EA Talks About Gaming At UDS: It's Boring

[yogi_berra]

You guys sure aren't being welcoming. More like uncivilized baboons shouting profanities...

Couldn't happen to a more deserving publisher. They tried to make 7 day work weeks mandatory for all employees and they reclassified people's job descriptions (illegally) to avoid paying overtime.

Activison is just as bad, but they aren't talking about Linux.

[Larian]

You guys sure aren't being welcoming. More like uncivilized baboons shouting profanities...

Well, the old saying "don't shit where you eat" comes to mind. EA can't talk its way out of a situation it behaved itself into - they spent a lot of time cultivating their negative image, and it's hurting them. Perhaps they don't care (they don't, I just know it), but it's got to demonstrate more than vapid thurmaturgy before anybody is going to love them.

So far, they haven't released anything nor have they done anything but give a 15 minute non-commital on stage. Were this another company like Bethesda, I'll wager you would be seeing a radically different attitude, but this is EA we're talking about.

In short, they've got a lot to make up for, and in large chunks, before they're welcomed with anything other than a cold "what the fuck do you want" attitude.

[t.s.]

Still glad EA are at least paying some attention to Ubuntu. But as we're seeing from many of the responses, many people, even Windows gamers, don't trust EA. They're done a lot of previous damage in that sense unfortunately.

Yeah, right! I'd call that 15-minutes presentation an attention to ubuntu /s

[t.s.]

Seriously, what they think of everybody that attend UDS? Idiots that doesn't know that flash/javascript game can be played across OS? I won't call it attention, but mockery. It's like people that didn't want to come to your party, but had to came because you invited him.

[Hirager]

Seriously, what they think of everybody that attend UDS? Idiots that doesn't know that flash/javascript game can be played across OS? I won't call it attention, but mockery. It's like people that didn't want to come to your party, but had to came because you invited him.

I think it is possible Canonical or Shuttleworth somehow forced EA to do a presentation.

[rustybroomhandle]

I'm kinda glad they won't be infecting the Linux ecosystem too much. EA is a bit like Microsoft in that they tend to destroy the things they touch.

The big hope for Linux gaming is not with big publishers like EA / Ubisoft etc. It's with independently owned companies. *

I've been following the Kickstarter campaigners, mostly developers who wish to make games that publishers won't let them make, and a hefty chunk of them promise Linux support: Double Fine's game, Wasteland 2, FTL, Jane Jensen's Moebius, Two guys from Andromeda, Shadowrun Returns, the Leisure Suit Larry remake, and probably more.

And let's not forget the awesome people at Frozenbyte, and the games that get ported as a result of efforts by Humble Bundle and Icculus.

There's half-assed attempts to put some games in the Linux ecosystem, and then there are those who genuinely support it. I throw money at the latter.


* EDIT: Secretly though I wish someone like Paradox would hop on board though.

[Adarion]

Wait.
They are "porting" browser games? WTF? A browser game? Needs to be ported?
Hey, EA, why not have Dragon Age origins or something like that as a native version?

Ubuntu Software Center? Is that distribution independent or does stuff there only work on Ubuntu? Because clinging to one distribution would mean to have nearly the same problem like games for Windows. It wouldn't make things better.
A "Linux version" of something should mean a package of software that runs natively on any Linux kernel based OS. Give a recommendation of the least kernel version number (2.6.x) and maybe a few major libs that can be expected on about any (desktop) Linux distribution and if you use exotic things just make a static binary. Maybe demand the user to have a working OpenGL implementation. But that should be about all. Then you could really speak of a "Linux" version. And probably something like this might also run straight away on a FreeBSD.

[gbudny]

Activison is just as bad, but they aren't talking about Linux.

Activision isn't bad company, beacause they had problems with Loki Software:

"Activision and Loki Partner to Bring Games to Linux"

http://linuxpr.com/releases/492.html

"An anonymous contributor writes: "As a matter of public record Loki Software has filed Chapter 11."

LinuxReview has the scoop, which is very small:

"Apparently, Loki owes Activision USD 330,000 and Prolix USD 100,000. Here is a graphic of the bankruptcy filing. (14k). Yvonne Desollar of Loki Software stated , "They have no comment at this time" when asked about the bankruptcy proceedings."

http://www.linuxtoday.com/it_managem...81400120NWBZGM

[crazycheese]

Wine

They say, they are platform agnostic company

Right, if you can run the crap in VM or emulator, it is native. I think the people attached to this project by EA are just incompetent. This is first sign of future fail.

[RussianNeuroMancer]

tell me more about that "parts of sims 1" source code.

http://gpl.ea.com/