For my first editorial here I thought you’d all like a little view into how I write, what I’m into, and what I focus on in the gaming sphere.
I thought what better way to introduce myself than to give you all a letter I wrote to Bioware and Electronic Arts earlier this week, highlighting what I think the problem with the Mass Effect media/blogging storm may be, and where to go from it. I’ve noticed that the internet has painted fans pretty vividly as split into two distinct groups; there are those who think the fans should quit their complaining and that Bioware is ruining the industry by giving in to fan requests, and then there are those who claim Bioware is the spawn of satan and must rewrite the entire third game to cater to each person’s individual desire of what the ending should be. I think that in reality there are a lot more people in the middle, wanting something more from Mass Effect 3’s ending and not knowing quite how to ask for it. And so it begins…
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Dear Bioware and Electronic Arts,
Cards on the table.
I bought Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3, brand new, usually at midnight releases. I threw down Microsoft points like I was making it rain getting all of that DLC…a super nerdy rain of alternate outfits and hand cannons….
And let’s just say I’m not the most financially endowed person, so these things were big purchases-nay, investments- and for the most part those investments paid off.
For the most part.
But, as I’m sure you’ve noticed Bioware, some people aren’t too pleased with the way you decided to end things in Mass Effect 3. I am among those people; but I’m willing to admit that the ending does make some artistic sense, in an “we-want-to-be-unpredictable”-way….it’s just unfortunate that in your effort to throw out all of the potentially predicable storylines you also threw out all your promises, story cohesion, character continuity and even the essence of the trilogy.
Now, being a big believer in communication I am absolutely for all of the back and forth about this ending and what to make of it, but I’ve noticed no one really seems to be willing to take the direct approach and state exactly what it is that was missing and what fans want- so I thought I’d give it a guess at what would appease most of your fan base.
First off, just come out and tell us what the end meant. At this point people will be less upset to learn that the ending was simply poor or that you’re currently rewriting something (or even that you’re planning to sell us all some secret DLC that completes the game) compared to how infuriating it would be for you to lead us along for months with our theories and scene-by-scene dissections only to slowly let this fizzle out.
Explain your situation to us, what you were going for; we’re more intelligent than you think (we’re the most highly educated and specialty employed group of consumers out there) and for the most part I think we’re all just looking for a straight answer as to what the ending meant. I won’t ask specific questions in the hopes of not ruining the ending for others, but the question we’re asking is relatively vague anyhow; what does the ending mean? If it means nothing than just confess and maybe we can all move on, or you could even go from there and create some DLC to make it up to those fans who felt cheated (as a token of good faith- remember those?).
As investors in your company we at least deserve some shred of the truth, and while I realize that these days consumers tend to be viewed more as sheep than investors, accept the fact that the gaming community is the most highly informed, heavily opinionated, and most intelligent customers base out there- and that they’re armed with amazing memories, great internet access, and loyalties that, once broken, can be difficult to repair.
Second, if what you gave us at the end of Mass Effect 3 was in fact the real ending (again, artistic choice, I respect that) and you have no idea where to go from here, why don’t you start with a simple, free download of epilogues? I know you know how to do this- dig up that guy who threw the epilogues together for Dragon Age: Origins and get him to do it (and give him some kind of amazing bonus while you’re at it.)
(SPOILERS AHEAD)
The truth is, most of us were expecting to sacrifice Shepard to save Earth (or the galaxy or your romantic partner, what have you), it’s a good ending; and if I’ve learned anything from the internet the last couple weeks it’s that a lot of people don’t really have a problem with the concept of self sacrifice, just with loose ends and empty, unfulfilled promises. Give us a recap of what our actions meant; explain what happened with the Krogans, the Quarians, about the effects or our massive decisions (see what I did there? I’m pretty sure that was the gist of the series to begin with that was some how forgotten.)
I realize there have been whispers of Bioware representatives claiming there is DLC to come and that this isn’t the last we’ll see of Shepard, but again no one from Bioware is coming out directly and stating whether or not the ending was real, what it meant, and if we can expect more. Hinting and fudging around the issue won’t bring you popularity points, only more angry controversy and cranky fans in the one industry where there is such a thing as bad publicity (just ask all of the mid-size production companies, like THQ, that thought bad reviews for mediocre games would have no effect on their sales).
So that’s it. I’m still a big fan of Bioware, I was after being mildly disappointed by Dragon Age 2 and I was after I had to buy DLC for Mass Effect 3’s on the release day- but so many instances of disregard for customers can’t result in anything positive.
So regard us, tell us what’s going on, what was with the ending, and maybe take a few baby steps towards reparation. Treat your customers as you would a disgruntled, devoted fan; don’t blow us off or lead us on, explain yourself.
I really think that’s all anyone wants.
I still love you (hope that’s not awkward)
Sincerely,
Lindsay Belle Chambers
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So there it is- am I wrong? Or would some of us be able to move past the ending if Bioware just gave us an epilogue and some respect? Let me know in the comment section below.
