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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.""
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!
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.
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.
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.
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
i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
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.
//TODO: Think of witty sig statement