Mega publisher Electronic Arts (EA) has shot itself in the foot, as gamers across the globe took to Twitter to roast the company. EA asked gamers on Twitter why they can't be more like rapper Ice-T, and it backfired.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, and lockdowns in dozens of countries, developers and publishers, including EA, have "stay at home and play" initiatives. When Ice-T tweeted he was chilling at home, playing video games, EA took the opportunity to share this with their followers. The result: an epic roast at the expense of Electronic Arts.
WHY CAN’T YOU ALL BE MORE LIKE ICE T? https://t.co/H3HNRbDQYw
— Electronic Arts #stayandplay (@EA) April 21, 2020
Since the tweet went out, there have been hundreds of responses on Twitter, ranging from funny, to the downright hilarious, and sometimes a bit angry. EA even responded to their initial tweet, saying "ok I'm getting a lot of reasons why".
It seems all in good fun, roasting Electronic Arts, which has gotten into hot water with the gaming community dozens of times over the years, from its stance on microtransactions to games like Mass Effect Andromeda, Anthem, and more.
Because we are hiding from the microtransactions pic.twitter.com/QpNnYE9bgv
— Meiki (@meiki_reid) April 21, 2020
There are some gems in the Twitter thread, while others are taking this opportunity to vent or complain about EA.
We would.... if your servers worked.... and you hadn’t crushed the life out of games like Anthem and Battlefield... thanks for that by the way! 👍🏼 So in short, many of us are staying in and playing, just not EA titles... pic.twitter.com/DVuAkQi7zu
— The Old Timey Gamer (@thearchaeogamer) April 21, 2020
Others ask EA why they can't create a new game, such as Battlefield: Bad Company 3.
Why can’t you deliver a sequel to Battlefield Bad Company 2 in the 10 years since it was released?
— Willis Pautz (@AirPautz) April 21, 2020
Some gamers get straight to the point, such as the one below, who comments on Electronic Arts servers.
Because your servers are broken
— MarcoM267 (@MarcoM267) April 21, 2020
Others respond by voicing their frustration with a specific game mode.
Because madden 20 franchise mode is a joke of a simulation football experience. pic.twitter.com/tLEEGq1mJX
— mark (@blahwhatsam) April 21, 2020
It is clear Electronic Arts shot themselves in the foot with the tweet. However, most of the tweets seem to be for fun, since many gamers are staying at home, and have very little to do, so ripping on EA could be a nice little pastime.
The official Need for Speed Twitter account is even chiming in, and it is great to see EA taking the roast on Twitter, instead of deleting the tweet. If you are feeling bored, you can read the entire Twitter feed here, with more comments coming in every hour.