Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

EA Killing Rock Band for iPhone, Game Will Be Unplayable for Current Owners [Updated]

In my opinion, that's totally wrong!

People (sort of) expect that software will eventually die out (and only some people think that), but to just have them pull the plug on the server. That's wrong!

Especially since they've been still selling it. Honestly, I think they should give current owners a refund if they aren't going to give them a year's notice.

I'd never have considered that it even needs to connect to a server to run. It might let me get new songs or compete against others, but not run without it? (I wonder what happens normally if you don't have internet for your iPod touch or iPad?)

Speaking of "Rock Band", back in the 1980's, Electronic Rock programmers were considered to be "Rock Stars" of the software industry.
Scroll down on this page http://www.atariage.com/forums/topi...arts-anti-piracy-ad/page__st__25#entry2500344

How far they've gone….

Gary
 
EA shoule be required to provide one last update that allows the users to keep playing the game locally.
Perhaps tie it to a downloadable mp3.
Mp3s can contain additional metadata which the app could read and interpret as the button-presses and timing thereof.

But discontinuing service and in doing so disabling all licensed apps is just wrong.
:mad:
 
I knew there was some reason why I only got the Rock Band Free version.
Just tried it after a year of not touching it, and there's no indication that it will be shut down.
 
I think EA has pulled a "Netflix" here. EA management believes - perhaps rightly - that they can get away with this blatant abuse of their customers' goodwill because gamers will continue to purchase EA games. The idea of taking a principled stand and saying "no" to future EA purchases is both appealing and appalling to me. If enough gamers walk away from EA products that the company leadership feels it in their wallets, it will - as with Netflix - effect positive change and will protect future generations of gamers from this kind of abuse. In fact, I doubt any consumer action would last beyond EA's next big "must have" game.
 
Congratulations EA :rolleyes:
picture.php
 
Sedulous said:
I don't see how it is legal.
Click to expand...

tarasis said:
That's seriously not on. People paid for that software and IAP with the assumption they can use it on their device as they wish. I hope Apple get involved and give EA a kick up the ass
Click to expand...

guspasho said:
Any word on whether the customers will get refunded?
Click to expand...

edoates said:
So, I guess the class action folks will spring into action soon.
Click to expand...

theSeb said:
This seems illegal to me and I can't see how they could get away with it
Click to expand...

BRLawyer said:
Just sue the crap out of them...I am surprised their general counsel is not telling them the obvious - a refund is the least they could offer.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately it's perfectly legal - EA's EULAs and stuff cover pretty much anything. They can Terminate it at any time and "if you don't agree with these Licence Terms, then don't install the application"
 
That is unfortunate. Seems like someone made a bad decision early on in the development thinking that the servers would always be there.
 
Lukeyy19 said:
Unfortunately it's perfectly legal - EA's EULAs and stuff cover pretty much anything. They can Terminate it at any time and "if you don't agree with these Licence Terms, then don't install the application"
Click to expand...

We've had this sort of debate on another topic. Just because it is in the EULA does not mean that it is legal.
 
They shouldn't have said nothing in the first place. Just pulling it off the store, pulling it off their site, and unplugging the servers is better. They didn't need to announce it. I have apps that I've paid for in-app purchases go under in the past too. It's not fair, but come on, it's a game from 2009 that hasn't been updated since 2010, why do you expect?
 
Pete the Geek said:
I think EA has pulled a "Netflix" here. EA management believes - perhaps rightly - that they can get away with this blatant abuse of their customers' goodwill because gamers will continue to purchase EA games. The idea of taking a principled stand and saying "no" to future EA purchases is both appealing and appalling to me. If enough gamers walk away from EA products that the company leadership feels it in their wallets, it will - as with Netflix - effect positive change and will protect future generations of gamers from this kind of abuse. In fact, I doubt any consumer action would last beyond EA's next big "must have" game.
Click to expand...

I did so years ago. can't even remember the last EA game i bought.
 
Canaan said:
I'll never forgive them for ruining Command & Conquer. After they bought Westwood, the games got worse and worse until Tiberium Twilight which is not only the most atrocious attempt at a C&C game ever, but perhaps one of the worst RTS games I have ever had the misfortune of playing. Some of them were okay, but that was unforgivable! :mad:

I avoid EA completely nowadays and refuse to give them a single penny. Not like they have any games worth playing anymore anyway.
Click to expand...

Yeah. CNC4 was pretty bad but they did a surprisingly good job on cnc3 and kanes wrath. Red Alert 3 was a little bizarre though.
 
spazzcat said:
This why I been encouraging people support game developers on kickstarter. There a lot of cool games up there that need a lot of support. Maybe MacRumors could start featuring some of them???
Click to expand...
Good idea.
MacRumors should also support the Humble Indie Bundle. It's pay what you want for some awesome indie releases and they try to support windows and OS X.
 
Reversed, cited as an "error"

EA is a terrible company. I'd say I can't believe they thought they could get away with this, but nothing surprised me anymore.
 
Last edited:
lawsuit happening, for sure. can't just turn off a game, sorry.

----------
Lukeyy19 said:
Unfortunately it's perfectly legal - EA's EULAs and stuff cover pretty much anything. They can Terminate it at any time and "if you don't agree with these Licence Terms, then don't install the application"
Click to expand...

Love people like you who seem to believe that all of that garbage holds up in court.

Ya know, considering that most of the time it fails in court.
 
guspasho said:
Any word on whether the customers will get refunded?
Click to expand...

Probably not since EA will say that you were never guaranteed a lifetime of game play etc. it's lame but they will likely try some stunt like that.

given that they haven't updated it since over a year ago that means that it's not iOS 5 compatible etc. I have to wonder however if they are planning to release some kind of update or even just shift songs over to the Reloaded which has been kept up to date.

if they don't do something they will get a hell storm of bad PR.
 
Pete the Geek said:
If EA is now saying that it was an "error" it is revisionist history. The FAQ that was on EA's own website on May 2nd was unambiguous about Rock Band not working past May 31, 2012. That page is now down.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it reeks of revisionism.

At what point (long ago) did society adopt the lie as the default, and standard, acceptable, operating procedure? Sociologically, this is quite horrific. Talk about reality distortion field; it's not Jobs' original product by any means.

I'm not singling out just EA (which I already hate for the fact that many new games, like Crysis 2, Rage, etc, are being developed for consoles instead of normal computers, leading to consolitis checkpoint save systems, as well as graphical inferiority, which means I'll never buy said games).

----------
pmz said:
lawsuit happening, for sure. can't just turn off a game, sorry.

----------



Love people like you who seem to believe that all of that garbage holds up in court.

Ya know, considering that most of the time it fails in court.
Click to expand...

Cite sources please? I'm not questioning you; I'd like to have concrete examples of when EULAs were challenged and lost. EULAs are right up there with corporate personhood for things in politics/business I most want to see utterly destroyed and banned for eternity.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
If it has a built in kill switch and EA didn't disclose it then hello law suit for sure.
Click to expand...

Maybe, maybe not. Remember those Terms and Conditions that you hit agree to but didn't read. Check them. The right for Apple or a developer to have a kill switch and use it might be in there and you say that's okay.

in which case, no law suit.

that said I do agree that it's tacky has hell that they haven't updated the app to mention this expiration or simply stopped selling it at this point.

----------
Pete the Geek said:
If EA is now saying that it was an "error" it is revisionist history. The FAQ that was on EA's own website on May 2nd was unambiguous about Rock Band not working past May 31, 2012. That page is now down.
Click to expand...


The FAQ said they were stopping support. That can mean anything from cutting the server to just not doing any more updates. So it might not be as unambiguous as it seems. Yes it's possible they are cutting something but it might just be that they are not adding anymore packs and stopping be able to buy the titles they already have in their 'catalog' but they did a ***** job of explaining that that is the case.
 
You know, I was going to write this off as the usual EA stupidity. Then they lied. Nice job EA. Only thing worse they could do at this point would be to start banning people from Origin en masse for commenting on this. Whoops, I just gave them an idea.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back