Image: Respawn Entertainment
The new meme on the block has been making the rounds on Twitter lately, with everyone weighing in and joining the label. Born out of a Tiktok game, They’re 10, but it’s meant to be a light-hearted joke where you point out one flaw in someone who’s otherwise perfect. All in good faith, of course – none real!
Gaming giant EA decided to join in on the fun in a way that ruffled many people’s feathers, VGC reports. The developer shared his thoughts on the prank early this morning and was quickly met with anger.
They are 10 but only like to play single player games — Electronic Arts (@EA) June 30, 2022
Once upon a time, you may recall that former EA Games president Frank Gibeau said, “I have not greenlit a single game to be developed as a single-player experience. Today, all of our games include online apps and digital services that make them come alive 24/7/365.” And in 2017, EA’s CFO suggested that many don’t enjoy linear games “as much today as they did five years ago” .
Today, Electronic Arts is doing a little better on that front with the success of Jedi: Fallen Order along with the upcoming sequel, the Dead Space remake, and the new Dragon Age title. But yesterday’s tweet stirred up a lot of feelings among people, including developers who have worked with EA in the past.
Former EA and Visceral Games producer — someone behind the original Dead Space and Dante’s Inferno — Zach Mumbach wasn’t happy with the company’s tweet, calling them out for closing his studio and laying off “~100 awesome developers”
Also, if you take the game rating scores down to a 10 point scale, most @ea games are a solid 6 or 7. Not because the developers are bad, but because ea corporation forces them to rush the games. EA’s corporate leadership wouldn’t know what a “10” looks like in terms of video games. — Zach Mumbach (@zachulon) July 1, 2022
It’s not just former developers commenting on the poorly worded joke. The head of Respawn Entertainment Vince Zampella, the studio behind Apex Legends, Jedi: Fallen Order and the recent Medal of Honor games, gave a very short answer.
🤦🏼♂️— Vince Zampella (@VinceZampella) July 1, 2022
God of War director Cory Barlog also subtly weighed in on the argument.
single player games forever❤️— cory barlog (@corybarlog) July 1, 2022
And publisher of Neon White, A Memoir Blue and The Artful Escape Annapurna had some sage advice for EA.
should have kept this in drafts 🫣 — Annapurna Interactive (@A_i) July 1, 2022
Twitch streamer and YouTuber The Act Man also took the time to remind EA of an upcoming game they’re publishing that is a single-player experience.
Is that you? pic.twitter.com/EmXEXRacYc — The Act Man (@TheActMan_YT) July 1, 2022
However, EA has since abandoned the joke after being called out and slammed by many online.
Well-deserved roast. We’ll take that L because playing single player games actually makes them 11. Electronic Arts (@EA) July 1, 2022
We understand that it’s not easy to manage a social media account, but it was still a small mistake given EA’s history and the comments that previous employees have made about single-player and multiplayer experiences.
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