Battlefieldo organising, threatening EA/DICE with 24-hour Battlefield 3 blackout

By Robert Purchese Published 23 February, 2012

"We're going to give EA until Friday, 2nd March."

Major community site Battlefieldo has handed EA and DICE an ultimatum: communicate with fans or "we're going to black out the entire Battlefield [3] community for one day, 24 hours - no playing, no posting and no tweeting".

"Why is it the studio that developed the game cannot communicate with the followers, fans and community of the very game they built?" asked Cory Niblett, managing director of Battlefieldo, in an open letter to EA and the community titled Battlefield Blackout.

blackout

London once had a blackout.

"The answer of course is Electronic Arts: we can't get information or even acknowledgement about the issues we raise; patching schedules; game updates or even hints at downloadable content. Electronic Arts is too concerned with releasing information based on their precious yet inaccurate numbers that calculate the best times to release game updates and DLC. Not the community, not you, and certainly not me."

Hence the ultimatum.

"We're going to give Electronic Arts until Friday, 2nd March to announce the next major patch and the fixes that they have made, or are currently making. [And give] some acknowledgement of the outcry about the issues that are currently wrong with the game today.

"Or we're going to black out the entire battlefield community for one day, 24 hours - no playing, no posting and no tweeting."

"We don't wait to make a list of demands, nor do we feel entitled or obligated to information. We want clarity, communication, open lines to the DICE developers - and community management."

Cory Niblett, managing director, Battlefieldo

Niblett added: "Silence fed right back into the mouths of those who have chosen to give us the very same silence. We'll be waiting for you to give us our community back EA, and put it in the very capable hands of the people who developed and made the game.

"We don't wait to make a list of demands, nor do we feel entitled or obligated to information. We want clarity, communication, open lines to the DICE developers - and community management.

protest

The Battlefieldo protest picture.

"We want to be able to communicate with the game developers, and know that they hear us as a community and as people who made the effort to go out and purchase their game."

The Twitter hashtag for this blackout is #BF3Blackout.

It is worth noting that ten days ago DICE promised fans it was working on a number of fixes for the game.

The upcoming tweaks will address issues relating to "balance and gameplay, performance, stability and the overall feature set".

Then, DICE's Battlefield community man Daniel Matros promised more details "in the coming weeks".

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (71) Latest comment 3 months ago

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

  • bigpun #1 3 months ago

    "There are no comments on this article. Why not post one?"

    How apt

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #2 3 months ago

    I think the real question here is, how will anyone see?

  • Deckard1 #3 3 months ago

    Anyone else find these fat bastard keyboard warriors an embarrassment?

  • Kill_Crazy #4 3 months ago

    Blackout the entire community? Who you gonna call? Anonymous, err Busters!

    Sounds a bit handbags to me.

  • Srift #5 3 months ago

    Post deleted at 12:02:47 23-02-2012

  • marmaduke #6 3 months ago

    If that "Why developers don't owe you anything" piece was based on this day of rage, rather than the remarkably civil and positive Half Life call for communication, I'd have more sympathy with it.

  • asphaltcowboy #7 3 months ago

    Wow, I'm sure EA feel very threatened... *ahem*

    "We don't wait to make a list of demands, nor do we feel entitled or obligated to information. We want clarity, communication, open lines to the DICE developers - and community management."
    Hilarious! We don't make demands! Oh and here are our demands! We don't feel entitled, but we 'made the effort' to buy your game, therefore you must do everything we say!

    Entitled gamers are really starting to get on my nerves.
    Edited by asphaltcowboy at 23/02/12 @ 10:51

  • tiddex #8 3 months ago

    omg... THAT´S why devs owe you nothing.

  • Raptaur #9 3 months ago

    I can play another game for a day, I've quite the backlog still.
    Edited by Raptaur at 23/02/12 @ 10:55

  • agparrot #10 3 months ago

    Why doesn't he make it a week, or perhaps a month?

    In fact I can't see that this fellow is going to make any difference unless he attempts a silent protest lasting a year or more.

  • jaguarwong #11 3 months ago

    What a bunch of cunts

  • graffekta #12 3 months ago

    Even if this comes and goes and EA/DICE do nothing, I bet they all go back to the game anyway.

  • Po1ymorph #13 3 months ago

    This will in all likely hood have zero effect.

    Having said that, EA is exceedingly poor at managing a community. Handing the community management rains back over to DICE would be beneficial in the long run.

  • tankboi #14 3 months ago

    Haha I have been 'not playing' BF3 out of protest since about day 3 of launch. I just can't get my head around why they didn't just take and improve the amazing formula of BF2, which only needed a new engine and some tweaks with new maps etc. I don't like playing BFBC3.

    Someone call me when the squad system works like in BF2, and they have added proper global voip to the PC version. Ta.

  • asphaltcowboy #15 3 months ago

    @agparrot Haha! Yes! I think they should all maintain a vow of silence for at least a year, if not two! ;D

  • JayG #16 3 months ago

    Strange threat. Talk to us moaning bastards, else we won't say anything. Wish the wife did this.

  • DrStrangelove #17 3 months ago

    Certainly no one will play BF3 on that day.

  • JahB #18 3 months ago

    What a bunch of self entitled twats. The half life petition was understandable, but setting an ultimatum for a dev is laughable and stupid. Fine then, don't play the game YOU ALREADY PAID THEM FOR.

  • schnide #19 3 months ago

    "Or we're going to black out the entire battlefield community for one day, 24 hours - no playing, no posting and no tweeting."

    As part of that community, when did I get a say in it, and how will you stop me from playing it if I don't agree?

  • MattEdWithCheese #20 3 months ago

    Manbabies...

  • zoweewowee #21 3 months ago

    These whiners deserve what every whiner deserves… a big nice slap in the face to make them cry everything out once and for all. The blackout threat made me smile though!

  • AcidSnake #22 3 months ago

    @tankboi:
    BF3 is not BFBC3...BF3 is a weird amalgam of various BFs over the years mixing and matching stuff in...

    But it's not like Bad Company...

    I'm quite disappointed with BF3 so far and the patches with DLC bundled in fixing very little but this whole thing is just whinging about it that in no way will change anything...

    If you really want to send a message vote with your wallet and don't buy the next game...

    IMO...Obviously...

  • SaintDaveUK #23 3 months ago

    Publicly threatening illegal action because a game company doesn't announce patches? Oh my god. This just sounds... pathetic.

  • GAmbrose #24 3 months ago

    And they're going to stop me playing on that day, how?

  • BillPoon #25 3 months ago

    @SaintDaveUK "illegal action"?

    Now you're just being stupid.

  • iamtheoneneo #26 3 months ago

    bf3 was dead weeks ago, the game is nothing like former games (gosh even bc2 is a better more team orinated game than bf3) - i wouldnt be surprised if the entir community is dead by the end of summer. Of course EA dont care (or DICE) they have made their quick buck so its all high fives and good job as far as there concerned.

  • Srift #27 3 months ago

    @iamtheoneneo exactly..which is why the people who rated my previous post so low have no clue what gaming is about.

  • rudedudejude #28 3 months ago

    Bloody hell, these fans are as bad as crazy 11 year old Bieber tweens.

    If you don't like it take it back for a refund ffs.
    Of course EA dont care (or DICE) they have made their quick buck so its all high fives and good job as far as there concerned.
    Well of course, they are a business. They will churn out BF4 and everyone will buy it, and the cycle repeats. Product = Profit. Do you think they are some sort of charity that cares about the well being of it's customers blah blah blah? They are a games publisher / developer, akin to music publishers. They are business to make money, not change your nappy.
    Edited by rudedudejude at 23/02/12 @ 11:53

  • Srift #29 3 months ago

    Post deleted at 11:57:56 23-02-2012

  • bobfish09 #30 3 months ago

    I have nothing nice to say about these idiots... but thought I should say something anyways.

  • coolbritannia #31 3 months ago

    But....you've already bought the game. And a 24 hour blackout heavily suggests you'll play it the next day anyway.

    So...?

  • ZuluHero #32 3 months ago

    I'm sure EA will miss those 12 or so gamers for 24 hours...

  • asphaltcowboy #33 3 months ago

    @FluffyTucker Muscle reflex due to (almost) all your posts being incredibly tiresome!

  • paketep #34 3 months ago

    You've known since BC2 that DICE now treats the community like shit. You knew what you guys where doing when you bought BF3. Wasn't Origin clue enough anyway of how DICE and EA hate their own customers?. Battlelog?.

    I'll stick with those developers that give me public server files and proper LAN support, thank you very much.

  • cowell #35 3 months ago

    And on that day, no fucks were given

  • bigtechno #36 3 months ago

    I take it this is all about the PC as I play it on Xbox and don't see how someone can stop me playing it

  • chrisola #37 3 months ago

    You can see this person is full of it - 'the entire battlefied community'. No. you mean your little message board \ server slice of it. #wecare if you want to join in.

  • milki-tea #38 3 months ago

    @Deckard1 dude you sone up what everyone reading this thinks. Developers and publishers OWE GAMERS NOTHING. Argh gets me so mad

  • GAmbrose #39 3 months ago

    @iamtheoneneo

    Well the Xbox 360 community I play with is strong and seem to be enjoying the game. I think it's great and I've played all the retail versions of the game since 1941.

  • Andeus #40 3 months ago

    Well, well...didn't EA say that they left Steam for Origin, so that they can be closer to the community and have direct communication with their fanbase?

    /golfclap

  • kinky_mong #41 3 months ago

    If they really want to get their cause heard, they need to make themselves an emblem, one that captures everything their cause is about.

    May I suggest a picture of a baby throwing it's toys out of the pram?

  • scottish1985 #42 3 months ago

    The way they have threatened them with demands and ultimatum's probably isn't the best way. But what EA and DICE have done is really shit. Released a half made game. If someone gave you an unfinished telly would you sit in silence and say "oh well I shouldn't bother them". All the people that are saying people behind this are self entitled douches are massive dicks. I've been playing FPS for about 15 years or so on all platforms I'm not a sitting on my game all day, I don't go from web-page to web-page all the time looking to complain about something. I do go out and have a social life and I'm not aggressive. I have only ever had about 3 fights in my life (background information so you know what type of person I am). It doesn't take a genius to realise they're support is shit. If they had just finished the game before releasing it they wouldn't have all these problems. If anything positive is going to come from this its that EA and DICE will see the numbers of people they have let down and possibly show that they are or will make the effort. Maybe nothing will happen! I dont know. But we aren't whining, were complaining and I'm sick of people saying that it's bitching. You're idiots. We are consumers and they are a business and they have a responsibility. END OF!

    Yes I'm annoyed and that actually takes alot. This is my second ever post on a website that inst Facebook.

  • Bilstar #43 3 months ago

    I dont think EA gives a monkeys. They already have your money.

  • tankboi #44 3 months ago

    @AcidSnake

    Yes, indeed this is true. Don't worry I shall not be buying the next...not before trying it first anyway.

    I like most of the people I know, just wanted BF2 with updated engine (destructible building etc).

    Black Sands Studio have taken the genre exactly where I want it, which is as far from COD as possible, and done a damn fine job of it too with Project Reality MOD for BF2.

    Check out the site and try if you like the look of it, its free! I may have just changed your online gaming forever...I certainly have a different outlook after playing it. It's my favourite online experience ever. A bold statement, but a true one.

  • bawsedog #45 3 months ago

    I will almost certainly be logging on to BF3 on the day in question in my very own counter-protest against these self-entitled morons. Anti-conformity FTW!

  • Malazan #46 3 months ago

    @scottish1985 Boohoo. Get over it.

  • Stratix #47 3 months ago

    Can't say I've ever heard of that site...

  • KingFunkIII #48 3 months ago

    Well I've just skimmed all the comments so far and I can't see anyone who wholeheartedly agrees with this 'strike' which tends to suggest that only a very small amount of people with over-inflated opinions of their own self-worth and their impact upon the world in general will actually be involved...

  • tankboi #49 3 months ago

    @scottish1985

    I couldn't agree more mate, but EA and DICE already know exactly how many thousands, possibly millions, of gamers they have pissed off. All they have to do is look on their very own forums, which exploded with rage and disappointment from day one.

    They will not do anything, for they are EA. A faceless, corporate, money-shovelling automated publisher battle-wagon that nonchalantly rolls over and crushes the skulls of the consumer whilst throwing shit-covered nuggets of £10 DLC from the battlements to entertain the 12yr-olds, who are armed with the potent combination of gullibility and their parents credit cards, and are blinded by the gleaming pointlessness and false-value marketing of some armour piece that cost EA about an hour of a 3D-artist's wage.

    They are laughing at us as we type this. They are untouchable.

    AcidSnake had the right idea. The only way you can hurt them is by not buying their products, but realistically, and unfortunately, this will have as much of an impact as vegetarianism on the meat trade. None.

  • PoorMaryBellows #50 3 months ago

    What's really terrifying about this is the fact that the 'Battlefieldo' folk will all be on the streets or playing other games on their 'day of (in)action'.

    NOBODY WILL BE SAFE. Shudder.

  • bobdebob #51 3 months ago

    @tankboi

    Are you brain-dead?

    What would they gain by pissing off millions (as you claim) of customers?

  • KingFunkIII #52 3 months ago

    @tankboi Wow, that's a lot of bile. I wouldn't exactly say I'm pro-capitalism, but in an industry that makes this amount of money there will inevitably be big companies with big company business models. Methinks your rant smells a little of entitlement too...

  • tankboi #53 3 months ago

    @KingFunkIII

    Well it was said with a massive tongue pressed firmly in my cheek, given the theatrical nature of it. I thought that would be obvious, sorry.

    I just like to be a little flamboyant on the internet, as it is fun, and makes for a better read than internet slang, does it not? The point stands though, and you seem to have misunderstood it. I was talking about their customer-facing ethics, rather than their 'business model' as a whole. Of course big businesses will act like big businesses, but this is a service industry, and they are not providing the service that is to be expected from the biggest publisher of videogames in the whole universe.

    @bobdebob

    Do I have to explain everything in black and white? I didn't say they did it deliberately. They probably didn't foresee it before release, but my point is that there are so many kids who will throw money at them regardless, that they do NOT NEED TO CARE ABOUT YOU.

    Why else have they ignored the overwhelming unifying wave of complaints on their forums, that would not have taken a great deal of work to address? If you have a secret EA-DICE email chain that reveals a better explanation, and that EA are all just a great bunch of misunderstood lads and lasses, then I would very much like to see it. Until then I will continue to sit on my stool of scepticism, thank you.

    EDIT: I felt my initial reaction was a little harsh on bobdebob. Sorry about that.
    Edited by tankboi at 23/02/12 @ 14:13

  • FuzzyDuck #54 3 months ago

    Nerds be ragin'.

  • Redeye #55 3 months ago

    Waaaaahhmbulance etc.

  • scottish1985 #56 3 months ago

    By entitlement do you mean getting what you paid for? Because I didnt get a full game. And I should just say "ah well at least you tried EA and DICE" ? Rediculous.

  • sherpardKng #57 3 months ago

    these entitled assholes piss me off...

  • KingFunkIII #58 3 months ago

    @tankboi I think the title of biggest publisher in the universe still requires independent verification. No offence, but you can't possibly know the net profits of companies in the vicinity of Alpha Centauri. Plus I'm not sure a direct comparison is possible since xe.com doesn't list their currency for conversion...

  • tankboi #59 3 months ago

    @KingFunkIII

    Haha well, touché, but shall I just completely remove my tongue from my cheek?? :)

  • Camilitus #60 3 months ago

    "Devs owe u nothing..." err yes they do. They are obliged to deliver a product that matches their description. Sometimes they like to over describe.... but if they are selling to a 13 yr old or a 33 yr old, they should be honest, truthful and accurate in their description of their product. AC2: Brotherhood had massive problems with PC mulitplayer, and I for one, was unable to play it due to matchmaking issues, so what I owe devs: is not to pre-order, not to moan about a launch day patch, or organise protests, because I owe devs the duty not to buy their shoddy products in the first place. If I buy a £30 kettle I expect it to heat water well from day 1. If it breaks in 3 months, i am unlikely to seek a refund, I just won't buy that brand again. I took a lot of convincing to buy From Dust, (great btw) just because it had a Ubisoft sticker..
    Edited by Camilitus at 23/02/12 @ 14:19

  • TexMurphy01 #61 3 months ago

    Good old white middle England in these threads. Damn these children, they may money for this product, but they, as consumers, should have no rights! Now I'm going to shopping on my work jacket and jeans.

  • levitate #62 3 months ago

    "Neckbeards! Untie!"

  • KingFunkIII #63 3 months ago

    @Camilitus Because kettles are videogames are entirely analogous.

    Oh, hang on...

  • scottish1985 #64 3 months ago

    These comments saying get over it or entitlement gamers or some pass-along internet phrase about stamping your feet and crying like a kid make feel sad that people don't care about getting what they paid for and promised by DICE and EA. It's been 5 freaking months! and I still cant get through more than two or three games and speak/hear to my friends correctly or spawn on them or be on the same team when joining together. The foundation of the game. Amateur. If you were as unhappy about trying to play your favourite game you would feel the same. Give it time and I'm sure you'll be on the same road. Surely for a community that is a FAN based one for the very game they love to go to these lengths means something. Bare in mind that I'm only so annoyed that it has come to this because I love the game. Or should I say what it should of been. If I didn't like the game I wouldn't care. Shame.

  • king26 #65 3 months ago

    Get a fucking life and try to get laid! Stalin treated the community like shit, DICE aren't quite in the same league. It's a video game! Some people have to much time on their hands.

  • ronuds #66 3 months ago

    Is DICE supposed to write us every day or something? 10 days since their last comm. isn't that long ago.

    This probably all started because some pimply-faced nerd sent an angry email that was never answered.

  • scottish1985 #67 3 months ago

    @king26 hahaha It's a video game that I wanna play but doesnt really work. What do you suggest? Try and stay on the subject of the game. This is a gaming article on a gaming website...about games.

  • aphex187 #68 3 months ago

    You only have to swing by the EA UK BF3 forum to see this spoilt brat mentality in full effect 24/7! Well DICE did lie to them about the game! Pfft!

  • Collymilad #69 3 months ago

    What is it with people?

    "I love X but I hate X+1"? Seems to be happening with more and more sequels now even when they are better. Like it' some fashionable thing to do.

    Baffles me. BF3 is a better game than Bad Company 2. The only reason I can see people liking BC2 is due to the maps.

  • Djimm #70 3 months ago

    I love DICE, but they couldn't balance a spoon across a sausage roll - bits of BF3 are downright broken and have been from day one. There are also quite bad at communicating with players and understanding why certain things piss players off (for example, spawn trapping is never good).

    As for the protest, I think it'd be better if they organised some weird gameplay quirks to bend the stats - like knife/pistol only games or SOFLAM spam...

  • Suecotero #71 3 months ago

    The vertical structure of the gaming industry simply doesn't allow for community-driven game development. If a community wants to have a game tailored to their needs, they need to mod it.

    That's where CS and DOTA came from. The sooner we realize this the sooner we can stop these misguided attempts at "gaming democracy".
    Edited by Suecotero at 24/02/12 @ 15:15