BSN may be banning HTL and Retake members.

This happened to me too, yesterday. No PM, no nothing.

I have asked Epler to look into it.

I just checked my BSN account. I'm not banned. Yet.

It seems to me, and this is just my opinion, that EA is really pissed off with us HTL'ers and Retakers. Because of our outcry and support from the media, we probably just cost EA a crapload of cash. Because instead of selling their DLC's, they now have to give them away for free. And that is providing this Extended Cut DLC will even do anything to appease people. So it seems to me like they are scoping out who are HTL'er/Retakers. And maybe looking for any loopholes in their posts to ban them from the forums so that they can't say anything more about ME3.

But in truth, what they are doing is only adding more fuel to the fire. In their attempts to silence people, their feigning ignorance and saying: "Oh, we didn't mean for that to happen" because, and I quote EDI, "we're calling them out on their bullshit".

EA has so much bad press right now, I have a feeling they just want this to all go away. And I have a feeling that they are now worried about Dragon Age 3 and any other future games.

Those are my thoughts at least.

As much as I think that BW is taking the coward's way out by banning those who are in opposition to the horror of ME3's ending, I have to say that those are their forums and they can censor them in any way they see fit. Freedom of speech only applies to governmental agencies and such. Privately owned companies and web sites can censor as much as they want under most countries' laws.

Now...so saying, I think it's atrocious that BW is unwilling to answer their critics, particularly those who are polite in their dissension. I think, to be honest, that Chris Priestly is a despotic "moderator" and is utterly unashamed of being seen in such a fashion. I've kept a low profile on the BSN but may have to step it up though it's like beating one's head against the wall, I suspect.

Suzie, as admirable as that may be, you want to be careful. I mean I have no doubt you're a smart woman, but I would almost be quite concerned if they connected you to here and then to MMORPG.com. And I say that as a fan of your articles.

But at the same time, your rights as a consumer, you should by all means say something.

I have no illusions that "Evil" Chris Priestly (how well he has aquired that title) will get banhammer happy along with Steve Woo.

That's what happens when you f*ck your fans who buy your damn games, EA.

They fucking should be.

There are clear reasons that I've labeled my Twitter account as PERSONAL. I am speaking out as a consumer and as a former fan of Bioware. Should they manage to find their collective way out of the paper bag with the DLC, I will be a fan again...a cautious one, but a fan nonetheless.

My articles at MMORPG.com were my professional opinion but I doubt that either EA or Bioware really give a damn about my thoughts on the matter. It's not like I've got a fan club.

I'm afraid that Chris and I have had a rocky relationship throughout our years knowing one another. We have had to "agree to disagree" more than once on a plethora of issues. >.>

"hugs to Rob"
Well my experience on the BSN lately is that threads are being locked down that either point out false advertising by Bioware team or by calling out specific quotes by Bioware personnal and showing how inaccurate they are.
I've reported both closures as the threads were not in any way abusive etc........Now I have expected to be banned but I quess cause I'm not important/great well thought-out posts/other reasons they've ignored me.
I will tell you that on the forum I always go to (ME stories/spoilers), I see less and less of the posters I met in first joining BSN.
It's like the old time posters on BSN and the pro-enders enter into controversial threads and derail them or pester the anti-enders til they leave.
I refuse to give up though and occasionally run across good threads.

Unfortunately, BSN is starting to look like the ugly, little brother to 4Chan.

Permanently banned last month just because I aired the dirty laundry about it, and Priestly outright deleted the later reiterations of the topic.

Now this: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/355/index/11479878

Looks like they lost control. And this is an attempt to gain it back (to hand out bans more timely?)

I just got off "the phone" with Epler, and their Report-button is, in fact, not doing anything at all. I have *only* used that button to report, and I believe others may have only done so too.

Would be a shame if this is the reason for people believing the trolls are paid by EA, because "I've pressed that Report-button time and time again, and no one is doing anything".

Then it goes to show that you could have just PM'd a mod instead, and made the troll disappear in a minute.

Seriously?!

Not shitting you. Even TODAY, I still can't post in the forums.

Link, please?

How long ago was this?

Last month (March 17th)

Can't say as I'm surprised, as atghunter pointed out when the second PR thread got locked for no good reason - they aren't happy about their own forums being used to foment opinion against them and they're now obviously not content to just lock topics but are taking more extreme measures to ensure that the rot stops.

If anything, it's a surprise that they've taken this long to drop the banhammer, really.

It has been my experience that basically, there comes a point when various rules will either be interpreted in such a way that ANYONE can get banned if they piss off the powers that be. I'd say that those associated with HTL and Retake are likely to have gained the ire of EA and Bioware and for some mods - Stanley Woo, for example - the fact they've been brought into this by name means that the thin pretence of professionalism is out the window.

So, for those on BSN - I'd advise being cautious as if you're openly a member of the movement, you're likely on thin ice - regardless of how well you behave.

This video illustrates what happening at Bioware.