Electronic Arts: Difference between revisions
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{{Hatnote|Further reading: ''[[Spore (game)]]''}}<!-- I believe there is far more controversy to document inside a dedicated article. I also recommend mentioning Darkspore and Spore Adventures, since both of these are directly affected by what EA does with Spore itself. --> | {{Hatnote|Further reading: ''[[Spore (game)]]''}}<!-- I believe there is far more controversy to document inside a dedicated article. I also recommend mentioning Darkspore and Spore Adventures, since both of these are directly affected by what EA does with Spore itself. --> | ||
''Spore'' retains a historical 1.7+ million pirated copies,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Molina |first=Andres |date=21 Jun 2024 |title=How many times was Spore pirated? |url=https://www.ncesc.com/gaming-pedia/how-many-times-was-spore-pirated/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=ncesc.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Van der Sar |first=Ernesto |date=13 Sep 2008 |title=Spore: Most Pirated Game Ever Thanks to DRM |url=https://torrentfreak.com/spore-most-pirated-game-ever-thanks-to-drm-080913/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=TorrentFreak}}</ref> directly related to EA's use of [[SecuROM]].<ref name=":0" /> In more recent years, ''Spore'''s server access was locked down to EA accounts,<ref name=":1">[https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=582350678 How to Connect to Spore Servers (Steam/GOG/EA App)]</ref> mostly | ''Spore'' retains a historical 1.7+ million pirated copies,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Molina |first=Andres |date=21 Jun 2024 |title=How many times was Spore pirated? |url=https://www.ncesc.com/gaming-pedia/how-many-times-was-spore-pirated/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=ncesc.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Van der Sar |first=Ernesto |date=13 Sep 2008 |title=Spore: Most Pirated Game Ever Thanks to DRM |url=https://torrentfreak.com/spore-most-pirated-game-ever-thanks-to-drm-080913/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=TorrentFreak}}</ref> directly related to EA's use of [[SecuROM]].<ref name=":0" /> In more recent years, ''Spore'''s server access was locked down to EA accounts,<ref name=":1">[https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=582350678 How to Connect to Spore Servers (Steam/GOG/EA App)]</ref> mostly because of free [[Steam]] key exploit. This has led to various problems for legitimate consumers who wanted to play the iconic game and its sibling ''Darkspore,'' since according to guides,<ref name=":1" /> users could only have a singular install of the game on any device, were required to have an EA account using an alphanumeric password, and needed a CD key to redeem on the user's EA account.<ref>[https://support.gog.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002333209-Spore-How-to-get-access-to-online-features?product=gog Spore - How to get access to online features]</ref> This has brought concern among the community, leading to community-developed tools to circumvent these server problems.<ref>[https://sporecommunity.com/ Spore Community Hub]</ref> | ||
===License exclusivity=== | ===License exclusivity=== | ||
With various [[Intellectual property|intellectual properties]], from ''Star Wars''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dolen |first=Rob |date=15 Jan 2021 |title=EA No Longer Has Exclusive Rights to Star Wars, But Is It Too Late? |url=https://gamerant.com/ea-no-longer-star-wars-exclusive-publisher-lucasfilm-games-ubisoft-bethesda/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=Game Rant}}</ref> to the NFL, EA has | With various [[Intellectual property|intellectual properties]], from ''Star Wars''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dolen |first=Rob |date=15 Jan 2021 |title=EA No Longer Has Exclusive Rights to Star Wars, But Is It Too Late? |url=https://gamerant.com/ea-no-longer-star-wars-exclusive-publisher-lucasfilm-games-ubisoft-bethesda/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=Game Rant}}</ref> to the NFL, EA has created an artificial monopoly over large genres and major IP of the industry. Its exclusive licenses with various football organizations, such as the AFL and NFL, has resulted in an antitrust lawsuit against it.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110510050257/http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/0611_nfl_ea_wm.pdf</ref> This lawsuit ended in a $600K settlement, but did not resolve the primary problems caused by EA's exclusive deals.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kuchera |first=Ben |date=13 Jun 2008 |title=Lawsuit flags EA for illegal procedure on football monopoly |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2008/06/lawsuit-flags-ea-for-illegal-procedure-on-football-monopoly/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=ArsTechnica}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kravets |first=David |date=28 Jun 2016 |title=EA punts, gives $600k to former football star in Madden NFL rights flap |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/06/ea-punts-gives-600k-to-former-football-star-in-madden-nfl-rights-flap/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=ArsTechnica}}</ref> NCAA players brought additional lawsuits against EA, alleging that it was not authorized to use their likeness in its games. These suits were also settled out of court.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Eder |first=Steve |date=26 Sep 2016 |title=E.A. Sports Settles Lawsuit With College Athletes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/sports/ncaafootball/ea-sports-wont-make-college-video-game-in-2014.html?_r=0 |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/23859858/ea-sports-settles-likeness-suits-thousands-of-current-former-players-eligible-for-money</ref><!--Diminishing quality section here?--> | ||
===Buyouts and closures=== | ===Buyouts and closures=== | ||