Valentine’s Day was a special day this year for gamers. Not only did the Twisted Metal franchise return for PS3 players, but Electronic Arts and BioWare let the world try out Mass Effect 3 for the first time via demo that included samples of both its single-player campaign and the series’ first ever multiplayer mode.
On that same day, EA announced an amazing deal for PC gamers who are forced to utilize the browser-based Origin service: pre-order Mass Effect 3 and receive a FREE copy of Battlefield 3. Amazing deal, right? For a limited time.
Just two days after announcing the deal – and confirming via Twitter that it would last up until March 5th, the day before Mass Effect 3 releases – they quickly canceled it.
Here’s a tweet from the day we reported on the news from the official EA Origin account, confirming the Mass Effect 3 pre-order deal for a free copy of Battlefield 3 and the date that deal expires – Note how the above tweet goes against what the same Twitter account confirmed two days earlier:
Explanation? None. Contradiction? Yes.
Now if players go to the still-buggy Origin service and take a look in the store for Mass Effect 3, they’re greeted with a fun little note informing them how they cannot get Battlefield 3 for free if they pre-order:
At least the lucky few who managed to pre-order during the two-day window will get their free game code, but to throw salt in the wound, they won’t even get that until March 8th, two days after Mass Effect 3 comes out… so they can’t even play it as much.
This was a great idea to help grow the PC community for Battlefield 3 but now it’s absolutely not that at all and instead, is both a wasted opportunity, and a frustration for gamers since EA is going back on their word.
Mass Effect 3 releases on March 6, 2012 for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.
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Sources: EA
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As much as this is a very below average move on EA’s part (and it’s a classic bait & switch), does it really surprise anyone that they would do this?
Does EA just get a boner from pissing off their fans?
They have “fans” still, at this point?
They must because they keep f****** us in the a**.
The ME3 “in space” was bizzare and aggravating enough as it was without this. EA really does not need this kind of bad press, if they did not have so many great developers working for them they’d have gone under by now.
And is it me, or weren’t those who bought a new copy od Battlefield 3 promised access in January to multiplayer? I never saw the update on my battle screen
Just another reason to pirate it.
Kids be mad without their free bf3.
Pirate pirate pirate it =]]]]]]]]]]
Pirate everything and piss off EA ;]
This just in: EA still EA.
EA is dumb, but don’t pirate games it only hurts gaming as whole. By all means pirate music. The RIAA has screwed us all for decades. In fact don’t pirate anything you like only pirate dumb stuff. Support what you like or it will go away if it isn’t profitable.
I understand your argument but why would we pirate dumb stuff?
If we only pirated stuff we ourselves consider dumb then it wouldn’t hurt any studio, label or the RIAA since we wouldn’t have bought the stuff in the first place.
Supplying dumb stuff to people who like dumb stuff though… THAT would make a difference, but it would also bring you to the attention of the RIAA and their pets.
First they decide Online access should be a separate fee “hurts Xbox Players”, and now they are falling back on their word. What gives? Has EA finally decided they are big enough to treat gamers, their source of income, like they are a play thing? Sure it is just a free offer, but they promised this offer for several days longer, and are pulling out early. It’s childish of them to do so, and quite frankly irritating. It’s not like Battlefield 3 is making huge amounts of money anyway. This may have been their last chance to increase their community and possible DLC purchases. But they just blew that joint clean out of the water. EA, a lesson: Don’t bite the hand that feeds you when they want a share of the food too.
Someone just got fired from EA…
EA did something incredibly dickish and shady? I am Jack’s complete lack of surprise.
People are this pissed because they won’t get BF3 for free? I honestly don’t care, it wasn’t a fair deal in the first place. Stop complaining like a fairly new game being given away for free isn’t going to be given away after all. Only PC gamers got in on it, so it’s not even close to being fair for everyone else.
True, it was kind of a ridiculously good deal. Makes me wonder if someone authorized the deal without the consent of his boss or something, who found out about it a few days later and canceled it. Still sort of a dick move to end it way earlier than they said they would, but it’s not worth getting upset about.
People are not pissed because they’re not getting a game for free. Had EA never advertised this, there would be zero complaints.
They’re pissed because they were TOLD they’d get a game for free by a company who then went back on their word.