He's probably quietly happy that his game was out before Steam Refunds happened
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Pitchford: Fans wrong to sue Gearbox over Aliens: Colonial Marines
- Thread starter BY2K
- Start date
He's probably quietly happy that his game was out before Steam Refunds happened
CambriaRising
Member
Just reaffirms my opinion of this guy being a scumbag.
Your missing the point, I was stating that pre-ordering has nothing to do with this debacle. Gearbox dropped the ball then lied about it to dupe people. I didn't buy either game and don't plan to, even if I was going to their problems were telegraphed before they even released so pre-order or no the same issues would be there.
hah this is a fair point. sonic 06's pre release material was different from the final release.
Piston Hyundai
Member
You'd think after your company had a bomb scare, you'd learn when to maybe bite your tongue.
Battle born is certainly a bomb scare
Lalalandia
Member
Actually I'm pretty sure a stronger message is refund fees from Steam, often online stores pass on refund fees from VISA/Mastercard/AMEX to their supplier. I'm pretty sure this was the factor behind WB taking AK off Steam rather than a sudden crisis of conscience.
It's just his attitude that really rubs me the wrong way. If they just came out and said 'look, we fucked it up, we're sorry' I think a lot of folks would at least give them a bit of the benefit of the doubt. But he just burys his head in the sand and it makes him look like a cunt, like he's the sort of fucker who would piss down your back and tell you it's raining.
I don't even hate Gearbox or Randy himself but the way he acts is negatively affecting what people think of the company and I'm sure there's many hardworking good folk there who despise what happened with A:CM as well.
I don't even hate Gearbox or Randy himself but the way he acts is negatively affecting what people think of the company and I'm sure there's many hardworking good folk there who despise what happened with A:CM as well.
Neuromancer
Member
As someone who thought the game looked shitty, even before the downgrade, I don't have much sympathy for anyone who bought it. Graphics aren't everything and even if they were great this still would have been a bad game.
Dragon1893
Member
Amen.
SolidSnakex
Member
It's about sending a message. The simple fact that people feel so ripped off at your product that they actually take that step to sue is pretty damning.
And get out of here with "the market should judge the product, not the legal system". The legal system exists to stop this shit from happening.
And get out of here with "the market should judge the product, not the legal system". The legal system exists to stop this shit from happening.
As someone who bought Colonial Marines, and actually beat it, I am disappointed in this outcome.
He wont own up to how bad the game is, or that there was quite a difference from what was shown, to what we got.
I wanted to like the game. I fucking love Aliens. But it was bad. I had a far better time playing AvP on the PS3.
For the record, I picked it up pre owned after I heard how bad it was. Originally had it pre ordered but fuck spending $89 on something with that much bad word of mouth.
He wont own up to how bad the game is, or that there was quite a difference from what was shown, to what we got.
I wanted to like the game. I fucking love Aliens. But it was bad. I had a far better time playing AvP on the PS3.
For the record, I picked it up pre owned after I heard how bad it was. Originally had it pre ordered but fuck spending $89 on something with that much bad word of mouth.
Ivan Amiibo
Banned
https://twitter.com/athlondude/status/619513659471966208
...is he saying he put 400 MOTHERFUCKING HOURS into Colonial Marines?!
CosmicQueso
Member
Wait, the legal system exists to prevent companies from producing bad video games?
SocksAndShoes
Banned
No.
Shitty unfinished games existed well before pre-orders did.
Again pre-orders are not, and have never been, the issue with crappy games.
GAF: I just checked the company log. Dated 0-6-1-2-7-9, signed Pitchford, Randy J. You sent that game out there and you didn't even warn them. Why didn't you warn them, Pitchford?
Pitchford: Okay, look. What if that game didn't even exist, huh? Did you ever think about that? I didn't know! So now, if I went in and made a major development issue out of it, everybody steps in. SEGA steps in, and there are no Metacritic bonuses for anybody; nobody wins. So I made a decision and it was... wrong. It was a bad call, GAF, it was a bad call.
GAF: Bad call?
[GAF grabs Pitchford by his vest, shoves him against a wall]
GAF: This game is *dead*, Pitchford ! Don't you have any idea what you have done here? Well, I'm gonna make sure they nail you right to the wall for this! You're not gonna sleaze your way out of this one! Right to the wall!
[GAF lets go of Pitchford]
Pitchford: GAF...! You know, I... I expected more from you. I thought you'd be smarter than this.
GAF: I'm happy to disappoint you.
***
Pitchford: Look, this is an emotional moment for all of us, okay? I know that. But, let's not make snap judgments, please. This is clearly-clearly an important franchise we're dealing with and I don't think that you or I, or anybody, has the right to arbitrarily trash it.
Pitchford: Okay, look. What if that game didn't even exist, huh? Did you ever think about that? I didn't know! So now, if I went in and made a major development issue out of it, everybody steps in. SEGA steps in, and there are no Metacritic bonuses for anybody; nobody wins. So I made a decision and it was... wrong. It was a bad call, GAF, it was a bad call.
GAF: Bad call?
[GAF grabs Pitchford by his vest, shoves him against a wall]
GAF: This game is *dead*, Pitchford ! Don't you have any idea what you have done here? Well, I'm gonna make sure they nail you right to the wall for this! You're not gonna sleaze your way out of this one! Right to the wall!
[GAF lets go of Pitchford]
Pitchford: GAF...! You know, I... I expected more from you. I thought you'd be smarter than this.
GAF: I'm happy to disappoint you.
***
Pitchford: Look, this is an emotional moment for all of us, okay? I know that. But, let's not make snap judgments, please. This is clearly-clearly an important franchise we're dealing with and I don't think that you or I, or anybody, has the right to arbitrarily trash it.
ultrazilla
Member
Funny. I reinstalled Aliens:CM yesterday on Steam with the intention of playing it through to the end after I had given up on it after the first couple chapters.
I just couldn't do it. It's still freaking terrible in its current state(after all the patching). This is one game along with DayZ standalone I would have requested refunds for on Steam had those been available earlier.
Aliens:CM is a mess of a game and Gearbox/Randy DO DESERVE the blame. I used to have a ton of respect for Randy and Gearbox but damn if Aliens didn't get me sour on them. If they didn't have Borderlands, they'd no longer be anyone I pay attention to.
Own up Randy. And btw, let the Duke Nukem I.P. go or sell it. Don't sit on it like a kid taking his ball and going home. Duke deserves better than that.
Holy shit if we can get a GIF made of this I would love someone forever.
Yup, you and me both. I thought that even before Alien Marines and didn't even glance at that game because.
Markitron
Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
Exactly. Day one embargoes are just as much at fault with this game but no-one is bitching about them. This isn't an issue for either, the issue is lying about how good your game is.
You sir, are a fucking legend.
Cardon
Member
I can partially understand his point, "wasting" the time of the courts on a matter pertaining to a videogame as opposed to a truer form of justice such as a key social/criminal trial, but he seriously needs to man up and apologize for what happened.
At the end of the day Randy, and to an extent other high level members of Gearbox such as the Art Director, essentially lied non-stop to the consumers and to journos/bloggers who were perhaps somewhat gullible to believe that Gearbox was going to deliver on what they were showing and telling everyone. There's really no excuse for such a drastic difference in a product, even when you take into account the now expected Ubisoft downgrade which aren't as massive as what happened with CM.
So yeah, Randy can fuck off at the end of the day.
At the end of the day Randy, and to an extent other high level members of Gearbox such as the Art Director, essentially lied non-stop to the consumers and to journos/bloggers who were perhaps somewhat gullible to believe that Gearbox was going to deliver on what they were showing and telling everyone. There's really no excuse for such a drastic difference in a product, even when you take into account the now expected Ubisoft downgrade which aren't as massive as what happened with CM.
So yeah, Randy can fuck off at the end of the day.
BreezyLimbo
Banned
Yeah, he gives me a bad vibe. It's kinda why I'm ambivalent to anything Gearbox makes. I'm sure there's alot of talented people working there, but this guy successfully stifles any of that.
DarknessTear
Banned
Real smart. Bring this shit up again and not even in an apologetic manner so we can remember why we shouldn't trust you.
Ban Puncher
Member
Lawsuit was dumb but Pitchford is still a slimy used car salesman.
And bringing it up when everyone had pretty much forgotten?
And bringing it up when everyone had pretty much forgotten?
I actually support his statement, this was not false advertising in a legal sense, the game footage was marked as "not final product" if I remember correctly
This is a case of the free market disappointin people dumb enough to preordered based on promotional material... can you think of any other industry where you preorder an item based on a showing of an unfinished product?
Even people that preorder phones do so based on a final set of capabilities and hardware specs... do people preorder the newest iPhone based on a not final cad drawing haha? No they dont...
We need to face the fact that the games industry is unique
Im not defending gearbox or the shitty game, and an apology to fans would have at least been the considerate thing to do, but Randy's comments here are on point
The free market should decide a products value and if the market is comprised of 85% preorder zombies then it is simply the markets fault that the game sold as well as it did
This is a case of the free market disappointin people dumb enough to preordered based on promotional material... can you think of any other industry where you preorder an item based on a showing of an unfinished product?
Even people that preorder phones do so based on a final set of capabilities and hardware specs... do people preorder the newest iPhone based on a not final cad drawing haha? No they dont...
We need to face the fact that the games industry is unique
Im not defending gearbox or the shitty game, and an apology to fans would have at least been the considerate thing to do, but Randy's comments here are on point
The free market should decide a products value and if the market is comprised of 85% preorder zombies then it is simply the markets fault that the game sold as well as it did
Still got mgsv:tpp preordered day one haha trust kojima
Sorcerer
Member
Just because there are more serious crimes committed in the world makes Pitchford not a criminal? He should not be subjected to the law because he only falsely advertised a product and took the money? It's a waste of the courts time to go after a guy like him?
I agree trying these cases is probably tricky and complicated but Randy thinking he should be off the hook legally sets a bad precedent.
Jim Sterling
Member
The game is still being sold on official sites and Steam using media that is unrepresentative of the product and is NOT marked as unrepresentative.
Sega actually lost a case with the ASA in Britain where it was ruled CM *had* been falsely advertised.
I've had Randy Pitchford lie to my FACE about how this game - which was largely outsourced - was such a passion project to him, and I've watched their scripted gameplay demos that were in no way marked as unrepresentative of the final product. I've played a "pre-alpha" version of the multiplayer that, it turned out, was no different from the alleged gold version.
Randy Pitchford is a liar.
D
Deleted member 20920
Unconfirmed Member
I think he should just admit that his company shipped a lousy game and used misleading videos to advertise the game. It's not even the usual Ubisoft downgrade that we see every year. The game looked totally different and played badly.
One of my local game stores had to do a drastic price cut (50% or more I believe), weeks after the game was released. And they even apologised for it and admit that they know the game is shitty. Basically a buyer's beware warning. Retail stores had to apologise for Gearbox.
One of my local game stores had to do a drastic price cut (50% or more I believe), weeks after the game was released. And they even apologised for it and admit that they know the game is shitty. Basically a buyer's beware warning. Retail stores had to apologise for Gearbox.
Led_Zeppelin
Member
Would like to see the legal grounds where Pitchford got away with lying to consumers. Most likely they would argue that E3 is not a consumer focused convention, that the actual marketing of the game paid by SEGA did use real footage of the game (I actually don't remember) or was SEGA's responsibility and also most likely got away with the fact of how unique the videogames industry is when it comes to preorders and all that garbage.
I would have loved to see Pitchford lost the case but justice is not the same as legal and people can get away with anything as long as they know how to manipulate the existing law.
I would have loved to see Pitchford lost the case but justice is not the same as legal and people can get away with anything as long as they know how to manipulate the existing law.
Battlesmurf
Member
agreed. It really soured me on the company- I haven't touched a single gearbox item since (I was a super big fan of Borderlands and owned it on XB and PC to play with friends). I've since talked to most of them and we all pretty much agreed to not touch any more of their shit unless he apologizes or releases a few more patches that bring that thing up to what was shown/(closer to what was promised).
Glitchesarecool
Member
Wow, dude is fellating himself in front of everyone with that speak, like he's some kind of hero for all the work he's done.
Fuck right off Gearbox.
Fuck right off Gearbox.
Lalalandia
Member
This may be the best thing to come out of A:CM (running close with that 'w0t u looking @ m8' gif). Please our GifGAF overlords stick Randy's head on Paul Reiser with this text
probably too much text to work but I can see it in my head and it's glorious
Aliens is one of my favorite franchises. The potential this had could have made not only the IP more popular for action games, but would have also helped Sega out. Instead, when's the next time we'll get an action-oriented Alien game?
Gearbox and Sega also did Infestation (which is phenomenal and tells a neat story), but Gearbox was lucky enough to hand it off to WayForward, who does a great job with the right properties.
This whole situation makes me sick. Just as sick as what EA did to Westwood.
It reminds me of how I felt after watching the AvP movie (I think Requiem redeemed it, btw).
Gearbox and Sega also did Infestation (which is phenomenal and tells a neat story), but Gearbox was lucky enough to hand it off to WayForward, who does a great job with the right properties.
This whole situation makes me sick. Just as sick as what EA did to Westwood.
It reminds me of how I felt after watching the AvP movie (I think Requiem redeemed it, btw).
Trojita
Rapid Response Threadmaker
He is 100% correct. Hate on me all you want but the legal system isn't where this issue should have gone.
Pitchford is still my fav talking head.
A crappy Aliens game wont keep me from buying Borderlands 3 and Battleborn though.
Randy, I'm glad you are posting on here so that you can apologize for this shitty game.
Spacejaws
Member
Markitron
Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
This is what I am most salty about. I waited my entire life for the game that CM was supposed to be. Then Gearbox went and fucked it up so bad that I'm likely to never get that game now.
At least Sega funded Alien Isolation, which is one of my favourite games of all time.
Vincent Grayson
Member
If Randy Pitchford stopped developing games forever, the industry would be better for it.
Fuck this guy.
Fuck this guy.
yep. Im still mad about what happened to sega over this. no one should ever trust randy or gearbox again.
Spacejaws
Member
About that...
Didn't the documents reveal that Sega moved the game away from what it was originally (Alien 3rd person RPG) and turned it into a shooter with the manifesto specifically targetting Call of Duty?
Sounds like they both messed up but I think Sega should be holding a huge part of the blame here.
Any more examples like these floating around? I guess I'm having a hard time not seeing both as really cruddy looking. Which is why I'm a little confused as the singling out of this game as an example of "false advertising" enough for it to go to court. I realize as well that the game itself is a turd but where is the line drawn for the wide amount of games that we take our lumps on when they fail to live up to their pre-release promise?