Electronic Arts isn't the gaming industry's favorite company. Despite having some notable franchises to its name as well as its own streaming service, EA has been in hot water for the state of some of its major games. Whether it was the Star Wars Battlefront II fiasco or the recent release of Anthem, things haven't always looked great for them.
With all these issues going on, leave it to the internet to make jokes and memes about it. Sometimes it makes a situation easier by leaning back to get a good laugh. Here are 10 EA memes that are just too true.
10 A New Controller
Controllers are an important part of any game. If it feels bad to play a game, then an entire platform could potentially lose its audience. Because console makers have already locked down what works in a controller, that's why most of them look similar to one another. However, this is one of those areas where EA could come in and make something more unique. For those that constantly play their games, it would make sense to have a card reader as a controller, that way they could get past any paywalls with ease so they could keep playing the game. That'd be convenient!
9 It Sure Does
One of the big franchises EA owns is Madden. This popular series is top tier when it comes to football simulation. It's been around for a long time and continues to encourage people to play. However, the series has yearly releases, which has led a lot of people to question the innovation behind it. Some of the later games have started to feel quite similar to one another. EA has talked about how its latest Madden games have had great innovation. Regardless, if the company said that series needed more innovation, none of us would be exactly shocked to hear that.
8 Where's The Season Pass?
Gordon Ramsey is known for making some of the most clever and rude insults to people on Hell's Kitchen. When they don't cook properly, Ramsey chews them up and spits them out. With him not afraid to hurl serious insults, this meme shows something he would definitely say if he were in tune with the gaming industry.
EA has been under fire for releasing games that were reportedly unfinished at launch. This was the complaint with Star Wars Battlefront back in 2015 and it was the complaint with Anthem in early 2019. That said, EA isn't the only company guilty of doing this, as a few publishers have done this as well.
7 My Wallet Is Half Empty
The glass of water exercise is always an interesting one, as it shows how differently people think just by looking at the same thing. Of course, it can also be a fun way to show different philosophical perspectives. That's where the very last glass comes in. If EA were to look at a glass half-filled with water, it would likely see that as an opportunity. It could charge money for people to have the glass and the water, then offer to fill the glass periodically for the price of a microtransaction. That way, consumers have a consistent way to keep getting the full content.
6 We're Still Upset
The debacle around Star Wars Battlefront II was huge. With concerns over "pay to win" tactics and unnecessary grinding, a lot of people were returning the game. It also received negative reviews across the board, which forced EA to rethink its own strategy regarding how it monetized the game.
Around this time, EA announced that it was closing Visceral Games, which collectively shocked the gaming industry. Visceral Games was the studio responsible for the Dead Space series as well as Dante's Inferno. With the company out of the picture, it ruined hope for either of those games getting continued in the future.
5 EVERY TIME
It's no secret that a lot of gamers complain about EA's strategy when it comes to microtransactions, season passes, and extra DLC for content that was already finished before the game even launched. However, EA at least knows how to put a good trailer together, as the company's games still get people talking. When Anthem was first shown, the industry was very interested in the potential. Furthermore, there was a lot of excitement about Star Wars Battlefront when it was first announced. The reality is that the only way EA will change its behavior is if people speak with their wallets. Nonetheless, some of those trailers look quite good.
4 They've Figured It Out
There were a lot of questionable decisions regarding how EA handled the Star Wars Battlefront games. As this meme points out, that thinking seems to have occurred in tiers, with the company going further down the rabbit hole as time went on. Not only was the season pass for the first game $50 and available at launch, but there were also microtransactions in both games. The second game changed how heroes and villains could be played, but players had to grind for hours on end to even have the chance at playing the characters they wanted. It all went downhill for EA after that.
3 Origin Controller
While controllers are the way to go for console gamers, EA still has a vast network of PC gamers to market to. Keyboards are essentially the way to go when it comes to PC gamers, so EA has to create one of their own. Instead of innovating too much on the standard design, EA would probably just add a card reader at the right-hand side so players could swipe their cards and unlock more loot boxes before playing the next round. It's true that there was a lot of extra purchasing necessary to play through all of Star Wars Battlefront. We wouldn't be surprised if this keyboard ever came to fruition.
2 Get Extra Syllables For $3.99
Some say that people are born a certain way. Their behaviors are outlined from infancy, whether it be their first words or their first steps. Perhaps that's what happened with EA. As an infant saying its first words, EA would simply lock off its first words, forcing its parent to pay the season pass price. After that, any extra syllables would cost an extra $3.99. However, if parents wanted to unlock its entire voice, they could just pay $399.99 up front and only worry about yearly microtransactions. In hindsight, it's crazy to think how far the gaming industry has come to where severe monetization is a serious concern.
1 That's A Thing Of The Past
In the gaming industry, many AAA titles are priced at a full $60. That is a lot of money for some people, so it's important that developers make sure people are getting their money's worth. At the very least, most buyers will expect a full game. However, EA has been criticized for releasing a portion of a full game, yet still charging full price for it. Once again, Star Wars Battlefront and Anthem are prime examples of this. Yet, this strategy has continued for so long it seems that the company isn't listening to the consumer. Perhaps it'll be better with Jedi: Fallen Order.