EA/Bioware in Full PR Damage Control Mode UPDATED 3/22/12, 5:28 PM UTC/GMT -4 hours

shephard987 · Mar 22, 2012

Resume the conversation as it was going.

Hold the Line

Thomas Bluml · Mar 22, 2012

We need that post that the PR guy posted in the BSN here, it was a step by step account of what they're doing, its invaluable. Anyone got it saved?

shephard987 · Mar 22, 2012

Ok, this thread has gone on long enough.

We are open to valid criticism, but there are far too many lies and outright falsehoods here such as the ridiculous accusation that we buy reviews. That is enough BioWare/EA abuse. The thread is now closed.

LOCKDOWN!

Zo_RetakeME3 · Mar 22, 2012

One of the most insightful post I've read on these forums since this 'ME3 ending' controversy began has been this one from a user named atghunter. I shall quote him:

atghunter wrote...

I don't think Bioware is out of touch with their customers though I agree with an earlier poster that right now they are assessing their options. Nor do I think that everyone speaking up for them at the moment is a "yes man" or shill. That said:

I don't for a moment think there are any other endings, this was a hallucination, etc. Bioware/EA is letting these speculations go on for two reasons. First, they are letting people vent. Secondly, they are weighing options.

Years ago, I worked for a PR damage control team and everything right now is going by the book. First, re-affirm and ignore (also known as doubling down), then try and define the detractors in the mainstream with things like "this is all a big mistunderstand", etc. while remaining civil in the hopes the detractors go rabid. Meanwhile go dark and use countermeasures through third part sources to prop up your position and brand the outcry as driven by hacks, haters or a minority trying to wear out the detractors on these outlets or "shock troops" while protecting the corporate core. Next, offer something distracting (notice SWTOR is free this upcoming weekend) known as the "faux olive branch"/ask the angry people to explain their concerns (without agreeing to commit to a compromise), buy more add time (definitely going on right now), and hope it dies down. If the pressure is still on, determine the economic viability of 1) ignoring the outcry and banking on the fickle nature of consumers to get over it or 2) determining if we can make money off of fixing it.

If it is any consolation, the decision whether or not there is a fix DLC, etc, won't be made by the writers so illusions to things they wanted to convey don't matter much atm (to wit: the leads comments yesterday). I suspect he's been called in and politely told by the PR guys to not do that again. This is now a corporate problem, not an artistic struggle with fans. Somewhere in the EA bunker, attorneys, PR guys, writers and brass are sharing numbers b/c in the end this will come down to hard currency.

As one who despises the endings, I'm hoping the suits tell the visionaries that the customers are loud enough and numerous enough to swallow their pride and get them out of this storm. For those that love them, I readily accept your position and respectfully disagree.

atghunter's analysis was posted on March 15 and the next day, Bioware announced the N7 weekend "Operation: Goliath"event enticing gamers with promises of "FREE STUFF" like weapon unlocks and such.

I noticed a number of customers, who had sworn off Bioware for the ending, were inquiring how they could participate in the event. Disgusted by their short-term memory, I decided to create this thread to bring EA/Bioware's PR tactics into light using atghunter's post as a starting point.

Soon afterwards, atghunter commented again.

atghunter wrote...

A couple follow-up thoughts for those wondering what is likely going on with the other side of the mirror in the last couple days:

First, Operation Goliath, the free Star Wars online weekend, and the recent noncommittal overtures to listen arefaux olive branches. Sorry. Customers intrinsically want to believe companies they patronize listen and when they stop believing that, the company has to say they are listening and do anything to get the detractors off-message. There are a dozen names for this, but the most memorable was "The Shell Game."

You will know that there’s a genuine need for dialogue in the corporate bunker when the message turns from “we’re listening” to “we acknowledge we may have a disconnect with our consumers and are willing to discuss a meaningful solution to the problem.” It signals an end to non-committed deflection and opening genuine talks to solve the problem (it’s knows as “Exposing Your Throat” btw). At present, you’ll notice Bioware/EA has only said they will “explain” the endings. That’s not a give, that’s a delay tactic.

But here’s the part that amazes me as an old PR guy and is totally new. The disenfranchised base here is changing the old methodology. It’s akin to comparing old-style bunker PR defenses to new blitzkrieg-style consumers. To date, the “bunker strategy” was always used because it was virtually foolproof. However, social media and the 24 hour news cycle have simply changed everything. Twenty years ago, you could not mass 30,000 protesters into a networked base without some luck, money, a GREAT cause and (most importantly) time. By the time you did get organized, folks were either burned out or lost interest. Groups like Take Back have altered the landscape and suddenly the contest is taken from the old paradigm to a crazy new (and wonderful IMO) place. Preorder sales took away customers biggest weapon in the past (i.e. don’t buy the product). Now customers who feel they have received poor value have been potentially re-empowered by the internet. Bioware/EA is feeling the full brunt of this thing while passion is hottest. They are deploying countermeasures faster than the old strategies ever would have ever suggested. To some degree, they are being outmaneuvered atm. But now it depends on how long the protest/outcry holds up.

Two more quick points and I’ll close. First, the Child’s Play movement was brilliant. Notice over the past few days how some of the most visceral detractors to the outcry have had to shift their vitriol from “you’re spoiled selfish haters” to “sure you gave to charity, but you are spoiled selfish haters.” Nobody is drinking that Kool-Aid. Better yet, some outlets are now saying “maybe the game has problem but its still art” from the precedent message “best game ever.” That won’t fly with the mainstream. If its one thing they know is that when “art” hits the marketplace, it is a commodity, nothing more. You’ve changed the countermeasures from "unbiased" critics of the movement into drum beaters simply trying to get you angry. EA’s PR guys probably envy you (grudgingly) atm.

Second, don’t buy the only X people voted in the poll out of 1 billion customers, so they don’t care. That’s bunk. Are there "drum beaters" on both sides of this issue that just want to see controversy, sure. But if I was sitting in an office looking at that Bioware poll, I’d be reaching for a cigarette.

Finally remember, they have much more data at their disposal. They know how sales are going, how much time people are playing that are synced into Origin, etc. They will watch those numbers this weekend. If sales slow, watch for price cutting within 10 days (just over the two week US release date). It will mean that retailers are getting nervous and will slow new unit orders. As I’ve said before, this will come down to hard currency. If the protests start having an effect on that front, the response will come.

I’m an older gamer and again appreciate the repost. To everyone (on both sides) continue to let your voices be heard. You are consumers and have every right to engage in this discourse. The boards being locked yesterday proves someone is watching and knows this is an issue. I'm in the hated-ending camp to be sure, but I admire everyone one of you who is arguing for what believe on both sides!

Cheers.

Many men may be willing to die heroically for a noble cause, but few men will live humbly for one. Wilhelm Stekel

Then "Casey Hudson" released his second statement.

Here’s atghunters analysis of that:

atghunter wrote...

Been spending a few minutes reading over Mr. Hudson’s response. Here's my PR insider perspective. Hope it helps a bit.

First, let’s simply look at strategy over content. 1) They definitely released this on a Friday evening to bury it in the news cycle (because it does acknowledge in passing there are unhappy customers, but more next paragraph). Btw, kudos to those who pointed that out earlier in the thread-Solid catch. 2) Several of the “anti-ending” articles (most notably Forbes) are now creeping into front page searches for “Mass Effect 3” instead of “Mass Effect 3 endings” and they are hoping this release will knock those stories to page 2. 3) They are hoping to deflect some of the current silence anger by combining this message with this weekend’s faux olive branches (discussed earlier).

All in all, the message release strategy is nothing too interesting at this point.

The content, however, is interesting. Most of the statement is doublespeak meant to let you see whatever you want as to as to the direction this thing is heading. Mr. Hudson then clearly tries to give validity to the greatness of the game by citing a couple news sources in the hopes of getting those stories more hits and onto search page one (nicely played EA PR), but the main thing is a clear acknowledgement that Houston has a problem with “some” fans. Mind you, he uses the term “some” and “most passionate fans” to try and minimalize the level of the outcry, but the disenfranchised fan base has reached the level of acknowledgement. That is important. Does it mean those disenfranchised fans have won? Not by a long shot. But Mr. Hudson’s statement was written (or at least approved by someone running damage control). And ultimately any time you have to acknowledge a problem with your product or customers, you have issues.

Does he continue on holding his own line that they intended “bittersweet” endings? Yes. Is the comment that you’ll see more of Commander Shepard an illusion to an “ending” DLC? Not certain but probably not at the moment. Does he utilize the “we’re listening to feedback but not promising we’ll do anything” line used on the boards yesterday? Sure.

It is clear most of his statement is insubstantial and leaves tons of room for spin either way down the road. Whether it gets used or not, management is trying to find some wiggle room in case they have to change course.

Last bit. A warning. PR guys know that right now many people’s emotions are on edge and often use a tactic called “Sound and Fury” (Shakespearean reference see Macbeth) to see if it gets people raging. It helps that strategy that people are looking at anything coming out of Bioware to detect wind changes. That said, I was reading through the thread burning with Mr. Hudson’s statement (though to be fair it is a Bioware/EA statement) and it seems for the most part folks are being passionate, but civil. EA PR will probably chalk up that aspect of this release as a failedruse de guerre (trick of war).

Shortly afterwards, a thread was created for Bioware rep Jessica Merizan to gather feedback from unsatisfied fans:

Here is atghunter's analysis of that:

atghunter wrote...

I promise some individual answers (working my way forward from page 18 atm) and my wife thanks you all for letting me have dinner. But first, a take on the latest Bioware maneuvers from a PR perspective.

First, I’ve never met Ms. Merizan personally, but I’ve read some of her tweets and find her to be an engaging and personable individual online. She is a PR guys dream because I believe she genuinely has empathy for the players and it shows.

That said, please remember that she (like everyone else in this storm at Bioware is saying nothing more than they are being told/authorized to say).

So on to the post. Of course, we’ve covered the whole churning things out on Friday night to avoid the news cycle under Mr. Hudson’s post. Standard Operating Procedure there. However, the tenor of Ms. Merizan's post is much better than what we’ve been seeing in the last 24 hours. Moreover, it is simply less of a CYA publicity statement acknowledging a situation but minimalizing the problem. Notice she drops the pretense of “most people love this but a few people may disagree” and heads straight into a quasi “throat exposure” by saying:

“In order for a collaboration between the devs and the fans to work, I need you guys to CONTINUE being constructive, and organizing your thoughts. I know where to look, but I need you to help me by contributing to the dialogue.”

It is a direct communication to the offended customers. No promise of change to be sure, but probably the first genuine offer to discuss this issue in terms of possible collaboration vs. discussion/explanation. It won’t make the news b/c of Mr. Hudson’s statement issued shortly before as a media "screen" (though honestly, this was probably the intended message the PR guys want us to have all along).

As I mentioned before, once you gain acknowledgement, you have taken the first step in a PR campaign towards a compromise. Lots of road ahead, but to that end, well done.

Also take that Ms. Merizan acknowledges the positive aspect of the RetakeME3 movement. From a PR standpoint, it’s like acknowledging the people you are presently struggling with actually have virtue. You’re not saying they are right, but you aren’t simply acknowledging their presence either. Mind you this can also be a gambit to 1) deflect (as we’ve previously discussed) or 2) to enrage (i.e. hope that the players will refuse to communicate and thus be seen as unreasonable at this overture). Best PR counter response: strength, civility, a touch of wariness and loads of conviction.

The only troubling thing I can see is the collecting feedback data for “weeks” comment when the game went into full release only about 12 days ago, but I’m guessing that was possibly a PR guy’s oversight who assumed (based on the historical curve of these kind of things) that this matter has devolved in a much longer time that has actually elapsed. But it is equally possible she has been keeping track as well. Still doesn’t detract from the tone of the message.

Much less deflection, a bit more acknowledgement. If it hasn’t become clear, these fights (and make no mistake, they are fights be it abet civil ones) are of move and counter-move.

Continue to make your voices heard. Give them the concise arguments I’ve read on this forum a hundred times (regardless of your side). This is a game of choices, and call me an old optimist, but I have to believe there is enough room on my hard drive for some endings for both the producers and we consumers. Continue to post respectfully, but with the passion and conviction that inspires an old gamer like me. If you do, and this ultimately turns out to be a deflection, it is a dangerous one for EA/Bioware.

Here's why. One of the greatest lessons of PR is don’t offer to negotiate, unless you mean it. Doing so and ultimately being outed is called “Brokering Solutions but Delivering Stonewalls”. Not to be melodramatic, when I did this work, we called it something else…

Sudden Death

As this thread progressed, a Bioware employee - Jarrett Lee - entered the thread and began posting.

Jarrett Lee wrote...

Most of these things you see as olive branches aren't that at all. They are part of the already planned launch period of ME3 (Star Wars I can't speak for). The N7 MP weekend was planned some time ago - before the ending situation came to light. Not everything revolves around this controversy. It's just unfortunate timing. Same goes for the recent strategy videos for example - we filmed those weeks ago. I think Corey and Eric did a great job in them and was dismayed at the vitriol in the YouTube comments.

You're complaints are being heard, and considered and discussed etc, but I wouldn't read so much into some of the marketing stuff we're doing. I know a lot of you won't buy that - i cant "prove it" - but I've actually always been honest with you guys all the way back to ME1. Operation Goliath is an event we planned because the multiplayer is really fun, and we want to engage the players with it (i just completed the challenge tonight myself!). Of course we had events and releases planned for the week after launch-week. There are no nefarious scheming evil meetings on this topic. We take it seriously, and are discussing it internally. Nobody is happy or dismissive about the fan reaction, at BioWare. Quite the opposite really. These are good people who care deeply about the work they do.

I would suggest patience but not sure there's receptiveness to that at this point.

Guess that's all I wanted to say for now. Have a good night/weekend.

At which point there was a rash of, "Thank you for talking to us like human beings" and "I feel bad for you Jarrett" comments.

atghunter replied to him:

atghunter wrote...

Mr. Lee,

Thanks for joining the dialogue. I haven’t read ahead, but I hope the discourse over your post remains civil and positive as I think this thread has been.

First, I wholeheartedly believe that there are good people at Bioware that care about the work they do. But I hope you can equally agree that sometimes the best people in business, with the best intentions, can misstep when it comes to consumer relations. It does not make them bad or wicked, just human. And when that happens, a tedious (and sometimes strained) relationship occurs requiring ultimately a dialogue between the conflicted parties brokered by PR folks. I don’t think anyone (certainly I haven’t) ascribed Bioware’s response as “evil”, but it is most certainly calculated. It has to be given the stakes.

We should also probably agree that atm the PR folks are directing the course of Bioware’s response (with lots of input to be sure). Were some/all of the events going on this weekend pre-planned? I don’t know but I’ll take your word for it. Could those same events have been planned as firewalls (aka potential faux olive branches) or for just plain fun? I don’t know. However, while I certainly wasn’t the most savvy PR guy, it simply seems illogical that someone wouldn’t build some firewalls into a worldwide pre-sale release just in case. Again, no evil intentions, just solid market share defense. Those same firewalls turn into great media boosters if the game had been acclaimed and unneeded. In short, they get repurposed.

I don’t ascribe Bioware as a malevolent group bent on the destruction of its fan base. At the moment I do ascribe them in one sense as you do:

We take it seriously, and are discussing it internally. Nobody is happy or dismissive about the fan reaction, at BioWare

And that is, in my opinion, is because the situation cannot be ignored. As I’ve posted previously, Bioware/EA seems to have acknowledged a problem. Now it is simply a matter of how a business determines the economic viability of its response.

Again, I’m glad you chimed in. I always enjoy good discussions. And please don’t believe there isn’t “receptiveness” to your point. It’s fatalism. Honestly, people here have been passionately, but in an overwhelmingly civil tone, chiming in all week hoping for a modicum of acknowledgement with virtually no response from Bioware, and most still seem possessed of great hope for that same receptiveness.

During Jarrett's time in the thread, emotions were running very high and there were disagreements (naturally) between members with some people believing he was sincere, while others did not.

Even atghunter and myself didn't exactly see eye to eye on the situation.

atghunter's reply to my post about Jarrett
My reply back to atghunter

It's all good.

Next we have a post by Gexora that analyzes Jarrett Lee's involvement.

Gexora wrote...

I have just read this whole tread, from the page one (and yep, I am probably getting fired soon). I think I have some valuable insight as someone who could see the way situation unraveled.

So I read 35 amazing pages of people being mostly civil and discussing our movement; atghunter's posts were fascinating, I have seen the first one before and was amazed by how insightful it was, and glad he continued to help us.

Then Mr. Lee waltzes in, says some vague stuff while being polite and humorous, ignores all questions but the most innocent one, waltzes out - and everyone falls head over feet praising him. Then, some pages later, people are slowly realising they were played like little vorcha, and start arguing about that. I agree with someone saying we were so tired of Bioware treating us like bull****, we are at the point where anyone treating us like humans is idolized.

Then the thread got back to the topic again, but it just didn't have the same fire, had a lot of off-topic and arguing. So, the result?

Jarett Lee just nuked the promising thread while being nice.

atghunter's post on Jarrett Lee's involvement.

Former military officer, KeldoreKatern, offers his analysis of this situation

Redknight38's suggestions for the 'ReTake' movement

cokohpuffs41 financial analysis of EA/Bioware

Some members have been asking for "leaders" of the movement. Here's atghunter's take on that.

atghunter wrote...

Leaders vs. Organizers: As I mentioned yesterday, one of the marvels of the present disenfranchised player movement is that it can be anyone, young or old, from any walk of life, from around the globe. I've seen banners and posters from throughout the world in just the last 20 pages. PR folks know it is widespread. That said, does the disenfranchised base need leaders? Just one voice here, but my take is that is ultimately for the base to collectively decide. There are advantages and disadvantages to that call. One charismatic leader can unite a movement, one misguided one can destroy it. But regardless, any movement ultimately needs organizers. Men and women who will step from the ranks of the masses to set up threads, start pages like the Take Back and Child's Play campaign, letter writing campaigns, etc. In short, folks who become willing to help build consensus and focus energy. No one upset with a circumstance wants to mill around forever. PR deflection is used to wear out a voice that has nothing else to do except be vocal and then claim that ultimate silence is tacit approval. Ultimately do organizers become leaders? Sometimes. But please bear in mind, this present circumstance is about a very vocal group of consumers upset at a product. So put forth your thoughts and build consensus through civil dialogue to that end. Does it mean you'll go along with the consensus, perhaps or perhaps not (especially if you liked the product). But it lets the Bioware/EA know you are stillengaged in the discussion.

A Continuing Chorus of Voices will Continue to be Heard but you Can Go Hoarse: Stay involved (for as long as you wish, of course), be loud, passionate, and proud (no matter what side of this discussion you take) but understand from a PR standpoint (as mentioned above) that the whole stratagem of going into your bunker and using deflection is to wear out the outcry then dismiss it as a minor issue. Being involved takes effort and being upset takes energy. My suggestion, stay involved, but take breaks. I have no doubt EA is assessing this constantly, discussing options, but not every person is at the helm 24/7. Get a good meal, get some rest, watch a favorite movie, and decompress then come back to share more epic tales of Marauder Shields with the rest of us. Resolve sustains a movement. Become galvanized, stay passionate, but take care of yourself as well as the things you believe in!

The 'Galvanized" Veteran and the "Fiery" Newcomers Unite: This one is mostly for the mass of disenfranchised players here but ending approval folks might fit in here too. All of us (on the disapproval side) are at different stages of the "I'm an unhappy consumer and I'm doing something about it!" spectrum. Some have become resolved, some are downright angry and want to vent, some are proposing solutions and some are talking about how let down they feel. All of those people belong here. And what I’m seeing catching up on this thread this morning is a genuine banding together of those voices. Some upset folks finished the game an hour ago, some a week ago—All should be welcome here. Embrace the passionate (yet civil) fire of the new poster and the stoic, galvanized conviction of those who have been here longer and everyone in-between. Each has a voice to be used in this discussion!

Short Term Gains vs Long Term Campaigns: Last point. Lots of folks are asking, will Bioware address this on (fill in your selected date here)? I suspect that some folks even in the know at Bioware don’t know. As I’ve mentioned previously, Bioware/EA seem to have acknowledged a genuine disconnect with a very vocal portion of their client base. The PR damage control team is evaluating everything and assessing the costs of all options. The data involved is mind boggling and far more detailed than I can imagine with the proliferation of information potentially available in today’s business environment (weekend sales figures, new unit orders, online use, press reaction, fan feedback, cost of a variety of “fix” DLC platforms, projected long term losses to not fixing the game, customer short term/long term impacts, etc). To that end, I will give the same cautionary note I mentioned before: A meaningful solution to a serious disconnect between customers and a business takes time. Moreover, would it be reasonable to see EA release more of the same countermeasures/deflections/faux olive branches this week? Definitely. If for no other reason, you are testing the consumer’s resolve and hoping to keep the news headlines towards the corporate base somewhat positive with articles claiming “we’ll respond to our customers”.

The "ending" press right now certainly isn't what Bioware/EA wants and they want to get past this as soon as the best economically viable solution is decided on.

I said this a dozen times on the thread yesterday, but it bears repeating. I applaud the folks on both sides of this issue who have let their voices be heard. You are patrons, customers, and consumers. You can passionately praise or decry a company’s product so long as you are civil. You can buy their next product or refuse to do business with them ever again. This is the marketplace and ultimately comes down to the bottom line for EA. To claim any business can produce products with impunity to customer satisfaction is myopic and unrealistic. Conversely, companies should be willing to be bold with new products but with a clear understanding that customer disapproval is a potential outcome and could impact the long term business/customer relationship. And finally when that consumer disapproval happens on a significant scale its time for a business to economically do what it can to redress that disapproval to repair/preserve the relationship with their customers.

Then there was the “twitter fiasco” where a Bioware employee accidentally posted, “At this time we have no plans to change the ending.” Obviously the forums exploded and the post was removed from both social media sites and a new message was put in its place.

Here’s atghunter’s analysis of that social media faux pas.

atghunter wrote...

New Developments vs Miscues: Late last night, Bioware had to head off a minor PR storm when one of their employees posted there were no plans for a new ending. First, could this have been the truth or another ruse de guerreby some clever PR guy wanting to stick his toe in the water to see how quickly they’d get a response? Anything is possible and without more data, my opinion is as good as the next. The response by the fan base was (putting it mildly) a touch negative. The Bioware/EA response was the real fascinating thing to watch. Bioware almost immediately scrubbed the post, sent their arguably most well-liked spokesperson (Ms. Merizan) out to quell the crowd personally, apologized on Facebook, and sent sweepers into the forums to quickly lock a number of associated threads all in the space of roughly one hour in the middle of the night on a Sunday here in the States!

In short, while the message was probably a miscue, the response tells you that they are watching this whole thing like hawks and reacting to things almost in real time. That just isn’t easy to orchestrate. While Bioware is certainly still mostly in “bunker” mode evaluating data from the weekend, reviewing projections, etc, they are clearly ignoring very little atm. Does it mean change will come? Not necessarily (But as a dissatisfied consumer, I personally remain hopeful). Does it mean you should keep letting your voice be heard? Absolutely. New week, new news cycle, and more analysis of data.

Silence isn’t Always Golden: Someone touched on this last night and it jogged my memory (remember folks, I’m older and occasionally prone to forget). Rudimentary PR response is deflection and bunker (as mentioned before) to tamp down the outcry and protect to corporate core. That said, silence isn’t always golden. Does the negative consumer reaction currently sweeping the social media represent a majority of the customer base? Not sure if even Bioware/EA knows atm and I sure don’t. But the outcry does pretty clearly represent the majority of vocal (and invested) fans (i.e. the loyal base). The retake message here seems mostly consistent (i.e its the product folks are dissatisfied with, they want the company to fix the product, and re-establish a good consumer/business relationship).

Casual consumers may buy your product, but are often less inclined to purchase pre-order, buy memorabilia, and sing your praises to anyone who will listen. The loyal base will. They will buy models, talk the game up at conventions, and act as an incredibly strong advertising resource. As the bunker mentality wears on, the noise may die down, but it also stands a good chance of turning galvanized unhappy consumers who hope for a dialogue and compromise into disenfranchised former customers who loose faith in the consumer/business relationship. At best those people become casual potential customers of your future products. At worst, they’ll become adversaries. Someone once said:

The worst enemy a man can face is a former friend.

Why? Because it’s personal. At some point, people will no longer care about the deflection-style public overtures to listen by Bioware and faux olive branches. They’ll take their bags (and loyalty) and move on. Does Bioware/EA wish this whole thing would go away? You don’t have to be a PR guy to know the answer to that is of course. Do they want to try and find some way to salvage this disconnect and protect the bottom line? Again, of course.

I can only extol everyone to stay involved in this dialogue no matter what side you are one and use your voice (as long as you individually wish of course). Take breaks, but keep on keeping on. Why? Because you are consumers and just as this is ultimately about the bottom line for Bioware/EA, its about where you spend your money and interest in the future as well. As a very dissatisfied consumer, do I still hope Bioware/EA will address this? Absolutely. But even if the end of this becomes “Brokering Solutions but Delivering Stonewalls” this outcry will be talked about in various circles for years. The social media has been amazing in letting people come together from around the world, a charity has benefited, I watched people on this thread engage in some of the most insightful and supportive discourse I’ve ever seen, and each of your who have spoken up have sent a clear message to the gaming industry that will likely become a cautionary tale in PR circles. /salute

Turns out Amazon.com is taking open box returns of ME3 – 13 days after release. Here’s atghunter’s take on that.

There's also a civil protests for fans to mail back their N7 patches to Bioware. Details can be found here.

Another in-depth analysis of the situation, this time from Skaldfish.

March 21, 2012

Bioware community manager Jessica Merizan posting in the thread. ME3 customers like, Mister Mida, Nefelius,Mavaras, rfrombrazil, Darkeus, mattynuts and Doug M.

-Bioware co-founder Dr. Ray Muzyka releases a statement on ending controversy
-Forbes analyzes Muzyka's statement with a scintillating article.
-JohnnyG provides Dr. Muzyka with "constructive criticism".
-Forbes writer says 'Indoctrination Theory' is the easy way out, but not in a good way.

-Jessica Merizan says she's changing how she interacts with the community, which prompted a reply from mattynuts, which lead to a response from Jessica clarifying her stance and one from mattynuts clarifying his.

-Here's my response to Jessica's decision to cut off the community.

March 22, 2012

-Jessica decides NOT to cut off the community.
-New Forbes article saying that Bioware changing the endings is a good thing.
-Mass Effect Drone Volume 5: The Customer Is Always Right. Why Bioware Should Change Mass Effect 3′s Ending.

March 23, 2012

-After all hell breaks loose on the BSN, atghunter makes his first post on the moved thread.

March 24, 2012

-After further settling in, atghunter makes another post about a few things he hadn't brought up yet.
-atghunter also comments on Retake Mass Effect 3 reaching 50,000 people.

March 27, 2012

-atghunter on whether or not EA/BioWare should admit to their mistakes from a PR prospective.

More updates to come...

Related Links:

Official "Retake Mass Effect 3" Facebook page
Retake Mass Effect on Twitter
Retake Mass Effect - Child's Play ***Please Donate***
Forbes article
CNN video segment about ME3 controversy (starts @ 4:00)
BBC article on ME3
Mass Effect 3 debacle - Pre-release developer quotes
Poll About The Ending
'Official' Poll For Mass Effect 3 Ending DLC
[POLL] What exactly would you change with the ending?
EA/Bioware in Full PR Damage Control Mode ***Regularly UPDATED***
Retake Mass Effect Banner Templates
Mission Statement Thread
Retake Mass Effect Group on BSN ***Please Join***
Mass Effect 3 Resource Site with collection of statements and reports
Retake Mass Effect 3 Statistics
Retake Mass Effect on Youtube
Retake Mass Effect 3 Endings - Extranet Site - Resource Collector
Theorycrafting HUB (a forum for, among other games, ME3 theories and speculation)

Reviews:

Angry Joe's top 10 reasons to hate the ME3 ending
ME3 endings comparison
Jeremy Jahns - Mass Effect 3 Ending and Why We Hate It!
Reaping the Harvest of Poor Choices

Inspirational stuff:

The Commander Shepard song!
The Hold the Line video
Commander Shepard is still a jerk

Satire and Parody:

ME3 Recontextualised
Mass Deffect 7 Shepard's Reaction
The Animal House ending
The World Reacts to the Mass Effect 3 Ending
Mass Effect 3 - The Controversial Ending

Articles for Reading:

A Logical Breakdown of Why the Mass Effect 3 Ending Makes No Sense
Mass Effect 3 Ending-Hatred: 5 Reasons The Fans Are Right
Why you enjoy art and the one problem with Mass Effect 3

Twitter:

HarbytheReaper

Peregrinari · Mar 22, 2012

Wow. Thanks for pulling all that together!

CaptainGiggles · Mar 22, 2012

I wonder exactly what they consider are lies or abuse... were the BSN forums really getting that bad?

Zo_RetakeME3 · Mar 22, 2012

Peregrinari said: ↑

Wow. Thanks for pulling all that together!

No problem, just a quick copy/paste.

CeciliaBedford · Mar 22, 2012

CaptainGiggles said: ↑

I wonder exactly what they consider are lies or abuse... were the BSN forums really getting that bad?

Sure, the thread was a bit snarky at times but you just know Mr. Priestly was eager for a (good?) reason to close it. I'm surprised he didn't sooner considering posts that only say "hold the line" are so frequent that it is technically spam. It's impressive that the thread reached 400 pages.

tifpod · Mar 22, 2012

Not surprised at the censorship, honestly. The BSN forums are owned and maintained by Bioware and we're speaking out against something Bioware made, in a way. Even if it's because we love it. They don't care if we love it. They care if we love it enough to give them our money, bottom line.

Anyway, I'm just surprised they let "free speech" go on as long as they did in that PR thread. It was insightful and people can judge for themselves based on how EA/Bioware are reacting to the situation whether or not the company is following the OP's strategy. Lies and falsehoods. Sure.

CaptainGiggles · Mar 22, 2012

CeciliaBedford said: ↑

Sure, the thread was a bit snarky at times but you just know Mr. Priestly was eager for a (good?) reason to close it. I'm surprised he didn't sooner considering posts that only say "hold the line" are so frequent that it is technically spam. It's impressive that the thread reached 400 pages.

I believe that. When protests start, companies on the reciving end of all the criticism will look for any reason to snuff out those on the opposing end, even if it is nitpicking at the few who happen to get out of hand or look for any technicality to shut them down like locking/removing threads from forums and pressuring charities to close

Atraiyu_Wrynn · Mar 22, 2012

Brutal day. Any one else having a few thoughts bubbling up to the effect of "I hope SWTOR turns into such a sieve on EA that the whole company goes under"?

Zo_RetakeME3 · Mar 22, 2012

Atraiyu_Wrynn said: ↑

Brutal day. Any one else having a few thoughts bubbling up to the effect of "I hope SWTOR turns into such a sieve on EA that the whole company goes under"?

Definitely a rough day, and not getting any better for me, my favorite NCAA basketball team is about to lose.

tifpod · Mar 22, 2012

Atraiyu_Wrynn said: ↑

Brutal day. Any one else having a few thoughts bubbling up to the effect of "I hope SWTOR turns into such a sieve on EA that the whole company goes under"?

I know I already cancelled my SWTOR account. I didn't want to either. But I did it to send a message. I don't want the whole company to go under. I want them to do right by their intellectual properties and treat their fans with respect and care.

Joshko · Mar 22, 2012

Happy to see we have a home base.
Hold the Line.

Volion · Mar 22, 2012

Thread moved to node, sticky applied. I will clean up formatting a bit if you don't mind.

Joshko · Mar 22, 2012

Volion said: ↑

Thread moved to node, sticky applied. I will clean up formatting a bit if you don't mind.

Has atg been notified of this site. He seems to be the motivator for us and it seems Retake needs some motivation.

Lady InkWeaver · Mar 22, 2012

I've been away for only 24 hours and oh my god things are moving fast. It's damn difficult to keep up. BioWare is putting their big-boy pants on, aren't they? Charities shut down, 400 page thread shut down, I mean gosh.
I wanted to keep my N7 patch, I really did. But now that BioWare has decided to start to get nasty then screw it, I'm sending it in with a four word letter: "I'M DISSAPOINTED IN YOU."

Zo_RetakeME3 · Mar 22, 2012

Volion said: ↑

Thread moved to node, sticky applied. I will clean up formatting a bit if you don't mind.

Think you can perhaps give the post with all the info to the thread starter?

Volion · Mar 22, 2012

Zo_RetakeME3 said: ↑

Think you can perhaps give the post with all the info to the thread starter?

I was waiting for Bachuck the OP to arrive since it was his post. I understand he has been notified of the site now.

Zo_RetakeME3 · Mar 22, 2012

Volion said: ↑

I was waiting for Bachuck the OP to arrive since it was his post. I understand he has been notified of the site now.

Sounds good!

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