EA Takes Over Scrabble App, Wipes Player Histories and Switches Dictionary

New submitter DeathToBill writes "EA is in the midst of another user backlash, the BBC reports. After EA took over operation of the online Scrabble brand, it introduced a 'new and improved' version. Improvements include requiring manual refreshes to see other players' turns, irretrievably wiping players' game history and a switch to the Collins dictionary (rather than the traditional Chambers edition) that has proved deeply unpopular with Scrabble fanatics. "EA was unavailable for comment.""

Comments

Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

[jedidiah]

This seems like the perfect use case for side loading. Avoid whatever misbegotten version EA has managed to put in the official "app store" and install some illicit clone.

It's sad when an official release has you reaching for the equivalent of "Hack Man".

Re:Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

[Anonymous Coward]

Also known as copyright infringement. You should respect EA's copyright.

Re:Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

[Anonymous Coward]

If you've purchased an older version of the app, why wouldn't you be allowed to use an older version of the app?

Or perhaps more directly, why should EA be allowed to execute updates on your device?

Re:Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

[Holi]

It's not EA's copyright it's Mattel's

Re:Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

[Intropy]

You can't copyright a set of rules. You can patent them. You can copyright the specific wording explaining the rules that Scrabble uses. You can trademark the name Scrabble, and the appearance of Scrabble would be trade dress. The patent on Scrabble expired a long time ago. Anyone is free to make a Scrabble clone as long as it doesn't look so similar to the original that people would think it is authorized by the company that owns the original.

Re:Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

[wbr1]

It is an -online- game. You play with others. Your sideloaded older version won't authenticate with the servers. This in itself is a good thing, to prevent older exploited code form communication, and to make sure clients are using the same basic resources and interfaces to any underlying APIs.

Re:Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

[blackraven14250]

Probably because it won't matter. Besides the refresh to see new moves downgrade, everything else changed is likely serverside - dictionary and player history seem like they wouldn't be stored permanently in users' phones' memories.

Re:Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

[headwes]

Or you could just download Wordfeud.

Re:Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

[Immerman]

Hmm, and at that hasn't Scrabble considerably outlived any patent lifespans? I kow I played it as a child yonks ago. So no copyright protection, no patent protection, all that leaves is trademark, and I don't think that's allowed to cover functional elements. So just call it Word Scramble and everything should be fine.

Re:Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

[Hatta]

Anyone is free to make a Scrabble clone as long as it doesn't look so similar to the original that people would think it is authorized by the company that owns the original.

If the board doesn't look like a Scrabble board, if it doesn't have the same number of squares, and the same bonus tiles in the same position, then it's not a Scrabble clone at all.

Re:Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

[stephanruby]

Side-loading won't do squat for a multi-player game with a server-side controlled by the new owner.

Just go to any of the app stores, there are plenty of Scrabble clones. Hasbro Inc. doesn't really own the concept of Scrabble, just the trademark. I assume this is probably because the concept most likely predates Hasbro's version of the game (otherwise, Hasbro would have fought to remove all the Scrabble-like games from all the app stores, or the ones that looked like theirs, and as it stands they didn't)

Re:Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

[Intropy]

Trade dress protecting the appearance of a scrabble board doesn't extend to functional things. The size and placement of the bonus tiles are functional. If you used a similar color scheme, that could be a violation - though it might not be distinctive enough to qualify for protection. The simple test is, "Would a person be confused into thinking he was playing the original, and does that confusion arise from non-functional appearance?"

Re:Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

[Bing Tsher E]

And the biggest problem players are having is that the Leader Boards and all scores in general have been wiped. Even if the playerbase somehow convinced EA to use the old code, their playing histories have been wiped.

If I was playing it, it would be a perfect escape opportunity, since most Facebook games heavily leverage the whole Stockholm Syndrome thing with their player base.

Re: Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

[Anonymous Coward]

Mod up!

Re:Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

[girlintraining]

This in itself is a good thing, to prevent older exploited code form communication, and to make sure clients are using the same basic resources and interfaces to any underlying APIs.

Yeah, because we all know there's big money to be made in hackers exploiting buffer overflows in a scrabble client. Besides, 'powned' is only worth 12 points. I'm not writing an exploit for 12 stupid points.

Re:Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

[Frobnicator]

It's not EA's copyright it's Mattel's

Agreed.

I have worked with Hasbro (owner of Scrabble) before. They are zealots about making sure people precisely follow their brands.

My guess is that Hasbro went nuts over things like the dictionary choice, and demanded EA (who is the licensee) make the changes.

Point your angry fingers at HASBRO who owns the property.

Re:Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

[wbr1]

But haxor is worth 15, more if you exploit a special score routine (ie double or triple square).

In reality I agree that what ea did blows, bit having consistent versioning of class clients is important.

Electronic fArts

[Anonymous Coward]

Terrible company.

How is this newsworthy?

[Anonymous Coward]

Isn't it just common knowledge that EA destroys everything they touch and have zero respect for gamers?

Re:How is this newsworthy?

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

Isn't it just common knowledge that EA destroys everything they touch and have zero respect for gamers?

What kind of amazes me(not entirely, given how EA manages to fuck up things like 'Origin' so completely), is that none of the player-shafting here appears to have actually been in EA's interests...

Manual refresh to see the other player's move? That's just insanity. If anything, the bandwidth eaten by players hammering 'refresh' impatiently will be substantially greater than just having the server push things down when the other player submits their move.

Nuking play histories? Probably made some DBA's life easier(but since when has EA given a damn about the tech peons?), at the expense of cutting existing customers' perceived 'investment' in the platform. Good job, guys...

Switching dictionaries? You'd better have a convincing story about how usurious the licensing costs were for the official one; because the reaction from the hardcore scrabble heads was totally predictable. Those guys are Serious.

Had they taken it over and then larded it with DLC, microtransactions,(Would you like to buy a vowel?), and in-game ads for assorted discordant products, that'd be merely lawful evil of them. This is just stupid evil.

Re:How is this newsworthy?

[Anonymous Coward]

Exactly, these days EA is just a reverse Midas.

Re:How is this newsworthy?

[Anonymous Coward]

The new software development team decided that the code that they inherited "needed" a total rewrite, and now the product is less fully-featured than it was before the acquisition.

Come on, you've seen that happen hundreds of times by now, all throughout the industry.

Re:How is this newsworthy?

[Jeremy Erwin]

From 2003

STATEMENT FROM PHILIP NELKON (MATTEL) AS ISSUED IN DECEMBER SCRABBLE CLUB NEWS

After a great deal of heart-searching, Mattel have decided to end their 20-year relationship with Chambers. The decision was not taken lightly and we all have the utmost respect for the continual development of OSW that Chambers have masterminded over the years.

Our new partner is Harper Collins, publishers of the number one selling dictionary in the UK - Collins English Dictionary.

Sounds like old news-- though my ipad's scrabble app did update its dictionary options fairly recently. Since I'm a novice and have not yet memorized the dictionary,, I took little notice of the change.

Re:How is this newsworthy?

[Anonymous Coward]

Manual refresh to see the other player's move? That's just insanity. If anything, the bandwidth eaten by players hammering 'refresh' impatiently will be substantially greater than just having the server push things down when the other player submits their move.

More refreshes mean more advertisements.

Re:How is this newsworthy?

[ArcadeMan]

Who the hell is Sadim?

Re:How is this newsworthy?

[Paperweight]

They don't even need to bother differentiating between stupid and lawful evil. If they're evil enough they're bound to make money somehow.

Re:How is this newsworthy?

[hypergreatthing]

Because every time you refresh you can show a new ad.
Because hurr durr lets try and save some money, switch dictionaries around.
Because a new manager/bean counter wants a fat raise.

Re:How is this newsworthy?

[PRMan]

The dictionary (SOWPODS) is a factual list and not subject to copyright. They don't even need to license it. You can easily download it free from tons of places.

Re:How is this newsworthy?

[Anonymous Coward]

Only if the devs are too retarded to figure out how to push new advertisements through when they want.

Re:How is this newsworthy?

[Anonymous Coward]

<troll>Wasn't that the guy that planned 911? Sadim Hussein?</troll>

Anyway, reverse Midas actual name is King Phaecys.

Re:How is this newsworthy?

[Bing Tsher E]

Isn't it just common knowledge that EA destroys everything they touch and have zero respect for gamers?

These are Facebook gamers. There was never anything to respect.

Re:How is this newsworthy?

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you missed the last sentence in the first paragraph which states although the current Collins Scrabble Words, or CSW, is in effect the full SOWPODS list by a different name.

Re:How is this newsworthy?

[Anonymous Coward]

Given all of those changes, I assume they aren't really changes. That is, it's probably an entire fresh app that EA wrote that has nothing to do with the old app.

That's Right EA.

[Krojack]

Keep digging that hole you're in even deeper.

Re:That's Right EA.

[grasshoppa]

What hole? Users still line up to buy their shit. EA execs know gamers will continue to fork over the cash for shit. As a gamer myself, I can't help but marvel at the stupidity that requires.

Watch; EA has control of star wars. I guarantee they pull the same shit with forthcoming SW games, and they'll make a mint regardless of the quality of the game itself, nor how the company chooses to abuse the consumer this time around. Oh, we'll all whine, bitch and moan. Then we'll turn around and buy the DLC and expansions.

Re:That's Right EA.

[amiga3D]

I think sometimes that people like getting screwed by the companies they do business with. It is some kind of perverse relationship. You give them money and they fuck you. It's been doing well for them. I bought a game from them back in the Commodore 64 days. For 39.95 I got a game that took about 5 and a half minutes to load and hammered my C1541 disk drive into misalignment with the added bonus it got so hot I could use it to boil water as well. Me being the type that holds a grudge I pirated EA games from that point on. Besides the obvious monetary savings I got games that loaded in about 20-30 seconds and my disk drive stayed in alignment. Win-Win!

Re:That's Right EA.

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, shucks. I guess their HotPlate app was just ahead of its time!

Re:That's Right EA.

[JakeBurn]

People said the same thing years ago when they ruined Dark Age of Camelot trying to make believe they could force a better game in Warhammer. So to be completely honest, they seem to be getting better since now each decision only f's up one game instead of two at the same time.
I haven't bought anything by EA since and will never buy a game that needs Origin regardless of what studio makes it. Too many other choices to waste time with a company like EA.

Re:That's Right EA.

[peragrin]

5 days ago the BBC had this article
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22801311

i think this situation with Scrabble explains why EA will never stop being hated.

Just how poorly must your company be run if you fuck up scrabble, that you bought. EA Purchased scrabble from Mattel, Mattel ran it successively for many many years. Just moving it over to EA's servers completely destroyed everything.

EA will always be hated. And Scrabble shows us why

Re:That's Right EA.

[Dogtanian]

Just how poorly must your company be run if you fuck up scrabble, that you bought.

Traditionally, the problem with computer versions of games like Scrabble is that companies had to find an excuse to sell new versions of the same concept every year (or whenever). This seems to have been the case with the PC versions of scrabble. Which generally resulted in contrived and pointless secondary features, or worse, their messing around with the basic game itself (and just as likely screwing it up). For example, the countless stupid variants of Tetris (like Tetris Worlds) even though the original didn't need all that rubbish, or pointless updates of "classic" games like Space Invaders with stupid gimmickry that appear on every console.

Of course, this shouldn't apply to online games. People can (or should) keep paying- or attract advertisable eyeballs- as long as they're playing. However, it might be that someone felt that there was a need to keep the game fresh and interesting for fickle casual players (whether that was true or not).

That said, my gut reaction is that it's not even at that level of cynical-but-in-good-faith... it's more plausible that someone in the company is doing this purely for the sake of being seen to be doing something, thus justifying their job. Doing nothing while the money rolls in might be fine, but then... why are they employing that manager and his team? Some guy telling his boss that what Mattel or the previous management did was fine, and they should keep doing that isn't really making himself look good, even if that's logically the best thing to do.

So they'll change for the sake of change.

Re:That's Right EA.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm no fan of EA, but your example is poor. DAOC failed when it was owned by Mythic due to swinging a constant nerf bat to appease people whining on their forums. It was long gone before EA took over.

Re:That's Right EA.

[Clsid]

Sorry, in my case I refuse to buy any more games from them. I do want to play Mass Effect 3 and the new Battlefield when it comes out, but I can live without it just fine. And it's not so much that the games are bad quality as it was the case of SimCity and others, but more that what they did with Battlefield 3 where they charged premium for a game, only to act as if the game was a freemium game afterwards is totally unacceptable to me.

Besides, it's not like there aren't competing titles anyway, and nowadays, playing something like Metro 2033 or Bioshock Infinite is a lot more refreshing than just playing the latest version of BF or CoD.

Re:That's Right EA.

[SethJohnson]

EA doesn't own Scrabble. They've licensed it from Hasbro and are now responsible for the Facebook and mobile phone releases. The previous Facebook version was developed by Gamehouse. I wouldn't say either Gamehouse or EA have done good jobs with their releases. If they had, there would be no market for Words with Friends. That entire game is successful because of Scrabble fans who hate the versions made by Gamehouse and EA.

Re:That's Right EA.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm somehow under the impression that users are actually buying less of their shit now than before.

Re:Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

This article is about how you can get free advertisement. Move along.

Yep, because nothing makes me more interested in checking out a game than learning of an unpopular change.

It serves as a reminder that EA are a bunch of assholes. Lest we forget.

100% user hit rate.

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, I'd say that's one way to piss off not just part of your user base, but every single player at the same time.

That's actually...sadly impressive.

They screw up all that BUT

[a_big_favor]

They didn't change the scoring of the letters.

Re:They screw up all that BUT

[NoNonAlphaCharsHere]

  p
  o
  o
screw
  h

Re:Pizza

[Anonymous Coward]

i think this dictionary swap is having a larger effect then expected.

Feeding the Beast

[Major Ralph]

The problem with EA is that they have shitty customer relations/service, and are incredibly greedy. So people get all pissed off and swear they'll never buy another game published by EA ever again. But we forget that EA owns a lot of really great developers that make some kickass games (Anyone excited for the new Battlefront?). So we end up buying the awesome games and just feed the beast a little more.

Re:Feeding the Beast

[Anonymous Coward]

The problem with EA is that they have shitty customer relations/service, and are incredibly greedy. So people get all pissed off and swear they'll never buy another game published by EA ever again. But we forget that EA owns a lot of really great developers that make some kickass games (Anyone excited for the new Battlefront?). So we end up buying the awesome games and just feed the beast a little more.

Nope, not excited for Battlefront at all.

I think what most people are missing is that if the EA brand name ever gets sullied enough that most consumers start avoiding them, they'll just change their name and logo. Sure, the serious gamers won't fall for it, but they'll keep raking in the cash from the other 99% of people who buy video games.

Re:Feeding the Beast

[Anonymous Coward]

As one person out of the 7+ billion on the planet, I can say that EA has lost my business. I loved Dragon Age - and then they killed the game play and I never bought any of the subsequent DLC packs, nor any of the DA sequel games. I loved Mass Effect 2 - and then they botched ME3 (which tragically I bought) - but I have never bought any additional DLC packs, nor will I be buying ME4.

EA could have made much more money from me if they would allow the game developers to actually create good games. Instead there is a clear trend that EA pushes the game developers (who created great games prior to being bought by EA) to cut corners and schedules and then lose potential revenue (which is ironic given that EA is clearly thinking that this strategy is making them money).

In terms of whether EA is making the right choices, well, look at their stock price (which has been dropping for some time), look at the lest of key people who have left EA recently - it is pretty clear that EA is not well run and is not actually making money - mostly because it is run by bankers who only understand the concept of "spend less money" and have no idea what a game company has to do to *make* money...

Re:Feeding the Beast

[Dan93]

They own a lot of brands that USED to be great before EA bought them, and ran them into the ground. Before EA bought Bioware, I used to buy Bioware's games without knowing much about them because Bioware always made outstanding games. Since EA bought them, the quality of those games has went down the toilet, and I honestly doubt I'll buy the next dragon age game that comes out simply because DA 2 was complete shit. Honestly, it was the same with the Mass Effect games. Same with Maxis, and a dozen other brands.

Re:Feeding the Beast

[jandrese]

Yep, I was glad that the last Mass Effect was the final game of the trilogy, because now I don't have to buy it again. Also, the game was such a disaster (IMHO) that it pretty much ruined the franchise for me anyway. I mean the books were horrible too, but they were tertiary, you could ignore them pretty easily. Having the final game suck harder than Phantom Menace was inexcusable.

Re:Feeding the Beast

[mcrbids]

The logic here is simply borken.

They are buying all these other companies and turning their products into crap and nobody buys them anymore because it's crap all the way down, as far as the eye can see...

So, where did they get the money in the first place to buy all these other companies?

Love it or hate it making quality stuff is *expensive*. Making a mid range game that a lot of people buy can be far more profitable than making a stellar game that a lot of people buy. First off, the risk is lower making a mid line game because the up front investment is far less.

If it didn't work then EA wouldn't dominate the games industry like it does. (sadly)

Re:Feeding the Beast

[peragrin]

I won't knowing buy a game from EA.

However EA doesn't always advertise it's brand boldly. some times it is a tiny logo on the back of the box, and you don't see the bold EA logo until you boot it up for the first time.

Re:Feeding the Beast

[gl4ss]

but ea needs to keep buying and buying popular studios and franchises(but not too popular since if they were wildly profitable they wouldn't be on sale to EA at a price ea was paying!). they could do better business by simply not fucking up their old franchises - somehow it seems that once they take over all the talent or motivation walks out of the door.

this scrabble debacle is just the same thing.

now as for dragon age, the first game had good gameplay and very high production values. the next game done with ea at helm(and with all the money and support of a successful franchise) had neither - didn't even have a decent story that would have tied to the overall story dragon age story or the world set up in the previous game - and seemed like it was done with significantly less resources which mattered(horrible focus effects to hide awful virtual world on close up shots of people and horrible quality of scenery and most importantly horrible re-usage of locations, you visit same places 3-5 times with different bad guys).

just because you throw money at something doesn't make it quality. this new version of scrabble probably had bigger resources than the old one - at least dollar wise, though it had probably more administrative costs - but still the old one managed to implement push updates and this new one didn't - that's just fucking lazy.

besides, who the hell can even tell the difference between a mid range and a high range game anymore? the low end, sure, you can tell the difference, but in mid to high range of budgets it seems that there is no change in resources used(this is maybe explained that many companies spend a ton of money on just asking focus groups what they think of the game before it's ready.. since they lack general idea about what game they are even trying to do).

Re:Feeding the Beast

[AmiMoJo]

In this case they bought it when it wasn't owned by EA. I think there is a fair chance many of them won't buy another EA game now.

Re:Feeding the Beast

[Algae_94]

I'm really curious though, if there was a Mass Effect 4, would you "have" to buy it? That's really what they live on, getting people sucked in and shoveling shit their way.

Re:Feeding the Beast

[fustakrakich]

Game buyers are supposed to apply economic sanctions against them so the developers revolt or seek asylum elsewhere.

Re:Feeding the Beast

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm really curious though, if there was a Mass Effect 4, would you "have" to buy it? That's really what they live on, getting people sucked in and shoveling shit their way.

They killed the player character at the end of ME3 so there's no room for a literal sequel, just a new-character-with-same-setting sequel which means that you aren't invested so don't need to care.

Even if ME4 is a prequel, it does not matter because the story is already closed, learning about stuff that happened before the first game is only important to people who are still invested in the character which ME3 killed nicely.

The problem with shovelling out shit is that you burn through your customer's good will which causes sales to drop as it burns out. This is basically EA's business model; they buy good studios who have established or promising franchises, run those franchises into the ground then dissolve the studio and use the proceeds to buy another victim. They're like a parasite moving from host to host, draining everything good out until there's nothing left.

Re:Feeding the Beast

[arth1]

I think what most people are missing is that if the EA brand name ever gets sullied enough that most consumers start avoiding them, they'll just change their name and logo.

Wot, you mean like changing their name to "Amazin' Software", and using a logo consisting of a cube, a sphere and a pyramid?

Re:Feeding the Beast

[Anonymous Coward]

Thats why I don the eyepatch and tri-corner hat when it comes to EA games.
I have watched in dismay as many of my favourite devs entered into the auto-erotic asphyxiation circlejerk that is commonly called EA, only for them to find out that EA decided to change the safety word without letting anyone else know.

Re:Feeding the Beast

[Ash-Fox]

They killed the player character at the end of ME3

Mine survived, you're just bad at the game.

Re:Feeding the Beast

[jandrese]

Doesn't matter, they still killed the universe (to save it!) at the end of ME3 anyway.

Re:Feeding the Beast

[Ash-Fox]

Doesn't matter, they still killed the universe (to save it!) at the end of ME3 anyway.

I saved the universe in my ending, again, you're just bad at the game.

Re:Feeding the Beast

[jandrese]

You hacked the game so it didn't destroy the Mass Effect gates? The Kobyashi Maru ending? You know, the things that, when destroyed, release enough energy to obliterate the solar system it is installed in as per the in-game encyclopedia?

Re:Feeding the Beast

[Ash-Fox]

You hacked the game so it didn't destroy the Mass Effect gates?

I had the synthesis ending (remember, all ships were capable of FTL without the mass relays, that's how you were able to visit distant systems without mass relays), where it's clear the universe didn't end with Shepherd breathing.

Re:Feeding the Beast

[jandrese]

Yep, and except for the Quarian fleet, all ships would run out of fuel before they got very far using "conventional" FTL. Those few ships that weren't obliterated in the gate explosions at any rate.

Re:Feeding the Beast

[Ash-Fox]

Sounds like a good starting point for a new game (although unlikely since Bioware only wanted to do three in the series).

Self-destruction trend

[Anonymous Coward]

Pioneered by Microsoft, now Nintendo, and now game publishers

are they still scrabbling around for a reponse

[Anonymous Coward]

or just lost for words?

Re:are they still scrabbling around for a reponse

[BLToday]

neither, they're trying to find some friends to play word games with them.

New Rule

[Anonymous Coward]

All media must stop writing about EA anything. Everyone else can/must happily forget they ever existed and shall hence forth ignore all EA based products.

As a side note, the fact that EA can continue to make such a horrible experience for their customers and still be profitable and/or in business is a testament to the sad state of our existence. We have such an instant gratification culture (mainly in US but it is spreading globally) that we are often will to pay to forget the sins of the past so long as the potential for more cheap gratification exists.

Restoring data

[Anonymous Coward]

The data is not lost forever. It might not be compatible with the current version, but that data is on a backup somewhere. If EA returns to the old edition, they could easily restore users' scores and stats.

Re:Restoring data

[BattleApple]

EA probably said they didn't want the data, or didn't want to bother transferring it, so Mattel destroyed it. It could have been a requirement in the contract.

so glad to see EA is back in the game again.

[nimbius]

after the latest SimCity i was afraid i might never see EA release another title again. However with this latest acquisition i can see EA is still dedicated to the tradition of alienating consumers, infuriating players, and pedaling the franchise ever further into the dirt. A worry had crossed my mind that perhaps they might suddenly change direction, or maybe continue the sincere course the original developers had maintained for so long in order to foster a thriving online gaming community. Yet once i heard "EA was unavailable for comment," I signed in relief and smiled to myself, knowing somewhere, somehow, John Riccitiello's biggest care in the world was trying to find a port of call that not only offered both legitimate cuban cigars as well as fine vintage scotch, but could also fit the likes of his superyacht in on short-notice. Carry on you brave pioneer of the digital age.

Re:so glad to see EA is back in the game again.

[leonardluen]

With the new Xbox, Microsoft seems to be trying really hard to compete with EA for the top spot of alienating their customers

Re:so glad to see EA is back in the game again.

[Quince alPillan]

I'm sure the new Madden 2015 or the new Need for Speed for the XBOX One will be the trifecta of poor customer service.

Re:so glad to see EA is back in the game again.

[Anonymous Coward]

But EA just want to be loooovvvvvved! Why won't people love EA?! LOVE THEM!

Re:so glad to see EA is back in the game again.

[Dan93]

True, but EA has been doing it longer, and they're better at it, at least in the gaming comunity.

Re:so glad to see EA is back in the game again.

[Anonymous Coward]

With the new Xbox, Microsoft seems to be trying really hard to compete with EA for the top spot of alienating their customers

THAT'S the Microsoft we know and love to hate! Sure glad they're coming back to chase out these new whippersnappers in the hate category!

Re:so glad to see EA is back in the game again.

[jandrese]

Are you kidding? The Xbone is everything Microsoft's customers said they wanted.

What? Oh, you're confused. Microsoft's customers aren't the people who buy their console, they're EA, Activision, etc... That's who the console was designed for.

Re:so glad to see EA is back in the game again.

[ArhcAngel]

You do know Peter Moore ( COO of EA ) is from Microsoft...right?

Re:so glad to see EA is back in the game again.

[Anonymous Coward]

you forget win8

Re:so glad to see EA is back in the game again.

[peragrin]

what is better is that 4 days ago at E3 EA president said he wanted EA to stop being hated .

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22801311

EA took a working piece of software and FUBAR'd it so badly that it is essentially non functional. And they did it with a simple game like scrabble.

Re: so glad to see EA is back in the game again.

[Pluvius]

Guess who's MS's closest partner on the Xbone?

Rob

Re:so glad to see EA is back in the game again.

[Algae_94]

That doesn't really indicate which company has been doing it longer or better. You know Peter Moore didn't start everything at EA in 2007, right?

Re:so glad to see EA is back in the game again.

[marcosdumay]

what is better is that 4 days ago at E3 EA president said he wanted EA to stop being hated.

And I want to lose 10 pounds. Yeah, I'm eating all that desert with soda, but I still want to lose that weight - if it somehow is gone, I'll be happy.

Re:so glad to see EA is back in the game again.

[ArhcAngel]

I'm saying EA and Microsoft are two sides of the same coin.

Re:so glad to see EA is back in the game again.

[Algae_94]

I can get on board with that idea.

FUCK your fans!

[Thud457]

You should respect EA's copyright.

Why?
EA isn't.

Re:Pizza

[mephox]

Is this reality?

The board I have at home is operating correctly...

[Anonymous Coward]

Along with my paper dictionary.

EA and the NSA continue to demonstrate that the digital world is too fragile for society to rely on.

Re:Pizza

[Anonymous Coward]

(Is this just fantasy.)

Re:Pizza

[Anonymous Coward]

Is this just fantasy?

Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality

Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see...

Re:Pizza

[Anonymous Coward]

caught in a landslide

Three Years

[Anonymous Coward]

Three years running?

Re:Pizza

[Half-pint HAL]

Triple word score.

All 4 users must be pissed

[Gothmolly]

All 70-somethings whose children gave them IPads for christmas must be really upset!

Re:All 4 users must be pissed

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, my brother Seth, my Sister Gwendolyn, and our Ma Baker...are crying in our dressing gowns....

Re:Pizza

[Agent0013]

no escape from reality

Re:Pizza

[djdanlib]

I need no cheater tools, because it's easy spell, easy score

well, there is always

[houbou]

Wordsmith.. My personal favorite anyways.

Re:Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

It serves as a reminder that EA are a bunch of assholes. Lest we forget.

I had that tattooed on my ass. I sure hope they never get their act together or I'm going to have some explaining to do.

Copyright the bonus squares

[tepples]

You can't copyright a set of rules.

But you can copyright the locations of bonus squares, even if it deeply affects the game's strategy. That's why Words With Friends (doesn't someone else own the trademark on those initials?) uses a diamond-shape motif instead of Scrabble's X shape motif. Yes, I know it's like copyrighting the dimensions of a basketball court.

Re:Copyright the bonus squares

[Immerman]

Isn't copyright expressly prohibited from covering informational content and functional elements?

Re:Copyright the bonus squares

[tepples]

Board layout probably wouldn't qualify as "functional elements" according to Tetris v. Xio.

Re:Copyright the bonus squares

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

I am convinced Alex Baldwin got thrown off the plane deliberately to bring attention to Words With Friends, which would make his actions much more illegal than just being an ass.

Why did no investigators or journalists "follow the money?"

Nuking player histories is good ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Nuking player history make a perverse sort of sense, assuming EA doesn't have a subscription model. I mean, these are people who've already bought the game. Now they're just an expense, right? Adios, suckers.
Works fine this quarter.

Re:Really?

[CanHasDIY]

This article is about how you can get free advertisement. Move along.

Yep, because nothing makes me more interested in checking out a game than learning of an unpopular change.

It serves as a reminder that EA are a bunch of assholes. Lest we forget.

Verily; behold the obligatory

Exclusive rights to football

[tepples]

Users still line up to buy their shit.

They have no choice. With EA owning exclusive rights to the National Football League, Arena Football, NCAA, and even FIFA, what league is a competing developer of football video games supposed to use? Fictional leagues don't work so well because the majority of people buy the game to play as a particular team.

Re:Exclusive rights to football

[Grishnakh]

So what? No one needs to play a football game, much less one with particular real-life teams hardcoded in rather than fictional teams.

If people think they absolutely need such a game that much, then they're a fool and they deserve to be separated from their money. I have zero sympathy.

Re:Exclusive rights to football

[sjames]

When I was growing up, the 'teams' were just little LEDs and we *LIKED* it that way. Now get off my lawn!

Re:Exclusive rights to football

[Chris Mattern]

When I was growing up, the 'teams' were just little LEDs and we *LIKED* it that way

Hah! When I was growing up, the teams were little figurines on plastic bases with a vibrating table. And we LOVED it that way!

Re:Exclusive rights to football

[Anonymous Coward]

House wives liked that table too, but for slightly different reasons. "Mom, why does my football game smell like Red Lobster?"

Re:Exclusive rights to football

[fustakrakich]

Users still line up to buy their shit.

They have no choice.

I'm sorry. What?

Re:Exclusive rights to football

[Clsid]

I think playing something like PES is completely enjoyable. Maybe NHL is a different story. But if you truly cannot live without playing with a fictional team, I suggest you only buy one of those every other year. But really, you should just avoid their products in the long run, lack of money it's the only thing that will make them change.

Re:Exclusive rights to football

[Anonymous Coward]

So what? No one needs to play a football game, much less one with particular real-life teams hardcoded in rather than fictional teams.

If people think they absolutely need such a game that much, then they're a fool and they deserve to be separated from their money. I have zero sympathy.

There are people who only buy sports games. Sport games are EA's biggest money spinners.

I won't pretend to understand why someone would want to play those games, I don't even understand what's supposed to be fun about driving games or flight simulators, but those people exist.

Re:Exclusive rights to football

[CannonballHead]

When I was growing up, the teams were life-sized humans on grass.

Which, actually, is why we're on your lawn. ;)

Re:Exclusive rights to football

[Grishnakh]

I agree, I have no idea what's supposed to be fun about these games either. I think they're idiotic. Then again, I think most spectator sports are a complete waste of time and not interesting at all (esp. baseball!).

Even so, suppose instead of sports games, their forte was dungeon games like I used to enjoy when I was younger and had a lot more time for such things (DnD, Ultima, etc.). No one needs to play dungeon games, even if I really like them personally, and if their only advantage over some other companys' competing dungeon games is that theirs are (let's say, I'm trying to come up with some supposed hypothetical advantage here) official Ultima spin-offs, or official TSR-endorsed games, or whatever, I'd still be a complete idiot to buy their games given the horrible reputation EA has earned over the past 10+ years for both the quality of their games and the way they treat customers.

Re:Pizza

[Dishevel]

Open your eyes,

Re:Really?

[ArcadeMan]

And with the XBox One, this vgcats strip now also applies to Microsoft as well as EA.

It's like these two companies don't give a fuck about their own paychecks.

Re:Pizza

[Aerokii]

Look up to the skies, and seeeeee

This is why EA sucks

[Anonymous Coward]

And when they win worst company in america again next year, they're going to complain about it again.

To be clear: This is for non-US

[Anonymous Coward]

In the US, EA has been the Scrabble app provider for some time, and nothing has changed.

It's outside the US that this impacts people. Presumably the wiping of histories is due to a lack of agreement between parties.

Re:To be clear: This is for non-US

[Anonymous Coward]

That's OK then. Everyone outside the US I know uses word feud.

Oh come now

[jameshofo]

They probably just did a "mv" rather than a "cp" when they where exporting the data to a USB stick to send to the NSA. I'm sure such a respected company such as E...A.... oh those guys. Yea "supprise!", you mean you thought the company of Entertainment Assholes was afraid of shaking up a few pesky users?

Re:Pizza

[Anonymous Coward]

Look up to the skies and seeeeeeee.........

Re:Really?

[Grishnakh]

Of course they care about profits, it's all they care about. However, they're not too worried about that when suckers keep buying their crap, regardless of how shitty it is. The vgcats comic is right: if you don't like the game, why did you buy it? Yes, it's hard to try games before you buy them, but MS and EA have long reputations for shittiness, so at this point if you buy anything from them, you deserve whatever you get. It's not like you're taking a chance on some new indie game studio's product; I've been reading stories about how awful EA is for well over a decade now.

Re:Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

It serves as a reminder that EA are a bunch of assholes. Lest we forget.

I bought a couple of their ipad apps (scrabble and monopoly) on sale. They suck so hard I won't ever buy any other game with the EA name attached to it.

EA don't get into the pinball market you just F* i

[Joe_Dragon]

EA don't get into the pinball market you just F* it up and your 80 hour work weeks will just take the devs and coders time away so they can't show up and play at local arcades.

Re:Pizza

[Anonymous Coward]

I"m just a poor boy

Re:Pizza

[Anonymous Coward]

Open your eyes

Re:Pizza

[SuperTechnoNerd]

No. This is an exercise.

Re: Pizza

[FenwayFrank]

I need no sympathy

Re:Really?

[interval1066]

Testify! Just yesterday I was reading some guff here and there about EA's damage control for their plainly bad player relations history. Now this. *facepalm*

Re:Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Have fun trying to explain what EA was to your grand kids.

Re: Pizza

[Saethan]

Because I'm easy come, easy go

Re: Pizza

[sconeu]

Easy come, easy go...

Re:Really?

[CanHasDIY]

Of course they care about profits, it's all they care about. However, they're not too worried about that when suckers keep buying their crap, regardless of how shitty it is. The vgcats comic is right: if you don't like the game, why did you buy it? Yes, it's hard to try games before you buy them, but MS and EA have long reputations for shittiness, so at this point if you buy anything from them, you deserve whatever you get. It's not like you're taking a chance on some new indie game studio's product; I've been reading stories about how awful EA is for well over a decade now.

My posting of the comic has nothing to do with the quality of Mass Effect 3 on launch day, and everything to do with the attitude that companies like EA have towards their customers (without whom there would be no EA).

But yea, you are right in a "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me" sense.

Re:Pizza

[Picass0]

I'm just a poor boy

Re:Pizza

[BattleApple]

a little QI, little JO

Re:Pizza

[PRMan]

You mean your "za"?

Re:Really?

[Immerman]

Sorry man, that "EA Headquarters" tattoo still only works properly if it's on their *own* ass.

Re: Pizza

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, yes you do.

Re:Pizza

[KZigurs]

Oh FFS - this isn't reddit!

scribal errors

[Anonymous Coward]

They most likely just removed nonsensical words like e.g. Linux. That apperently only premium quality office software correctly detects as a scribal error. :D

Re:Pizza

[game kid]

Maybe not.

Re:EA don't get into the pinball market you just F

[Trepidity]

Pinball was actually one of the first things EA did...

Summary should clarify some things

[fafalone]

This is about the Facebook version. The Android version, already run by EA, has neither changed dictionaries nor dropped scores and ratings (I just logged in to check).

Also, I'm a bit confused about the dictionaries. Isn't the Collins/Chambers list for international play? Doesn't the US version still use OWL2+Long Words from NASPA? Or is there only 1 version? I don't play on FB, and TFA doesn't clarify.

Re:Summary should clarify some things

[Anonymous Coward]

OTOH, the Android version won't let you play against the machine (which I believe the paid iOS version does), and has no paid version for avoiding ads. It's a pain. I used to play the Palm version, which did let you play against the machine.
For the record, I'd pay up to $15 for an Android version that has no ads and lets me play against the machine.

Re:Summary should clarify some things

[gl4ss]

umm wtf so the words you can use are different form the version they publish on facebook and the version they publish on android? don't they have anyone overseeing it as a whole beyond the numbers?

Re:EA don't get into the pinball market you just F

[Anonymous Coward]

EA don't get into the pinball market you just F* it up and your 80 hour work weeks will just take the devs and coders time away so they can't show up and play at local arcades.

Wait, you're saying Stern didn't already screw it up?

Re:Pizza

[oodaloop]

Look cup two disguise, antsy

Re: Pizza

[Anonymous Coward]

Because I'm easy come, easy go
Little high, little low

Summary should clarify some things

[fafalone]

This is about the Facebook version. The Android version, already run by EA, has neither changed dictionaries nor dropped scores and ratings (I just logged in to check). Also, I'm a bit confused about the dictionaries. Isn't the Collins/Chambers list for international play? Doesn't the US version still use OWL2+Long Words from NASPA? Or is there only 1 version? I don't play on FB, and TFA doesn't clarify.

Re:Pizza

[BattleApple]

A little QI, little JO

all of the big pizza chains suck smaller ones are

[Joe_Dragon]

all of the big pizza chains suck smaller ones are a lot better.

Not a problem

[Anonymous Coward]

Online Scrabble was garbage for a long time until the recent upgrade. That's how Words With Friends got so popular, no one but true fanatics would actually use Hasbro's/EA's Scrabble. I just assumed Scrabble sucked because EA was in charge. Whatever the reason for the change, I find the new version to be a much needed improvement, it's actually on par with WWF now. But then, I don't care about the stats because I'm a lousy player. And English speaking players can choose which of the two dictionaries to use, they're not forced to use one or the other. It basically comes down to some people just don't like change, even if it is for the better.

Re:Pizza

[Anonymous Coward]

You missed the parent comment.

Reddit does this stuff better.....

Re:Pizza

[Anonymous Coward]

FFS isnt a valid word. You lose a turn.

Re:First World Problem

[Anonymous Coward]

I think we've struck the definition of a "first world problem".

Or maybe it's a "first word problem" now that they have switched the dictionary?

Re:EA don't get into the pinball market you just F

[WhirledOne]

...Except that EA bought Pinball Construction Set from Bill Budge. I had (still have) the original BudgeCo version of that game for my Apple //e. Great times.

If they could arrange it, EA would...

[AmazingRuss]

.... line up all the players and kick them in the nuts, one by one. So be glad.

Electronic Arse: It's Sin - The Game

[Dogtanian]

Bite my shiny Electronic Arse!

Just drop it

[psymastr]

Just use another Scrabble-like implementation. It's not exactly the most complex game in the world to implement. Yahoo has had Literati for about a decade, and it works fine.

Re:EA don't get into the pinball market you just F

[Joe_Dragon]

they out lasted capcom, WMS, Gottlieb, and a few others. Still made in the USA as well. Also pinball is back right now.

EA Noobs

[Anonymous Coward]

LOL, what did people expect, it's EA! Noobs!

Re:Really?

[Algae_94]

They've been making games for 30 years already. It's quite likely his grandkids will still be dealing with their crap. Gamers seem willing to put up with absolutely horrendous levels of crap.

Re:EA don't get into the pinball market you just F

[Anonymous Coward]

they out lasted capcom, WMS, Gottlieb, and a few others. Still made in the USA as well. Also pinball is back right now.

Yes, but most pinball aficionados would argue Stern's tables are generally of inferior quality and design to the older Williams tables. It's just that they're really the only ones making them at all right now, so it's hard to get a good modern comparative baseline.

Re:Pizza

[fisted]

if this is what happens on reddit, then i'm glad not to use it

Re: Pizza

[Kazymyr]

Little high, little low...

Re:Really?

[CodeHxr]

While I agree whole-heartedly with your statement, I don't think this is limited to gamers. Look at the state of affairs in the US as a whole...

Re:Really?

[Clsid]

I agree. What would it take for gamers to actually start a movement to boycott EA. I know that even if Battlefield and Need for Speed looks cool, I'm sure as hell not going to give any money to that company again. There are a lot of competing products out there, especially now that Codemasters released Grid 2. But actions like mine are insignificant when done on your own, since I'm pretty sure somebody at EA is probably laughing their ass off when they see that somebody is refusing to buy their products.

Re: Pizza

[Anonymous Coward]

Anyway the wind blows, doesn't really matter

Re:Really?

[Frobnicator]

I really don't think it was EA this time. Sure EA implemented the changes, but they are just the middle men.

I have worked with Hasbro (owner of Scrabble) before. They are zealots about making sure people precisely follow their brands.

My guess is that Hasbro brand managers went nuts over things like the dictionary choice, and demanded EA (who is the exclusive Hasbro licensee) make the changes. I can also see Hasbro brand managers demanding that people who gained a score on the unofficial rule sets have those scores wiped.

Point your angry fingers at HASBRO who actually owns the property.

Re:The board I have at home is operating correctly

[Anonymous Coward]

What's your problem with the National Scrabble Association?

They are testing people.

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a wide test to monitor rebellion potential amongst people.

Re:Really?

[Maritz]

But yea, you are right in a "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me" sense.

I think what you're trying to say is "a fooled man can't git fooled again".

Re:Pizza

[Inda]

In all honesty, it's not so different to here if you stay away from the porn and memes. There's a wealth of knowledge on some of the sub-reddits. They have the inside jokes, just like we do here.

Re:Pizza

[asdf7890]

But who truthfully stays away from the porn?!

Though I'm with you on the 'king memes.

Wow

[MitchDev]

It's pretty hard to fuck up Scrabble, but then again, this is EA we're talking about...

Re:Pizza

[Ginger Unicorn]

C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!

Re:Really?

[BrokenSoldier]

The games official dictionary was changed in 2005, so EA changing it now is just playing catch up.

EA dictionary

[Anonymous Coward]

"EA is in the midst of another user backlash, the BBC reports. After EA took over operation of the online Scrabble brand, it introduced a 'new and improved' version. Improvements include requiring manual refreshes to see other players' turns, irretrievably wiping players' game history and a switch to the Collins dictionary (rather than the traditional Chambers edition) that has proved deeply unpopular with Scrabble fanatics. "EA was unavailable for comment.""

New dictionary has two words in it

GREED
MONEY

Re:Really?

[interval1066]

EA still executed the current state of affairs. And they already have a bad rep. Its too late. I still refuse to buy an EA title.

Electronic Farts

[Manty01Actual]

EF really, really hates it when you call them on their total sh*t product devolvement, don't be surprised. Given the wide range of issues that their products generally have always had, it's a wonder anyone buys their garbage still

Re:Really?

[Samizdata]

Aaaaaaaah. EA. Pinball Construction Set. Archon, M.U.L.E., Starflight, Seven Cities of Gold... What an awesome company....

Sorry. Unstuck in time there for a second...

Yeah, what assholes...

Re:Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sorry you're in the wrong place.

This is the room where we all hate on EA. Piss Off.

Re:The board I have at home is operating correctly

[asylumx]

You mean your "Words with Friends" board game?