If you are involved on some platform of social media and play any of Electronic Art's popular video games, then you have probably seen articles popping up surrounding Machinima's deal with Microsoft where M$ dealt significant amounts of cash to people who mentioned the Xbox One or any associated games (which is now being brushed under the table as not a big deal). This has recently brought up questions surrounding EA's integrity in all of it's other programs. I just wanted to address the fact that a few of the people on this site are apart of the EA Sports Game Changers program and that we have never been paid to give positive reviews or outlooks on any games. I'm sure you could search through some track records, but my reviews for NBA Live and Forza: Need for Speed Rivals should attest to that. Both were given to me for free so that I could play them and review. I speak for a lot of people in the GC program when I say that there is a lot of honesty that goes into game reviews and feedback to the dev team. This is just another link in the ever growing EA bash chain, most of it self-inflicted. The recent streak of problems with Battlefield 4 and Andrew Wilson's dump of EA stock are just a few that should raise some eyebrows. Is it a big deal to solicit mentions or "shout outs" on Youtube for cash? Probably, but that should be decided shortly. It's uncertain just yet what this all will unravel to be, but I thought I would take the time to address the community with my own thoughts and possibly make some others aware of what was going on. You can follow me on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/drifterbub
Knowing that people can make money off of YouTube this comes as no surprise to me that companies will pay people to give them good publicity. I don't think I've met any of our Playstation GC members , but when I think of the Xbox ones (Drift & Shaun) one thing comes to mind....... No BS. I've come to take both of you guys on your word when you give opinions and neither of you seem to pussyfoot around saying what you think. I appreciate that from both of you when it comes to giving opinions on gaming.
A company paying for a good mention doesn't really affect my outlook on them- at the end of the day it comes down to their product and what I and only I think of it. Keep doin your thang EA
I understand the move from a marketing standpoint, but that's about it. I commend TSO on keeping their nose clean despite an opportunity to pad the wallet. It's all about the product anyways, I think most of us here understand that. It's rare for me if a review gets my hyped up for a game, because that business isn't always as straight forward as we'd like it to be.
Technically all GCers are cross-platform. Shaun and I both own playstations but just choose to play on Xbox platforms for personal reasons. Despite people's imaginative (and ignorant) comments, the development cycle is generic.
My position: I'm not a puppet...I can't talk without pissing people off, no way anyone would risk paying me to say anything.
