EA Patches SimCity and Throws Free Games at Disgruntled Customers

[[Coi] Mr.CLuBBeR]

EA’s public relations team plays Spincity all weekend long.

SimCity made our list of “most anticipated games of 2013”, and with good reason. This PC reboot was not only long overdue, but the franchise itself is an all-time classic. We were confident Maxis was the studio to deliver a proper sequel, but the studio’s choice of an always online DRM solution has proven to be a complete disaster. Maximum PC online managing editor Jimmy Thang has criticized EA’s handling of the situation, and the company’s PR department has been pulling overtime trying to repair the games reputation.
Firstly EA has clarified that it is not banning customers for requesting a refund, but you probably won’t get one either. The company points disgruntled customers to its return policy, which states in no uncertain terms that digital customers are out of luck. Disputing the charges with your bank weren’t specifically mentioned, but we would guess this would be handled more severely.
Secondly EA is hoping to mend a few bridges by offering up a free game. “To get us back in your good graces, we’re going to offer you a free PC download game from the EA portfolio. On March 18, SimCity players who have activated their game will receive an email telling them how to redeem their free game. I know that’s a little contrived – kind of like buying a present for a friend after you did something crummy. But we feel bad about what happened. We’re hoping you won’t stay mad and that we’ll be friends again when SimCity is running at 100 percent.”
Last (and definitely not least), Maxis is rolling out a patch that should improve server performance by 40X. It remains to be seen if this will be enough to stabilize the game, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.
Is EA and Maxis doing enough to earn back your trust? Or should gamers be voting with their wallets and staying away from SimCity until it hits the bargain barrel?
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