, how it wouldn’t run secondhand games, and how it couldn’t be sold without the Kinect. Much like Pride Rock being a barren wasteland under Scar’s rule, gaming would be in a similar situation under Microsoft’s rule, but I wouldn’t count them out. I am sure the Microsoft headquarters are singing “Be Prepared.”
Ubisoft
Ubisoft is certainly in a holding pattern. With both Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and The Division 2 looming on the horizon, it is hard to not get excited when the spreadsheets for games’ different special editions have been released. Ever since Ubisoft released that infamous Watch Dogs special edition spreadsheet, they have done nothing but continue indulging in this excessive practice. With Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and The Division 2 both boasting six different special editions, it is hard to imagine these games steering away from the same open-world formula Ubisoft keeps using and abusing. Ubisoft seems to be so attached to this business model, one could say it was their religion, much like one of Disney’s own zealot, Claude Frollo. Similar to Frollo, I am sure Ubisoft would rather burn down all of Paris than have their way of life challenged. Oh, the French are so dramatic.
Devolver Digital
Now I genuinely, have no issue with Devolver Digital, but one of my favorite things about them is their ability to make me laugh. Their E3 press conference always feels like a breath of comical fresh air in a sea of lies and trickery. Out of the Disney villains, none are better at putting a bigger smile on my face than Hades. Hades always seems to have a witty retort or sarcastic comment, much similar to Devolver Digital’s mockery of the video game industry. So here’s to you Devolver, may you overthrow the gods of Mount Olympus known as Triple-A publishers like Activision-Blizzard, Warner Brothers, and EA.
Nintendo
I have always felt Nintendo has had an “unhealthy” relationship with their fans. Now don’t get me wrong, I think Nintendo excels at making games and consoles, but when they have to make business decisions, well they make some odd choices. Nothing encompasses that more than the new Nintendo Online system. One of the issues with the Nintendo Switch was there were currently no cloud saves available, meaning if your Switch was damaged, you lost all those hours you had on Zelda: Breath of the Wild. With Nintendo’s Online Service, the Switch will finally get the cloud saves fans want… unless you’re playing Splatoon 2, Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu or Eevee, FIFA 19, NBA 2K19, Dead Cells, and Dark Souls. All the non-Nintendo exclusives have cloud saves on other systems, what reason could Nintendo have for not allowing cloud saves. Well, like a fussy mother, Nintendo thinks the temptation to use cloud save to cheat is too great, so clearly you can’t have it. On top of that, if you cancel the Nintendo Online Service, Nintendo will instantly wipe your cloud saves. Microsoft allows cloud saves without a subscription and Sony will hold onto your saves for 6 months. They clearly paint Nintendo as the fussy, paranoid mother who will lock their fanbase away and continue to feed off their energy. Wonder who that sounds like. None other than Rapunzel’s adopted mother, Mother Gothel.
Now I willing to admit not all of these publishers are as bad as I painted them (except EA). Many of them are releasing very good games (except EA). When you support a company for their good games and consoles, you are also supporting their bad habits as well. Keep that in mind, as Brokobter rolls out. Is Marvel’s Spiderman worth endorsing Sony’s attitude on cross-platform play? That’s not my call, it is yours. All I can say is no EA title is worth endorsing ANY of their awful habits. They are the true villains here.