EA requires additional money for Early Access to the new Need for Speed Unbound. A fan didn’t like the marketing strategy and pointed it out on Twitter. The publisher’s account responded rudely and now states that the reaction was too harsh.
The most important points summarized:
- The new Need for Speed Unbound will be released on December 2, 2022 in a pretty crazy comic style. Those who pre-order the more expensive “Palace Edition” for 80 euros can start playing as early as November 29.
- A user criticizes that it is “not cool” and even “exploitative” to demand more money from the loyal fanbase just to gain early access (via Twitter).
- The official Twitter account of Need for Speed responds with a blunt: “Milkshake brain.” The situation escalates.
What’s the dispute on Twitter? The user and the official account continue to bicker on Twitter. Insults from the (former) fan follow, as well as the news that he probably will not buy the game now. Need for Speed responds rather rudely:
“I’m not reading all that. Sorry that happened – or congratulations.”
All of this happened on November 21, just a few days ago. Since then, all relevant tweets have been deleted, but screenshots of the conversation are still circulating to document the dispute. EA is now responding with an apology on Twitter.
You can watch the announcement trailer for Need for Speed Unbound here:
EA apologizes for the outbursts: “That went too far”
In a tweet from November 24, the official Need for Speed account justifies itself. The apology states:
We admit, we got a bit carried away by the hype for the launch and some of our recent responses on social media went too far. To the fans we offended, we apologize. We’ll see you here next week.
Need for Speed on Twitter
While some responses to the new tweet explain that such a thing is unacceptable for a company, surprisingly many users are standing up for EA. It is said, for example: “That didn’t go too far. Don’t apologize and don’t punish the guy who did that. Jerks should not be tolerated or coddled. [The user] deserves every letter.” (via Twitter)
Others defend the operator of the Need for Speed account as the “most human admin,” saying people are just too easily offended. One person even calls for a pay raise for the person responsible.
Amid all the hate that developers constantly face on Twitter and social media, one more user claims it is only fair to push back.
What has happened behind the scenes at EA and whether the person responsible has managed to keep their job remains unknown.
There are constantly mudslinging battles on Twitter, usually only between users and rarer with official company accounts. The founder of the platform is somewhat ashamed of that:
The founder of Twitter says he regrets his contribution to today’s internet: “I’m partly to blame”
