EA's upcoming Medal of Honor has once again made headlines thanks to the controversy surrounding the ability to play as Taliban in the game's multiplayer mode. In a surprise move, retailer GameStop confirmed earlier today that it's pulling advertising and not selling the game at any of its stores located on military bases.
Does this imply that EA and EA DICE (developer of the multiplayer component) perhaps went too far? GameStop isn't Walmart after all; they cater to a core gaming audience that has played as the bad guys in plenty of other war games (including terrorists in Modern Warfare 2).
Wedbush Morgan Securities' Michael Pachter doesn't see the move as a bad sign whatsoever, nor does he think the controversy around the Taliban gameplay will affect sales. In fact, he told IndustryGamers that he sees the game selling 3.5 million units worldwide.
He said the controversy would have "no impact," and he added, "GameStop's action is a sign of respect for the military, but I don't see this moving the needle. I think EA is trying to create a realistic experience, and think that this is a free speech issue; it is their right, and we'll have to wait and see if it goes 'too far'."
4 Comments
September 3, 2010
Its ok for Americans to kill anyone in a game but when roles are reversed its Controversial.
September 3, 2010
By "no impact" I imagine he means "no negative impact". The free advertising granted by the coverage of the "controversy" has got to be worth something. Even the main stream media has covered it.
September 3, 2010
I agree that this won't affect sales and will prtobably even boopst them because of the added press. Like I said before, I have nothing but the upmost respect for the men and women of our armed services. I'm sure EA feels the same way and was not attempting to upset or disrespect them in anyway. All they are doing(by including the Taliban as a playable faction) is making the game more realistic. If you don't like the Taliban you DON'T have to play as them, you can choose instead to kill them.
September 17, 2010
EA should have called the opposition the Tuliban so that no one gets offended.