EA slowly taking over the world

[Galaxy]

Electronic Arts has bought 20% of Ubi Soft.
http://money.cnn.com/2004/12/20/tech..._ubisoft.reut/

[jmmijo]

I still remember the golden days when Archon and M.U.L.E. were released and I think somebody named Trip Hawkins started the company

[manicx]

Electronics Arts recently opened Greek headquarters and as far as I am concerned they will soon seek developers over here. They have made a big opening to the market...

[Tim Janssen]

No! no! Not UBI Soft! They and Nintendo deserve my deepest respect bringing out original titles and actually dare to come up with something new now and then.
I cannot help but I associate EA with big marketing, endless remixes and most of all boredom in its purest form. I am getting sick seeing my games magazine collection of the past eleven years being contaminated with Fifa and NHL updates. But they, this is what Joe Public wants.

[HCF]

Interesting background story...

http://www.livejournal.com/users/ea_spouse/274.html

Originally Posted by HCF

Interesting background story...

http://www.livejournal.com/users/ea_spouse/274.html

If they don't like working for EA they should leave.

They might complain about working 80 hours a week, but let's face it they don't get paid a bad salary.

In many poorer countries of the world (South America, Eastern Europe, China, Africa) those who are lucky enough to have jobs and are not begging can be forced into working long hours for a pittance compared to these salaries.

I was working in software development so know what these hours can be like, but then again I also know what having/spending the money was like.

[HCF]

Originally Posted by Jim

If they don't like working for EA they should leave.

They might complain about working 80 hours a week, but let's face it they don't get paid a bad salary.

In many poorer countries of the world (South America, Eastern Europe, China, Africa) those who are lucky enough to have jobs and are not begging can be forced into working long hours for a pittance compared to these salaries.

I was working in software development so know what these hours can be like, but then again I also know what having/spending the money was like.

Well, I am sure we are all glad not to live in those countries and having to suffer the economic climate. That much said, I think that while you have a valid point, many employees at EA might not have the luxury to quit because they have a family and kids. Of course software development can put a strain on relationships but the way it is described there and in other similar stories just gives the impression that whoever is in cahrge is either incopetent or ignorant....Pushing people all the time only tires them and leads to a decrease in quality...A push in the end or when required is a good thing but just a push to push ? Sound almost like the boss from Dilbert is in charge...

[Galahad/FLT]

This is bad news indeed. If EA gets too big, they will then be in a position to start dictating lower salaries for their workers because they will have nowhere else to go.

But as someone has already mentioned, if Joe Public didn't keep shelling out full price for what are basically updates of previous games then EA will get bigger and bigger without having to do any original games.

Odd really, seeing as EA thrived on original games on the Amiga, pity they can't continue the theme

Originally Posted by HCF

Well, I am sure we are all glad not to live in those countries....

Have you ever looked at the location field next to people's names? Whilst mine contains obscure info some people's do contain South American & Eastern European countries.....I haven't seen anyone on here from Africa/China yet though.

Originally Posted by Galahad/FLT

This is bad news indeed. If EA gets too big, they will then be in a position to start dictating lower salaries for their workers because they will have nowhere else to go.

How big does big have to be?

Microsoft big?

You don't see Microsoft employees moaning about salaries.

It's not like EA can get so big they can dominate the whole games market. Games are not like OS's. No matter how good the game, after a few months most people move onto another one. There is no loyalty to games companies - maybe to games series.

EA is giving Joe Public what Joe Public wants (as you stated). EA (or any business) would be stupid not to give the customer what he wants - "who cares about satisfying the needs of 50,000 Role-Players when we can satisfy the needs of 1,000,000 football game players?".

And also EA must know if they pay there employees too little they may end up getting pissed off and forever producing crap unoriginal games.....oh.....this already happened !!!

[Galahad/FLT]

The Microsoft situation is different. By law in most countries, Microsoft isn't allowed the same kind of monopoly as a games company, by virtue of the nature of Microsofts core products.

Electronic Arts are getting too big. The only company left that could rightly claim to be too big for EA to buy are Infogrammes, other than that, EA could buy just about anyone, and that includes Sega!

[IFW]

Software developers are normally not part of any union and I can assure even if you don't work on games 12-16 hours is the norm daily - at least in telecom surely.
It's not about whinging and it is not about EA really.
To be frank programmers are at the bottomm of the foodchain; anyone at a software company is doing better than them, despite the only real work done is by them.
Unless you are in your early to mid 20s you don't want to do that.
You _will_ burn out and your employer is only interested in you as a programmer as long as you are overworked and underpaid.
That's why I moved to somewhat more respectful territories.
If not working on games for me it's just not worth the hassle.

There are nice companies around who understand that having the only creative (creative as in creating something - instead of creative as in inventing bullshit...) persons in a company a good life means a good future for the company as well, but many just take as much as they can and then throw away the guys.
Simply put: they are disposable, take away as much of their life as you possibly can within the shortest possible time period. Sad but true.

As for salaries: they may or may not be better than average - normally not -, however the industry is very profitable and people generally work 1.2-2x times as much as people in other industries so if you just divide their income with the working hours invested you will see they get pittance money and they surely will die very young.

So now sit back, relax and enjoy NFL 2005

[IFW]

btw: the increased crunch mode and keeping people alerted, awake, stressed on purpose etc is spookily similar to the methods invented by scientology to brainwash their workers and keep them attached to their cult forever.
You may wonder who really runs EA...

[HCF]

Originally Posted by Jim

Have you ever looked at the location field next to people's names? Whilst mine contains obscure info some people's do contain South American & Eastern European countries.....I haven't seen anyone on here from Africa/China yet though.

I didn't mean it in an insulting way...Was only referring to economical stability and lifestyle, and laws....

Originally Posted by HCF

I didn't mean it in an insulting way...Was only referring to economical stability and lifestyle, and laws....

No, I didn't mean it like that.

What I meant was from your "we are all glad not to live in those countries" thread you had seemingly forgotten about the global membership of the board. Not that they'd be upset for what you said about thier country but rather that they'd be a little annoyed with your presumptions about everyone on here living in rich North America / Western Europe / Oceana.

[HCF]

Originally Posted by Jim

No, I didn't mean it like that.

What I meant was from your "we are all glad not to live in those countries" thread you had seemingly forgotten about the global membership of the board. Not that they'd be upset for what you said about thier country but rather that they'd be a little annoyed with your presumptions about everyone on here living in rich North America / Western Europe / Oceana.

Not sure what to tell you, think your point of people working longer in poorer countries can only lead to my answer that I am glad (at least me) that I don't live there and find this a bad example unless you suggest we adapt to the lowest standard just to be competitive at all costs even if it makes no sense ?

Read my reply again.

WE ARE ALL GLAD not to live in those countries.

Some people MIGHT BE PISSED off because they might live in one of those countries.

So how can WE ALL be glad ?

[zardoz]

Originally Posted by Jim

If they don't like working for EA they should leave.

Most people are in a position where they cannot walk out of a job into nothing. My last job was terrible - I should have walked but the chances of getting another job would then be diminished.

BTW there was all this Fifa vs Pro Evo soccer debate going on when I got a PS2 a few years back. It took me three weeks or so to realise that Pro Evo had nothing on Sensi progress...what progress.. we're all wage slaves buying into the ad-man's propaganda...

On another point - Happy Christmas Here's hoping we all get miggys in our stockings from the fat man

[7-Zark-7]

If this news is accurate, then it does give pause for concern. Whilst I might enjoy a round of say N4Speed Underground, I likewise like to see some decent competition within the market.
The bigger question is Ubisoft has had an especially good critically-acclaimed run the past several months,(P.O.P. Sands of Time/Warrior Within, Splinter Cell/Pandora Tomorrow/Chaos Theory). Even if you subscribe to the thought it was a case of EA picking up the franchises rather than killing off a competitor, can you necessarily see the developers concerned willing to stay if quality becomes compromised in name of x,y,z game update?

[Unknown_K]

Originally Posted by IFW

Software developers are normally not part of any union and I can assure even if you don't work on games 12-16 hours is the norm daily - at least in telecom surely.
It's not about whinging and it is not about EA really.
To be frank programmers are at the bottomm of the foodchain; anyone at a software company is doing better than them, despite the only real work done is by them.
Unless you are in your early to mid 20s you don't want to do that.
You _will_ burn out and your employer is only interested in you as a programmer as long as you are overworked and underpaid.
That's why I moved to somewhat more respectful territories.
If not working on games for me it's just not worth the hassle.

There are nice companies around who understand that having the only creative (creative as in creating something - instead of creative as in inventing bullshit...) persons in a company a good life means a good future for the company as well, but many just take as much as they can and then throw away the guys.
Simply put: they are disposable, take away as much of their life as you possibly can within the shortest possible time period. Sad but true.

As for salaries: they may or may not be better than average - normally not -, however the industry is very profitable and people generally work 1.2-2x times as much as people in other industries so if you just divide their income with the working hours invested you will see they get pittance money and they surely will die very young.

So now sit back, relax and enjoy NFL 2005

Sure you can make 20-100% more money for a few years until your life implodes along with your health. Find me anybody that would work 2x the hours they do now for a 20% increase in base pay and I will show you an idiot who deserves to be screwed into doing exactly that.

I don't feel sorry for anybody that works there, they are driven by greed which is consuming their sole. You can argue people can't quit their jobs if they have a family but I say that they are a slave to the items they buy. How many people buy $500,000 shacks in California when they could buy a better house for 30% of that money in another area and take a job with less pay but more free time and less stress.