EA promises "more equitable rules" on player bans

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 17 November, 2011

"We want to make sure the time fits the crime."

EA plans to change its banning policy amid complaints that players are being locked out of their games unfairly.

Some gamers have found that EA forum bans prevent them from playing EA games through digital service Origin because accounts are linked.

Now EA has promised "more equitable rules" - and urged those affected to get in touch.

"We have listened to our customers and are planning a policy update which will include more equitable rules on suspensions - we want to make sure the time fits the crime," EA told Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

"As with all technology updates, these changes take some time to implement. Meanwhile, we urge any user with a question about suspensions or our policies to please contact us at (866) 543-5435 so we can address their specific situation."

It appears that despite a promise from EA made earlier this year that forum bans should not affect access to games, some players are being locked out of games they have already bought.

As RPS points out, EA is yet to specify exactly what its policy is in this regard, or how its rules will change.

"With every game and service EA offers, we take the satisfaction of our customers very seriously," EA's statement continued.

"We discourage cheating and strive to maintain a high level of integrity in both our games and our forums. Therefore when someone violates our Terms of Service, we are forced to take actions that can include suspensions and other measures. We do not take those decisions lightly - however the integrity of our services and the satisfaction of our customers requires a clear set of rules.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (18) Latest comment 6 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • abigsmurf #1 6 months ago

    How about bans only being handed out to the games where incidents took place and not linking forum bans and gaming bans at all?

  • uknortherner2000 #2 6 months ago

    Yet, people seem to think that the reason why we have DRM is because of piracy. It's not. It's about retaining ultimate control over your legitimate purchases with no recompense to you at all.

    This kind of practice is the reason why I stopped buying EA titles long ago.

  • Chibi-Kibou #3 6 months ago

    I don't see why people shouldn't be punished for bad behavior on forums like this, it can only be conducive to lessening the amount of vitriol and spite run rampant in most forums and ninety percent of the time it's the sort of behavior would see someone kicked out of most anything not internet-borne and anonymity protected.

    'Seems a fairly nice way to get around the issues came of trying to solve that sort of thing the way Blizzard did, with linking people to real data.

    But hey, at least 'time fits the crime' sounds fair. 'Wouldn't like to see someone permanently banned from their Origin games for say.. .. trying to think of something would earn a forum ban and wouldn't just be screaming and flinging poo. Um.. repeated off-topic discussion? Discussion of exploits? ..Though that one's pretty bad and all..
    Edited by Chibi-Kibou at 17/11/11 @ 12:01

  • arcam #4 6 months ago

    Planning to change it's policy? Just come out and say that forum bans will not stop you accessing any games you have bought. There is absolutely no reason or justification for that happening.

  • xandaca #5 6 months ago

    There's no reason for ever banning people from enjoying something they have legitimately paid for. Even if they have committed some serious indiscretion, they have handed over money to access the service offered and any penalties for bad behaviour should not affect their basic right to enjoy those services. If they commit piracy, for example, they should be reported to the police or relevant authorities. If they have broken the forum rules, they should be warned or banned from the forum. But anything they have actually paid for should remain sacrosanct.

  • superted1974 #6 6 months ago

    @xandaca

    But what if their "enjoyment" of the game - cheating, aimbots etc - is interfearing with everyone elses enjoyment?
    Edited by superted1974 at 17/11/11 @ 12:37

  • arcam #7 6 months ago

    I don't know why EA is talking about cheating in their statement - that has nothing to do with the policy of forum bans = locked out from your games that people are annoyed about.

  • 32768Colours #8 6 months ago

    Someone being an idiot shouldn't be reason enough to circumvent their consumer rights.

    Now I freely admit that I'm not particularly knowledgable in such matters - and terms and conditions will have been agreed to - but companies appear to skirt fairly close to the fringes of what's ethical where these matters are concerned.

    Whether that presents a legal case I couldn't say. I do find it ironic though how frequently the companies most outspoken against infringement of their terms/intellectual property are the ones so quick to abuse the consumer.

    They happily ignore the fact that contracts are a two-way street, and its only people's (understandable) naïvety which allows them to be exploited.

    EA must have been in the wrong otherwise they'd have no reason to invest any time in altering their policy. But I find it hard to believe that a company of EA's size didn't know they were on thin ice to start with; they more likely hoped they'd get away with it.

  • Stardusted #9 6 months ago

    @Chibi-Kibou

    You don't see why forum bans shouldnt be game bans? So, if you lose your temper and call some names on a random forum discussion, and get banned, you should not be allowed to play the game that you paid for?

    Are you for real? Do you understand how hard earned cash is these days for most?

    If they did that to me, I would go as far as fighting them with any legal means available. It is so wrong in so many ways that I am left in awe you can't see them.
    Edited by Stardusted at 17/11/11 @ 13:04

  • GamesConnoisseur #10 6 months ago

    What the crime for thinking of a boycott of the X360's EA titles due to tendency of publisher to give PS3 DLC exclusives? For not accepting that the X360 owners get an incomplete and non definitive games?

    Electric chair? That would fits with Electronic Arts's ethos?!

  • nuanimal #11 6 months ago

    I, for one, welcome EA's customer reduction scheme.

    Buy a game. Become a fan. Join the forums. Breach forum rules. Never play EAs games again. Never buy EA games again.

  • v.profane #12 6 months ago

    I actually doubt that they intended for people to be locked out of games, at least in some cases. EA have made such a mess of their account system trying to link together Bioware profiles, FIFA profiles, EA Downloader/Origin, forum accounts, support accounts etc and their support staff don't have much of a clue what they're doing. Still unacceptable, and I won't be buying any more EA games that require an account.

  • PaulieWaulie #13 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 14:23:40 06-01-2012

  • bdc #14 6 months ago

    I FOCKING HAET EA NEVER TUCHING THER STUF AGAIN!

    *buys their sports and shooters every year*
    Edited by bdc at 17/11/11 @ 14:14

  • SEVQA #15 6 months ago

    EA must have more lawyers than developers working for them these days!

  • arcam #16 6 months ago

    @PaulieWaulie

    Even worse is this new trend of inserting clauses like this, recently added to the PSN and Origin Ts & Cs:

    By accepting these terms, you and EA expressly waive the right to a trial by jury or to participate in a class action.

    YOU UNDERSTAND THAT BY THIS PROVISION, YOU AND EA ARE FOREGOING THE RIGHT TO SUE IN COURT AND HAVE A JURY TRIAL.

    YOU AND EA AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.

    Even if it wouldn't hold up in a European court, this reflects extremely poorly on a company IMO. I generally try and avoid services from companies who are actively trying to remove consumer powers and make it easier to shrug off unhappy customers.

  • Eraser #17 6 months ago

    I just find it odd that if I buy a product from someone, that someone can just as easily take the product away again if I do something that they don't like.
    Sure, acting like an obnoxious idiot on a public forum isn't cool, but it's hardly breaking the law.

  • Lamb #18 6 months ago

    Well if those consumer rights stem into multiplayer, why shouldn't the troublemaker be banned for a while. Of course its just a pipe dream as companies don't want to spend that kind of cash playing kindergarten cop.