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[CrimsonCommie]

No, it's not, because they are different sports with very different audience sizes, locally and globally. It's silly to compare something like a Madden game to an MLB game.

I know this is hard for people, but try not to just make things up. That is absolutely not why the sales are worse. The sales are "worse" because it's a game that's restricted to one console family. You can buy NBA Live on Xbox or Playstation. NHL 15 will be on both next-gen consoles and on PS3/360. FIFA is on like every platform known to man, including the PS2. Additionally, the game has a very American centric audience, and it's a very hardcore game. Bad online has almost nothing to do with it.

As people have explained, and as many of us have actually experienced, the game has a pretty small community only months after release. The community by now is ostensibly a ghost town.

You said the sales were worse every year I wasn't comparing them to the sales of other sports games. So yeah if the sales are declining every year like you said in your earlier post then it probably is partly for the reasons I stated. And as I said because I actually have experience I have the fucking game sitting on my shelf. Some people buy sports games every two years sometimes even longer. One of my friends has been playing this game online everyday for the past week. He or anybody else won't be able to play the game they PAID FOR how they want to after the servers are shut down. Why do you hate consumers? Do you make money from this? That is the only way I could see somebody supporting this.

Edit: you're not the guy that was talking about the declining sales so you should probably go back and read what I was replying to.

It may happen more often with yearly games, it may not. When a company puts out a yearly game though you have to buy with the expectation that the second the new iteration is out you're on borrowed time. MLB 13 still works, everything is still possible to do except play online. It's not like if Destiny's servers go down or when MAGs went down, all offline features are still there and available. Most games I play online are fighting games and they tend to go on for a few years because they don't have yearly versions of them. However, whenever MKX comes out and MK9 servers go down I'll be fine with it, I had my fun and got my 60 dollars worth.

Oh you're fine with it because the games YOU PLAY stay online for a few years lol.

Let me ask something to you and anyone that posts this "3 year minimum" thing: why would you expect a gaming company that puts out a yearly version of a game to allocate resources and funds to keep the server up so a small userbase that refuses to upgrade for X reason or a group of people that want to buy older versions used, money of which the company will never see? It's not like they shut down with 9 months before the new version comes out, they shut down 8 months after the new game came out. Why is it a travesty that they stopped support of a game that basically no one is playing? "It doesn't matter how many are playing", it does to them because that thing is just using resources or money for no return. If customers en mass aren't buying a product or going to, let's say, some skate arena then why should the company continue to funnel money into that product or business for the handful of people that ARE buying or going?

They already have the money! We paid $60 for the game and if they can't support the game we paid for and half the game becomes unplayable then we shouldn't support that. If they can't allocate some of their profits to keep servers running then they shouldn't be making online games at all!

It is a waste.

Do you make money from this? That is the only way I could see somebody supporting this.


I can't believe so many people don't care about companies fucking them.

 

[Xplatformer]

Neither was mlb 2013? This practice of turning off features when new games come out is disgusting. Yet another reason not to buy sports games.

The reasons to buy them trump the reasons not to.

I've been playing sports titles for 25+ years and I've played a game online maybe a total of 10 times...so I'm not of the group that this would bother.

The stripped out features in NBA 2k14 bug me a lot more. (fortunately all those features are coming back in 2k15)

 

[theWB27]

Both make sports games so it's a perfect comparison. The reason the sales are worse is probably because the online sucks and shit like cutting the servers. If you're willing to accept this don't complain when something like this happens to a game you play. People that support anti consumer policies like this baffle me.
But at least they announced this unlike 2k

Lol. We're complaining because this shit is gonna happen a lot more often if we don't and hell it still might anyway. And when I buy a game I expect the whole game to work as long as I have it. I know that's not always possible with online but 18 months is way too soon. I can't believe people are ok with this shit. When this starts happening to games you play I hope I don't see you complaining.

So it's the online, and not the fact The Show only releases on Playstation hardware mixed with baseball in general not being the most popular sport around. That has nothing to do with it.

Nevermind....you're wrong on so many counts it's not really funny. You have your opinion...but this is a case where it's pretty much wrong.

 

[shandy706]

Totally crappy thing to do if I'm reading that correctly...

That IS a 13 right? I'm not crazy?

Sony needs to get into the server on demand business. Supposedly MS plans to have game servers in the "cloud" available till whenever (I'm guessing "whenever" is 6-10 years).

Shutting off a game's servers with the year 2013 attached, in 2014, is crazy. It doesn't matter if it's Madden 13, Unreal Tournament 13 (heh), NBA 2k13...successful/popular games should run longer than a year or two.

 

[CrimsonCommie]

.

 

[Afrikan]

must.....not......avatar quote.

 

[Black Nectar]

The package probably says online is a feature, but does it say it can be turned off at any time?

There will still be retailers selling this game as new even months from now, if I buy it new and it says online is a feature, take it home and there is no online... is that false advertising?

Anyone have this game to see if there is a * saying Online Play is subject to be turned off at anytime?

 

[Lexxism]

‪#‎4ThePlayers

 

[Compbros]

Oh you're fine with it because the games YOU PLAY stay online for a few years lol.



They already have the money! We paid $60 for the game and if they can't support the game we paid for and half the game becomes unplayable then we shouldn't support that. If they can't allocate some of their profits to keep servers running then they shouldn't be making online games at all!



Do you make money from this? That is the only way I could see somebody supporting this.

No, I'm fine with it because I understand the business end of it when there's basically no one online. If there were a ton of users and they did it this early then I would have a problem with it, as it stands it's them cutting support for something that is, for all intents and purposes, dead.


Yes, you supported with your 60 dollars and they gave you 18 months of online enjoyability. Was it worth your 60? That's up to you but, for them, it's not worth the resources/money to support 12 people for another 18 months. Again, how is this "anti-consumer"? What? That's just....how long should they keep the game running with these "profits"?


Nope, I make not a dime debating someone on the internet nor do I get those extra "profits" they made with MLB 13 that would've went to the servers. And yet, I understand it.

 

[Ray Wonder]

I'm on my phone, forgive me if I missed it, but is there a stat on how many people were playing. I see random numbers, and I'm not sure what to believe. If it was 12 people playing, then fine. Shut em off. If it was even hundreds, I have a problem with how quick this happened.

 

[Compbros]

I'm on my phone, forgive me if I missed it, but is there a stat on how many people were playing. I see random numbers, and I'm not sure what to believe. If it was 12 people playing, then fine. Shut em off. If it was even hundreds, I have a problem with how quick this happened.

I pulled 12 outta nowhere, from what I assume are people that play the game or tried to see who was online in this thread it is a VERY low number.

 

[theWB27]

What are you even talking about? I never said that was the only reason.

I'm wrong because I think a game I paid for should work? What the fuck? Why do you want to fuck consumers. Do you make money off of this? At least my "wrong" lol, opinion isn't an opinion that supports fucking people that paid money for a product that half the features disappear whenever the developer decides.

The smaller userbase and it's ist party status ensures it should never be compared to what EA is doing. There's a reason EA can keep their servers going longer than the Show.

It's not fcking the consumer if the consumer isn't there. That's pretty much what everyone has been trying to get through to you concerning The Show. It doesn't make financial sense for Sony to keep it going.

No, I don't make money off of this. BUT...and a very big BUT....I understand that gaming isn't a charity. I agree that Sony shouldn't spend money on a title if the majority aren't there to take advantage of it. I'd rather them save that money and spend it elsewhere. In order for me to keep getting great products...companies shouldn't lose money to appease the few. Gaming is in the same boat.

I think anti-consumer is losing its luster...it doesn't apply to everything you don't like.

 

[djplaeskool]

The package probably says online is a feature, but does it say it can be turned off at any time?

There will still be retailers selling this game as new even months from now, if I buy it new and it says online is a feature, take it home and there is no online... is that false advertising?

Anyone have this game to see if there is a * saying Online Play is subject to be turned off at anytime?

The Terms of ANY online service will tell you that access to that service at any particular point in time may not be guaranteed (aka, downtimes scheduled and unscheduled, extenuating circumstances, sunset of application(s), etc.). An operator is responsible for providing ample information on unavailability or a termination of service. This will include announcements on websites, announcements built into the application itself, and in some cases, incentive/bonus schedules for those that have stuck around.

 

[tuna_love]

Well obviously there weren't any gamers playing online, Sony wouldn't do that to them.

 

[Black Nectar]

The Terms of ANY online service will tell you that access to that service at any particular point in time is not guaranteed (aka, downtimes scheduled and unscheduled, extenuating circumstances, sunset of application(s), etc.). An operator is responsible for providing ample information on unavailability or a termination of service. This will include announcements on websites, announcements built into the application itself, and in some cases, incentive/bonus schedules for those that have stuck around.

Does it say this on the actual box or do I have to purchase it first and find this info on the inside?

 

[FamousLastX]

Does it say this on the actual box or do I have to purchase it first and find this info on the inside?

Says "SCEA reserves the right to retire the online portion of this game at any time." in the fine print on the back of the box. Not that anyone reads that, but it's there.

 

[djplaeskool]

Does it say this on the actual box or do I have to purchase it first and find this info on the inside?

If the language on the MLB 13 box is the same as the MLB 14 box:

SCEA reserves the right to retire the online portion of this game at any time.

Nobody ever reads this stuff, but it's there.

Same thing with other games where you're presented with a pages long term to accept in order to connect.

 

[orthodoxy1095]

You said the sales were worse every year I wasn't comparing them to the sales of other sports games. So yeah if the sales are declining every year like you said in your earlier post then it probably is partly for the reasons I stated.

Of course. Clearly. It couldn't possibly be that the market for a hardcore baseball game is small.

Some people buy sports games every two years sometimes even longer. One of my friends has been playing this game online everyday for the past week. He or anybody else won't be able to play the game they PAID FOR how they want to after the servers are shut down.

Actually, incredibly, he will. The entire game is functional, minus the online. You can still play RTTS. You can still play Franchise. You can still have exhibition games. Your pal can still get value out of his purchase.

Why do you hate consumers? Do you make money from this? That is the only way I could see somebody supporting this.

I don't hate consumers, no need to descend to petty and stupid accusations. I also don't "support" it. I'm just not all that worried about it. I sold my copy at Target and bought the next one on Amazon. Combined with my trade-in, I paid $12 for the game. I feel like I got my money's worth out of 13 and I absolutely understand that when a community is dead, it doesn't make sense to throw money at it. They don't owe you anything, and when you buy a game that has yearly installments, you should realize the risk it runs. I trust Sony enough that if there was at least a viable community, they'd support it. Evidently, there isn't.

If the language on the MLB 13 box is the same as the MLB 14 box:

SCEA reserves the right to retire the online portion of this game at any time.

Nobody ever reads this stuff, but it's there.

Same thing with other games where you're presented with a pages long term to accept in order to connect.

Just to verify, I went and circled it for you.

 

[CrimsonCommie]

The smaller userbase and it's ist party status ensures it should never be compared to what EA is doing. There's a reason EA can keep their servers going longer than the Show.

It's not fcking the consumer if the consumer isn't there. That's pretty much what everyone has been trying to get through to you concerning The Show. It doesn't make financial sense for Sony to keep it going.

No, I don't make money off of this. BUT...and a very big BUT....I understand that gaming isn't a charity. I agree that Sony shouldn't spend money on a title if the majority aren't there to take advantage of it. I'd rather them save that money and spend it elsewhere. In order for me to keep getting great products...companies shouldn't lose money to appease the few. Gaming is in the same boat.

I think anti-consumer is losing its luster...it doesn't apply to everything you don't like.

How is it charity when the game is paid for? People are still playing the game they paid for and should expect it to work for longer than 18 months. That's one of the reasons I want to stop buying NBA 2K, I probably won't be able to though lol. And it's not because I don't like this it's because there are still people playing the game online and once the servers are gone then the product they paid for is only half of what it once was. That's definitely not pro consumer or #4theplayers

Does it say this on the actual box or do I have to purchase it first and find this info on the inside?

It says it on the back in small font.

Of course. Clearly. It couldn't possibly be that the market for a hardcore baseball game is small.

Actually, incredibly, he will. The entire game is functional, minus the online. You can still play RTTS. You can still play Franchise. You can still have exhibition games. Your pal can still get value out of his purchase.

I don't hate consumers, no need to descend to petty and stupid accusations. I also don't "support" it. I'm just not all that worried about it. I sold my copy at Target and bought the next one on Amazon. Combined with my trade-in, I paid $12 for the game. I feel like I got my money's worth out of 13 and I absolutely understand that when a community is dead, it doesn't make sense to throw money at it. They don't owe you anything, and when you buy a game that has yearly installments, you should realize the risk it runs. I trust Sony enough that if there was at least a viable community, they'd support it. Evidently, there isn't.


Just to verify, I went and circled it for you.

The entire game is not functional since half of it is online. So no he won't be able to play how he wants since he plays his friends online.


2K did this same exact thing only 12 months after 2K12's release when the online community was still active. I know I was pissed about that since my game became useless in 12 months and I don't think that should happen to other people no matter how few so soon after the games release. That's all I have to say about this. I tired to share my experiences so other people would see that this does affect people and it's a shitty business practice and if you can't see it from my point of view we'll just have to agree to disagree. I'm out!

 

[Off-Kilter]

It doesn't matter how large the online community is. My friend that lived 2000 miles away used to play me everyday in NBA 2K12 and then soon after 2K13 came out they shut the servers down. Neither of us got the new game so we couldn't play each other until 2K14 came out. Same situation here I'm sure there's still a few people that would rather play last years game instead of paying $60 for a slightly updated game. This is a shitty practice and there's no way anybody should be defending this shit.

Because I paid to play the game online. Why are so many consumers anti consumer? Makes no sense. EA keeps all their sports games online for years no reason for everybody else not to.

But the size of the online community has everything to do with it in this case. Look, it's unfortunate that you can't play with your buddy, but let's at least try to think practically here. When there's two dozen people playing your game, it doesn't make sense to keep those servers up. Also, the $60 price tag is misleading; I challenge you to find a full priced copy of MLB 14 by November.

Lol. We're complaining because this shit is gonna happen a lot more often if we don't and hell it still might anyway. And when I buy a game I expect the whole game to work as long as I have it. I know that's not always possible with online but 18 months is way too soon. I can't believe people are ok with this shit. When this starts happening to games you play I hope I don't see you complaining.

The time is completely arbitrary. When a community is dead, it's dead. Frankly, by the time any game gets its online plug pulled, I'll be long gone.

 

[BBboy20]

If it is possible to keep your game alive along side with fucking Doom, fucking do it.

 

[Black Nectar]

As much as it sucks, at least they put it on the box. Thanks for the pics/info everyone.

 

[ONI5]

They would obviously keep the servers going if people were playing it. Shit, you can still play Uncharted 2, if you wanted to, because the community is still active.

It really blows for the people who are still playing it (I still miss MAG), but, sometimes you gotta face facts. If no ones playing, that shit will die.

Perfect Dark Zero still lives.

 

[shandy706]

Perfect Dark Zero still lives.

Really?

Holly crap! LOL

I'd say there is no excuse if that's true.

 

[The Spoony Hou]

Really?

Holly crap! LOL

I'd say there is no excuse if that's true.

Because it's bs to turn off online. They can do it by p2p, no need for servers. Servers are just an excuse to push people into buying the newer games.

 

[casiopao]

This is true. I actually got my copy in late July 2013, and there was already a pretty small community. I love the outrage here. How many of you even play the series?

It does not work like that. Even if some does not play the game, it does not change that closing the online only one year after release is a low blow to the buyers. Hell, I am an active MAG player and I feel ripped off when Sony closes that one and hell, that one is still quite active.

What next? MLB 14 after 15?

I even still remember the backlash Ninty had for clossing their online for Wii and DS. How can this worst move be defended?

 

[Alo81]

Why does anyone care that they put it on the box?

This is a game that is under 2 years old and it's online functionality is being removed.

People who purchased the game are losing a significant portion of the value they purchased, and this will continue to happen with online centric games.

This is a very unsettling trend and people shouldn't just roll over and accept it because "well i dont play!"

 

[jholmes]

Hey thread, I haven't bought a game in the series since The Show 12, and Sony's microtransactions and lack of proper post-launch support are factors. Is my outrage about this news still too fake? Please decide for me.

 

[OverdriveOtaku]

Neither was mlb 2013? This practice of turning off features when new games come out is disgusting. Yet another reason not to buy sports games.

One of the big reasons I just can't get into sports games at all. There's just no support from the companies that put them out, I've seen multiple sports titles just have online ceased. This game isn't even 2 years old and their pulling the online plug? It's like people paid for a game with temporary online features. Sucks for MLB 13 players.

 

[shadowsdarknes]

Seems to be an unfortunate side effect of a company that is still mired in financial trouble.

 

[The Spoony Hou]

Seems to be an unfortunate side effect of a company that is still mired in financial trouble.

Exactly. Sony is incapable of forward thinking and still rely on cheap tactics to force consumers to "upgrade" their games to the latest itteration. It's a shameful behavior, they should have more respect for their customers.

 

[p3tran]

Perfect Dark Zero still lives.

wall guy gets his vengeance !

seriously though, not good moves of sony, these shutdowns.

 

[Banjo-Kazooie]

I can assume most of the people complaining still play MLB The Show 2013 online on a regular basis?

The game is almost 2 years old, the online didn't work well anyway. My guess is player counts were basically nonexistent, and so there wasn't much point in leaving the servers running.

1 year and 8 months by shut off time.

Even EA leaves their servers up longer than that.

I mean, I realize they made this determination based on player count online, but still seems a bit early.

i hope people know that a "2013" game is released in 2012...

so that would be 2 years, not 1

Um....no.

MLB 13: The Show released on March 5, 2013. Much like MLB 14: The Show released this year.