Clifford, the Court Fool.
By yukoasho 59 Comments
I was going to let this slide.
In the wake of Microsoft's reversal of policy regarding anti-consumer DRM, I was feeling pretty cool, and many great bloggers have put up the victory flag better than I could have. While I've still very little intention to get an Xbone in the near future (Last I checked, my username was YukoAsho and not Rhianna), it was good to see MS was finally starting to cave under the enormous pressure gamers had exerted on them. It shows that we have great power when enough of us are angry, and I hope this inspires the gaming community to take to arms when future injustices occur. However, I was glad to bask in the moment of victory in private.
Then Cliff Blezinski graced us with his foul, rancid gurgling on Twitter.
Apparently Mr. Blezinski doesn't like the fact that the consumer won this battle and, much like an old racist decrying all the problms brought about by the civil rights movements, is whining in typical, graceless Cliffy B fashion.
Now I don't follow Mr. Blezinski's twitter, mostly because I like my sanity, so I won't go into every bit of his idiocy on this post, or ever in this blog. However, PlayStation Lifestyle has given us a choice cut of madness that would make Sheogorath proud, and it's topical, so let's look into the gaping maw of insanity by breaking down each of the wonderful tweets PlayStation Lifesyle collated for us.
More studios WILL close and you’ll see more PC and mobile games.
Good. The industry has way, way too much fat, and it desperately needs trimming. However, you know the companies that won't close because of this? Deep Silver, Atlus, Take-Two, Nintendo... Publishers and/or developers, big and small, that are smart and tactical in their spending. I'm almost hoping Ubisoft and EA collapse under their own crushing weight.
I have seen the number of unique gamer tags vs actual sales numbers and it ain’t pretty.
Nintendo has some very helpful advice in that case. Publishers should take it to heart.
At the end of the day many hardcore dislike what was attempted. You can’t do well in that space with many of your core unhappy… Especially when users have a choice. The nature of capitalism encourages competition and Sony played into that.
And good for Sony.
Brace yourselves. More tacked on multiplayer and DLC are coming.
Tacked on is pretty easy to ignore. I've made a point of saying that I've never bought DLC for games previously on this blog, and never felt unsatisfied. Actually, the one time I broke this rule, Halo 4's map packs, I regretted it on a count of losing interest in Halo 4 multiplayer soon after. So yeah, tack on what you want, it won't effect people who are responsible with their money.
You’re also about to see available microtransactions skyrocket. HATS FOR EVERYONE.
This was going to happen anyway. The success of Mass Effect 3's multiplayer microtransactions assured that. Not only that, but cosmetic microtransactions would be great. As Team Fortress 2 and Soul Calibur V show, cosmetic DLC has no effect on gameplay, so it can make money off whales with more money than sense without hurting the rest of us. I would not oppose this at all.
I want *developers* who worked their asses off to see money on every copy of their game that is sold instead of Gamestop. Fuck me, right?
Yes, Mr. Blezinski. Fuck you, you go to hell and you die.
*Sony* forced Microsoft’s hand, not the internet whining.
Let's talk about the inconsistency here. You'll notice in one of the earlier rants, Cliffy said "You can’t do well in that space with many of your core unhappy… Especially when users have a choice." Therefore, the "whining," as Mr Blezinski puts it, established that Sony would basically have a huge legion of new fans after this. More importantly, it spread the news to people who might not have known about it, such as the Army Times and Rachel Maddow. Therefore, the "whining" had a huge effect. Or do you truly believe Sony hadn't considered it?
You’re going to see digital versions of your favorite games with added “features” and content to lure you to digital over disc based.
That's an effective way to get fewer, if any copies, sold in specialty retailers, who tend not to like it when you try to fuck them.
I find it funny how people are saying that I “lost” when I don’t have a job or an allegiance now.
Your allegiance has been clear throughout this whole debacle. You're a naked corporate shill, desperately looking for a new job by throwing your lot against the consumer. The irony? By refusing to stop crying like the babies you accuse us of being, by making Adam Orth look empathetic and respectful in comparison, you've very likely damaged your future prospects.
What I do have is 20 years of experience making games and seeing how the sausage is made.
The consumer cares not one whit how the "sausage" is being made. We give you money, you give us a game. That is the end of the transaction. Consumers tend to refuse when companies try to add our souls to the price of their products and services, as attested by EA's repeated failures to meet sales expectations. If the full-priced market is too competitive for you, if you just can't live with the idea of consumers buying their games instead of renting them, then here's an idea. Go join Crytek. Those graphics engine pushing tools are running away from retail about as fast as their legs can carry them in favor of free-to-play projects like the upcoming Warface. Why not just make free-to-plays?
Oh, that's right. Because even the creatively bankrupt Crytek is better capable of making distinct games than anyone at Epic ever were. All-gray doesn't seem to work as well in free-to-play.
In closing, Mr. Blezinski needs to go away. Come back when you get a new job, sir, so I know what games to immediately dismiss in protest.
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