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A Simple Question: Release Day Bugs

By on October 26, 2011 in Gaming, General Gaming, Headline, Microsoft, Platform Nation, PlayStation 3, Sony, Xbox 360 10

It seems that Xbox 360 owners of Battlefield 3 may have been having their fair share of issues.  Between server connection problems, complaints of poor textures (even with the Texture pack installed), and reported campaign freezing, this game may be suffering from some “rush to market” issues in an attempt to get a jump on sales ahead of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.  In my unofficial Twitter observations, I’ve seen the largest outcry coming from 360 owners, and several have stated that the stores they purchased them from would be accepting returns due to the volume of calls they have been receiving.  This certainly is not the publicity that EA needs as they try to go toe-to-toe with Activision’s big release, and it begged the question:

Should high profile games be delayed if there are known issues that would be left unresolved at launch?

(You may need to refresh the page to see the poll)


EA is claiming that unprecedented demand is what is causing the issues, and while I could buy that excuse for the connectivity issues (Call of Duty has experienced similar issues around their previous launches), it does not explain the other issues involving poor textures and game freezes that have been reported by Xbox 360 players.  I can understand why the decision was made to stick with the release date: releasing after Call of Duty would have likely hurt sales, and there is a mentality that bugs can be fixed through patches (not to mention the millions of dollars in marketing that would be invalidated with a release date change).  I’m of the opinion that you only get one chance to make a first impression, and people who were new to the series (myself included) are either shying away from a purchase, or are frustrated with having purchased the game.  But if an extra million copies were sold by releasing early (arbitrary number), that makes it hard to argue for delaying release over a few bugs.

What do you think? Have you experienced any issues? Vote above, and comment below!

View previous ASQ: Call Of Duty Or Battlefield 3? – View next ASQ: Skyrim

A Simple Question (ASQ) is a weekly segment for Platform Nation. Most weeks on Monday, I’ll ask a question on Twitter at #PNASQ. Give a response and let the world know what you think; there is no right or wrong answer here. If you have a suggestion for a question, hit me up on twitter @vttym.

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  • http://www.platformnation.com/ Scott diMonda

    Battlefield 3 was a must purchase for me, now I don’t think I will be picking this one up at all.  I have heard so much negative thing about the game that is what swayed me from buying it. I for one would have pushed the release date back, but than again I do see their point with MW3 breathing down the necks and the tons of money spent on advertising.  What a shame.

  • http://www.platformnation.com Steve519

    a delayed copy could easily mean a million lost sales now-a-days so I understand why they do it (Bethesda is also well known for doing this), but I’m not a fan of it at all.  It not only tarnishes the game for me, but the developer as well and it really impacts my buying decisions down the road.

  • http://www.platformnation.com Steve519

    a delayed copy could easily mean a million lost sales now-a-days so I understand why they do it (Bethesda is also well known for doing this), but I’m not a fan of it at all.  It not only tarnishes the game for me, but the developer as well and it really impacts my buying decisions down the road.

  • http://www.platformnation.com Steve519

    a delayed copy could easily mean a million lost sales now-a-days so I understand why they do it (Bethesda is also well known for doing this), but I’m not a fan of it at all.  It not only tarnishes the game for me, but the developer as well and it really impacts my buying decisions down the road.

  • Anonymous

    Excellent post Tym. 

    I have to agree with Steve and Scott. My copy is arriving today, and after reading all the feeds, reviews, etc, I’m really concerned about playing it. To be honest, I’m actually tempted to just return it, and avoid the headache.

     My feeling is that this whole “ship it now, patch it as we go” mentality by sales/marketing departments is really hurting the industry. To us, the consumers, it seems sloppy/careless. The sad thing is, we are getting conditioned to it now.  Game isn’t working properly? Wait for the patch. Or, you can always return it for a refund. oops, no you can’t. You already opened it.

    Regarding the connectivity issues. If I was playing on PS3, I suppose I really couldn’t complain, since the online service is free. Being on XBL, I’d really like to know what exactly I am paying $60 a year for? Shoddy connections to 3rd party publisher servers? Really? Perhaps Microsoft needs to rethink its SLAs with these companies, because It reflects badly on their Live brand.

    I want to also be clear that I’m not slamming on the creative/coding teams that actually design this or any game. These people are devoted to the art. I can’t imagine how hard they work to get that lastest shooter/rpg/sim on to a disc, and into your hands, only to see it get cut to pieces in reviews/twitter/etc, because they weren’t given enough time to work the bugs out. It must be heartbreaking. 

    Here’s a suggestion to the publishers. Instead of spending ridiculous amounts of money on commercials/marketing (driving “tanks” around London advertising BF3, seriously?), spend more on back-end infrastructure, development/testing, and these games will sell themselves.

     As consumers, we deserve better. 

    TL:DR We shouldn’t have to pay $60 to be beta testers. 

  • Anonymous

    Excellent post Tym. 

    I have to agree with Steve and Scott. My copy is arriving today, and after reading all the feeds, reviews, etc, I’m really concerned about playing it. To be honest, I’m actually tempted to just return it, and avoid the headache.

     My feeling is that this whole “ship it now, patch it as we go” mentality by sales/marketing departments is really hurting the industry. To us, the consumers, it seems sloppy/careless. The sad thing is, we are getting conditioned to it now.  Game isn’t working properly? Wait for the patch. Or, you can always return it for a refund. oops, no you can’t. You already opened it.

    Regarding the connectivity issues. If I was playing on PS3, I suppose I really couldn’t complain, since the online service is free. Being on XBL, I’d really like to know what exactly I am paying $60 a year for? Shoddy connections to 3rd party publisher servers? Really? Perhaps Microsoft needs to rethink its SLAs with these companies, because It reflects badly on their Live brand.

    I want to also be clear that I’m not slamming on the creative/coding teams that actually design this or any game. These people are devoted to the art. I can’t imagine how hard they work to get that lastest shooter/rpg/sim on to a disc, and into your hands, only to see it get cut to pieces in reviews/twitter/etc, because they weren’t given enough time to work the bugs out. It must be heartbreaking. 

    Here’s a suggestion to the publishers. Instead of spending ridiculous amounts of money on commercials/marketing (driving “tanks” around London advertising BF3, seriously?), spend more on back-end infrastructure, development/testing, and these games will sell themselves.

     As consumers, we deserve better. 

    TL:DR We shouldn’t have to pay $60 to be beta testers. 

  • Anonymous

    Excellent post Tym. 

    I have to agree with Steve and Scott. My copy is arriving today, and after reading all the feeds, reviews, etc, I’m really concerned about playing it. To be honest, I’m actually tempted to just return it, and avoid the headache.

     My feeling is that this whole “ship it now, patch it as we go” mentality by sales/marketing departments is really hurting the industry. To us, the consumers, it seems sloppy/careless. The sad thing is, we are getting conditioned to it now.  Game isn’t working properly? Wait for the patch. Or, you can always return it for a refund. oops, no you can’t. You already opened it.

    Regarding the connectivity issues. If I was playing on PS3, I suppose I really couldn’t complain, since the online service is free. Being on XBL, I’d really like to know what exactly I am paying $60 a year for? Shoddy connections to 3rd party publisher servers? Really? Perhaps Microsoft needs to rethink its SLAs with these companies, because It reflects badly on their Live brand.

    I want to also be clear that I’m not slamming on the creative/coding teams that actually design this or any game. These people are devoted to the art. I can’t imagine how hard they work to get that lastest shooter/rpg/sim on to a disc, and into your hands, only to see it get cut to pieces in reviews/twitter/etc, because they weren’t given enough time to work the bugs out. It must be heartbreaking. 

    Here’s a suggestion to the publishers. Instead of spending ridiculous amounts of money on commercials/marketing (driving “tanks” around London advertising BF3, seriously?), spend more on back-end infrastructure, development/testing, and these games will sell themselves.

     As consumers, we deserve better. 

    TL:DR We shouldn’t have to pay $60 to be beta testers. 

  • Jose Adrovet

    I feel like Battlefield is like trying to go down on a girl with a hairy bush, you just want to get to the good stuff but end up with all these patches that leave you coughing for days with a bad taste in your mouth. Come on EA “TRIM THAT BUSH!”

  • Jose Adrovet

    I feel like Battlefield is like trying to go down on a girl with a hairy bush, you just want to get to the good stuff but end up with all these patches that leave you coughing for days with a bad taste in your mouth. Come on EA “TRIM THAT BUSH!”

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