EA.com editor Jeff Green answered in his latest Mailbag one of the most asked about questions in the Sims Community – why does EA allow paysites to get away charging content for The Sims? The truth? Pretty much because they can:
Dear Jeff,
I love The Sims 3, but for years now we fans of The Sims have had to put up with pay sites. These sites make a tidy profit from selling unlicensed user-made content and mods. As a life-long PC gamer and modder, it disturbs me that The Sims is virtually the only modern PC franchise where pay sites operate so openly and rampantly. I’m not seeing a Dragon Age or Battlefield 2 pay site taking off any time soon, either. It’s just The Sims where you’re “allowed” to stick a price tag on your pixels and get away with it. My question is, why does EA turn a blind eye to Sims pay sites? Selling modified game files breaks all sorts of IP laws and the game’s license agreement to boot, so it’s entirely within your rights to be cracking out the legal threats and busting these scumbags. Instead, I see these sites getting endorsed on the official forums and their representatives getting invited to fan events. What gives?
–Ryan D.Well, the fact that we link to many of these sites ourselves, as you say, gives you the answer to part of your question: These sites aren’t doing anything wrong. Part of why The Sims is so dang popular is this ability to create and trade objects with other gamers. There are a ton of sites that do this completely for free, too, offering thousands of items at no cost at all. So, really, you don’t have to “put up” with anything. You can ignore the pay sites and go to the free ones. Or, make your own stuff and sell it yourself. Capitalism FTW! God Bless America!
So yeah…at least we get a straight answer from an EA rep other than the Guru’s yanking our chains back and forth. EA just doesn’t care. But then again, if they don’t care what’s the purpose of writing all that crap in the EULA? Mheh, keeps somebody employed I guess.
Hey, that was my question… Needless to say I’m pretty disappointed and will be leaving a response in their comments and on my website.
By the way thanks for directing me to this new feature, I found it through your site and it is a little satisfying to get a straight-talk response.
Looks like the paysites won after all. Still won’t mean their stuff won’t be pirated. It’s fine, though. We have tons of free downloads that are actually better than pay stuff. And if we don’t like the way it looks in-game, we can just delete it without worrying about having wasted any money. You don’t get that luxury with paysites because you will have wasted money. At least the paysite debate is over; sad, but true.
Capitalism FTW! God Bless America!
I think that sums up everything that is wrong with EA! And from their own mouths too!
They have no shame, lol. 😉
I have to say “good for them” regarding EA and pay sites. I’m tired of all the whining this community does over them. It isn’t like you’re being forced to pay for mods — so don’t. I bet nobody would be complaining if they were actually making money off of this game themselves, even if it was only gas money.
Regarding “Capitalism FTW!” and the reply “‘I think that sums up everything that is wrong with EA! And from their own mouths too!” Okay, seriously? Yeah, let’s see how long they survive as a company when they give away their games for free. I bet Sims 4 will be great. Again, don’t buy what you don’t like, but don’t knock a company for trying to stay in business.
@The SidDog:
I’ve nothing against a company staying in business by turning a profit but I do against ones that have an attitude of “let’s stick ’em for every penny they”ve got’
Money isn’t everything, EA make enough money from the sales of The Sims base games and expansions that they could easily give away everything that is on the store for free. To me they are entitled to make some money but not by ripping us off. The Store stuff should be at the most a quarter of what it costs now!
American companies just care about money with no regards for the feelings of their customers, nor do they seem to care whether people appreciate them or not. It’s just money, money, money, and it’s getting worse!
EA and a lot of other American companies are starting to act like they are somehow better than everyone else, and we should all pay homage to them. Well I won’t.
The Sims 3 is a bug ridden game, if it was anyother kind of product it would be declared unfit for sale, but software for some reason gets away with this sort of thing all the time. It’s time that software companies were brought in line, willingly or not.
If the Sims 4 is anything like The Sims 3, then I won’t be buying it, and as for The Sims 3? I may not buy anymore EPs or SPs.
No wonder piracy is so rife, the products aren’t worth paying for.
Oh and stop arse licking to the corporations!
Even if 99% of Sims players boycott the store and 1% buy from it, they’ll still be making more money than if they gave it out for free. And that’s what companies exist to do. That’s life, son, fair by your standards or not. Me, I have no desire to pay for downloadable content, but I’m not offended EA and fansites are charging for it. I just ignore it. And furthermore, if I could earn a little extra change for my machinima, I’d do it. It buys gas, lunch, whatever.
I understand consumer anger over commodities necessary to survival, like food and oil — the price of gas. Those things have a direct effect on our everyday lives and our national security, and we should be outraged by price hikes, but this is a game. Just a game. So ignore what you don’t want to pay for. Vote with your wallet. Relax.
I have no major issue with EA charging for downloads. I just always thought they were overpriced, that’s all. Ten cents each item would probably make them more money in the long run because more people would find it a reasonable cost worthy to spend their money on. Even if you have to get ten items for a dollar just so that the minimum purchase you make is $1, it’d still be a good deal. I think the real issue is not that they are making money, but the desire for many customers to be treated better than they currently feel. True, it is just a game; but customer service should still be EA’s top priority, as without consumers, they’d be out of business. I work at Payless, so I know how important it is to treat customers fairly. You want customers to be satisfied so that they continue to use your services. This is not toward anyone specific, just in general.