Serious Sam Dev Takes on EA in FPS versus FPS Tiff
Small dev tries to leverage fan criticisms to make money... or it's a David vs Goliath moral battle of morality?
Jeeeeeus-McCheezus there are times when you look at the video games industry and you wonder if some of it isn't being run by the TV and Movie industries in order to make it look terrible. Let's take the example of a developer of an Xbox Live first-person shooter attempting to make a buck inciting gamers to slag off another FPS: EA's Medal of Honor: Warfighter.
The fact that the FPS genre is about as staggeringly innovative and interesting as, well, any X-Factor contestant's offering, is not in play here. These are games made to make cash. They are products. Hopefully once you've churned out another one you can concentrate on taking the medium of games forward to somewhere less safe. What is a problem here is when one dev tries to get its game into the hands of gamers by making gamers publicly turn against another dev not because they actually feel something but purely to get something for free. Let's look at Serious Sam dev/publishers attempt.
It says, on its site:
"During this busy season of video game releases the team at Devolver Digital realize that not every game will live up to expectations. One such game has been Medal of Honor: Warfighter - yet another military shooter where cover is king and most folks spend their time peeking out form behind a wall or a strategically placed concrete barrier.
"That shit is weak.
"That’s why we’re pleased to announce the Serious Sam3: BFE “Warfighter-fighter” program. Over the next week we will be offering 100 free Xbox LIVE Arcade downloads for Serious Sam 3: BFE to some of those affected so they can get up from behind that wall and get back to the unleashing heavy ordinance upon a horde of brutal aliens just like our forefathers.
"Stand up and make your voice heard by simply tweeting your concerns about the stagnant modern military shooter with the hashtag #SeriousSam3XBLA and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a Serious Sam 3 download - the perfect remedy for mundane, cover-based shooters.
"For those that avoid Twitter at all costs you can also post the same to the Serious Sam Facebook page..."
Now, sure, cover-based FPSs are about as safe as non-cover-based ones - but nice warms baths are good sometimes, so are untaxing walks in the countryside or pints of lovely beer in the snug of your local. That's not the point. The point is surely to sell your game off the back of how good your game is and not how bad you perceive another game is. And surely to god you don't ask people to slag off other people in order to make money?
Do you? Tell us in the Forum or the Comments below. Meanwhile, have a look at Serious Sam and see what all the fuss is about.
Cheers to MCV for the initial tale.
The fact that the FPS genre is about as staggeringly innovative and interesting as, well, any X-Factor contestant's offering, is not in play here. These are games made to make cash. They are products. Hopefully once you've churned out another one you can concentrate on taking the medium of games forward to somewhere less safe. What is a problem here is when one dev tries to get its game into the hands of gamers by making gamers publicly turn against another dev not because they actually feel something but purely to get something for free. Let's look at Serious Sam dev/publishers attempt.
It says, on its site:
"During this busy season of video game releases the team at Devolver Digital realize that not every game will live up to expectations. One such game has been Medal of Honor: Warfighter - yet another military shooter where cover is king and most folks spend their time peeking out form behind a wall or a strategically placed concrete barrier.
"That shit is weak.
"That’s why we’re pleased to announce the Serious Sam3: BFE “Warfighter-fighter” program. Over the next week we will be offering 100 free Xbox LIVE Arcade downloads for Serious Sam 3: BFE to some of those affected so they can get up from behind that wall and get back to the unleashing heavy ordinance upon a horde of brutal aliens just like our forefathers.
"Stand up and make your voice heard by simply tweeting your concerns about the stagnant modern military shooter with the hashtag #SeriousSam3XBLA and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a Serious Sam 3 download - the perfect remedy for mundane, cover-based shooters.
"For those that avoid Twitter at all costs you can also post the same to the Serious Sam Facebook page..."
Now, sure, cover-based FPSs are about as safe as non-cover-based ones - but nice warms baths are good sometimes, so are untaxing walks in the countryside or pints of lovely beer in the snug of your local. That's not the point. The point is surely to sell your game off the back of how good your game is and not how bad you perceive another game is. And surely to god you don't ask people to slag off other people in order to make money?
Do you? Tell us in the Forum or the Comments below. Meanwhile, have a look at Serious Sam and see what all the fuss is about.
Cheers to MCV for the initial tale.
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